Blue Gourami - Three Spot 5cm

Blue Gourami
 

The Blue Gourami is a great entry-level aquarium fish for larger community aquariums. This fish is always a fantastic candidate and essentially a must-have in any community aquarium due to its striking colour, peaceful personality, and larger growing size. Blue Gouramis also make for a great showpiece fish in community aquariums as they grow to around 15cm. 

The Blue Gourami is also a very hardy fish that can tolerate a range of aquarium parameters and being an anabantoid, these fish have a primitive lung that allows them to take gulps of oxygen from the surface to breathe. The Blue Gourami much like many aquarium fish do have accentuated colours due to selective breeding. One of the coolest factors about this species is that it does come in a totally gold form as well which is equally common. Blue gouramis as their name suggests have a wonderful powder blue colour that begins at the head and can transition into a yellow or green colour. In certain individuals, this blue can develop to be incredibly striking with stripes being present as well. 

They also often have 3 black spots along the body and a gold outline along with the fins which also have light yellow spots. 

Blue gouramis can be bred in the home aquarium however unlike their close cousins the bettas there isn’t any easy way of differentiating males and females. Generally, these fish will pair off naturally in a group. The wild origin of the Gould gourami is from Asia.  

Tank Recommendations for your Blue Gourami

Blue gourami does get fairly large at 15cm which is why the bare minimum aquarium would be around 60 Liters. As always though a larger aquarium would be far better to allow ample space for the gourami and other tank mates. These fish can be slightly territorial at times as well which is why a larger aquarium would be ideal, along with that the blue gourami can be kept solitary or in a group as well.

The blue gourami also does come from very calm, vegetation-dense waters in the wild, and replicating this would be the best environment for the fish. Blue gouramis are also almost exclusively fish that stick to the upper portions of the aquarium meaning that there isn’t any real concern about the substrate or escape materials used in the bottom portions of the tank. These are also tropical fish that are best kept at 24-26 degrees.

Suitable Tank Buddies

The blue gourami is a fairly peaceful fish. There have been reports that they can be territorial with members of their own species and possibly against other fish. In a larger aquarium setting, this should not be a problem however in a smaller aquarium like the minimum recommendation of 60 liters this could potentially arise. Gold gouramis also do have longer fins compared to other fish which pose an easy target to open fin nipping species which also should be avoided

Usually Compatible

Torpedo barbs, corydoras, Black widow tetras, Plecos, ember tetras

Sometimes Compatible

Other gouramis and very small fish such as endler guppies or maculatus raspboras.

Rarely Compatible

Aggressive species may prey on the gourami or any fin nipping species such as tiger barbs which could cause constant injuries to the fish.

Feeding your Blue Gourami

Blue Gourami are very easy to feed. They will take a wide range of pellets, flakes, and frozen foods. Just like any fish though they should be fed a varied diet with a mix of different foods. The ideal diet would be a good quality floating food, supplemented with frozen bloodworms or black worms or even live foods like baby brine shrimp or micro worms.