Croaking Gourami 4cm

Croaking Gourami
 

The Croaking Gourami will easily be one of the weirdest fish you will keep purely because you might get confused that there’s a frog in your aquarium. As their name suggests these fish croak and it's surprisingly loud and audible even when you are a few meters away. This awesome behavior is a part of how these fish interact with each other but aside from that, they are a small, easy to care for, and totally stunning species in their own regard. These fish only reach around 7 cm and will be perfect for a small, easy-to-maintain desktop aquarium or as part of a larger peaceful community system. These fish swim like a small torpedo in the aquarium as they dart forward, stop suddenly, and then dart at high speed again. All in all, this gourami has a tonne of personality and will offer hours of fun.  

Croaking gourami does not have the flashiest colours compared to most aquarium fish however their simplicity and mild highlights make them beautiful fish in their own regard. The base colour is a light olive green that is somewhat translucent. From head to tail, there are two horizontal black stripes that finish at an eye spot. There is a flash of metallic white just under the mouth. The other really unique look to these fish is their fins, they end in a really tight point and look like rocket ship wings as they swim. Croaking gourami is a super easy fish to care for as they adapt to a range of water parameters. As these are tropical species, the temperature range would be best between 25 - 28 degrees and a PH of 6.0 - 7.0.

Croaking gourami are not bred too regularly in the home aquarium, their relatively low price and lack of popularity do not offer much of an incentive for home breeders however this species breeds very similarly to bettas. Males will build a bubble nest and deposit the eggs laid by the female into the bubble nest. These fish will absolutely be a fun breeding project to consider and when kept in a species-only system, spawning is bound to happen. 

Tank Recommendations for your Croaking Gourami

A small group of croaking gouramis will only require a tank of 60 liters. This ensures that there’s ample space for around 5 gouramis which will make them feel most comfortable. In the wild, croaking gourami come from slow-moving, shallow waters that are dense with botanicals and plants. Though they will do fine in a high-tech planted aquarium, it is best that the required water parameters these fish need are met. The croaking gourami is not too fussed on hardscape and but a tight-fitting lid will be a requirement since they can jump.

A super simple idea for these fish would be a 60-liter aquarium, that has a thin layer of river sand, some botanicals, a small LED desk light that has a warmer or even yellow hue, and some floating plants such as frogbit. The aquarium will need a small heater and can be filtered through a single sponge filter. This will be a super affordable aquarium to run and enjoy. 

Suitable Tank Buddies

Croaking gourami will get along with a range of nano tank mates and can be quite active during feeding time. These fish have small mouths so it would be better to only keep them with species that do not get much bigger than 7 cm. Avoiding any fin-nipping fish would be ideal as well. 

Usually compatible

Sparkling gourami, honey gourami, liquorice gourami, blue eyes, neon tetras, and other nano species. 

Sometimes Compatible

Shrimp have a risk of being eaten but adults should be able to thrive. Apistogramma, rams, and other territorial fish that may show minimal but long-term aggression to the smaller croaking gourami. 

Rarely Compatible

Predatory South American cichlids and African cichlids will for sure make a meal out of the croaking gourami and will not be suitable to the conditions these fish require.  

Feeding your Croaking Gourami 

Croaking gourami should take to foods quite easily and will be incredibly fun to feed.  Their mouth is best shaped to eat small worms and their diet can easily consist of a nano pellet or flake along with white worms, micro worms, and even black worms.