Pearl gourami is one of the popular fish among fish keeping. It is also a very popular variety among the Fish keepers. The appearance of pearl gourami makes it unique and stand out among the other fishes.
Most of the aquarists prefer pearl gourami fish due to its habitat and its looks. They have a collection of white spots across their body and have an attractive pair of delicate fins. All of this makes this fish very attractive and popular.
It’s very necessary for you to take proper care of pearl gourami in-order to ensure it lives a long and healthy life. However, even if you are new to fish keeping you can easily get and maintain this fish in your aquarium.
In this guide, I will be teaching you to Choose the Right and proper tank mates for pearl gourami, Tank setup and conditions, Average lifespan of pearl gourami, Breeding guide and conditions, The appearance of pearl gourami and much more.
Let’s Get right into it!
Pearl Gourami Guide
Here is a quick infographic:
Overview
Pearl gourami is a popular freshwater fish that belongs to the Osphronemidae family. This family also includes a variety of other gourami species.
Due to patterns through the body, diamonds, lace or mosaic gourami are sometimes referred to but these are less commonly referred to.
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are the countries of origin. They are here living with lots of vegetation and acidic water in the shallow tropical waters.
They can now be found all over the world because the fish farming industry grows them in captivity. Sometimes these fish can be challenging so they are best suited for those who are experienced.
They’re quite easy to maintain with a little know-how.
This makes them popular in home aquariums, especially in combination with their complex patterns, which make them one of the most spectacular tropical fish in the world.
You can find them in many different fish shops and you can pick one for approximately $5.
When you buy healthy fish, they can live up to five years once they have been placed in the tank.
Taxonomy
Here is the scientific classification of pearl gourami:
| Scientific classification | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anabantiformes |
| Family: | Osphronemidae |
| Genus: | Trichopodus |
| Species: |
T. leerii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Trichopodus leerii | |
Typical Behaviour
Pearl gourami has many conducts with other species of gourami. Most of your time you will swim around the middle to top of the tank.
Sometimes you will see them head to the surface, that’s oxygen. While most fish respire by using gills, a labyrinth organ that uses oxygen from the air instead of the water can be used for the breathing of pearl gouramis.
They can be especially aggressive during spawning. Man is the most aggressive; he is going to fight over women and frighten any fish near his nest.
They are pretty quiet and ought not to bother tank mates the rest of the time.
Pearl gourami Appearance
Its look is the main reason that pearl gourami are the kinds they are looking for. The beauty is difficult to deny. The body is covered in white, pearl-like spots and named after them, and along their sides is a thin black bar.
The spots distinguish them easily from others, but their fins, sizes and colors are also different.
They’re thin, broad and broad. They give you a delicate and elegant look. Because their fins are so large, they are a major target for fins, so keep them separate.
Under these can be found a couple of modified pelvic fins during their swimming. The fins are almost as long as the body.
Male and females are easily distinguished. The males develop a red breast as they mature and when they mature, it becomes more bright and becomes one of the colorful fish around them. They have longer dorsal fins too.
Habitat and Tank Conditions
In slowly moving Asian freshwater, Pearl Gourami lives. Some lowlands, rivers and lakes (especially acidic waters in the swamps).
These habitats share certain properties that make them perfect for guramis. They are rather shallow and have a lot of vegetation and plants. This makes it easy for gourami to move from plant protection to the air surface.
The sandy substratum with rocks and logs sitting on the surface is located under the waters. They form caves and algae-growing surfaces.
Pearl Gourami Tank Size
We recommend a minimum tank size of 30 gallons for pearl gourami. However, the more the tank size the better for the pearl gourami to swim and explore around.
This ensures the tank size is enough spacious for pearl gourami and its tank mates. 30-gallons is enough to explore around the fish tank with their tank mates.
You should add about 5-10 extra gallons per fish if you are planning to keep more than one pearl gourami.
Tank conditions
The most important way to keep your gourami happy is to make your aquarium as close to its natural environment as possible. This reduces the risk of health issues or hunger strikes.
You would ideally have sand at the bottom of the tank as it’s what they would use in the wild. Fine gravel can also be used as a substitute because gourami are usually higher in the tank.
You must also add a tank of plants (java fern and anacharis are ideal). Living plants are best eaten and help clean the water.
Decorations are less important, but the tank can be a little more interesting. From time to time, your gourami may use any caves you make.
The next thing to take into account is the water. Although they live naturally in acidic water, captive breeders can tolerate a far wider range of pHs (6-8).
It’s a tropical species that requires 77-82 ° F heating. The hardness of the water should range from 5 to 15 dH.
Apart from a heater, a water purifying filter is the only piece of equipment you need.
Some like adding an air pump to flow and oxygenate the water. This is not necessary, however since pearls prefer calmer waters and get their oxygen from the air.
Pearl Gourami Tank mates
Choosing the right tank mates for your Pearl gourami is necessary. Pearl gourami are usually quiet fish, they add big things to community aquariums. This means that when thinking about fellow tankers there are many possibilities.
Usually non-aggressive tank mates are a very good choice for pearl gourami due to its quiet and peaceful nature. Small and quiet fish, such as pearl danios or neon tetras, are the best choices. You can go into bigger fish until they are known to be territorial or aggressive.
Loaches and catfish also constitute safe supplements. Mostly they will be on the bottom of the tank so that they will not meet gourami too many times; however, peaceful species like Corydoras or yo-yo lakes still have to be chosen.
Any large or excessive fish should be prevented. These stress the pearl gourami, which can hide them in pale color and cause health problems.
Another group to avoid is Fin-nippers (like tiger barbs). The delicate ends are a simple goal. Unless the fish are quiet and too large, they’re going to make large tank friends for your Pearls.
These are the few tank mates of Pearl Gourami we recommend:
- Dwarf Cichlids
- Small Tetras
- Danios
- Guppies
- Platies
- Swordtails
- Hatchetfish
It is easy to forget that you do not only have fish for your tank mates but also other creatures like shrimp or snails. They don’t just look different, they too eat algae (help clean your tank).
Check out these articles:
Glass Catfish: care, feeding and tank mates- [2020]
Jaguar Cichlid: care, feeding, breeding and tank mates- [2020]
Pearl Gourami Together
They can be kept alone, but in a group of around four or more, they can do much better. They are social animals, so when you maintain a foal of them you will see much more of their natural behavior.
A group will also emphasize their colors; it could be quite a sight to watch a group of Pearls move around.
When more than one is maintained, the only thing you really must consider is their sex. If the ratio of men to women is too high, the fight will begin. It is best for 1 male to 2-3 females. These numbers will help people to raise them as well.
Pearl Gourami Diet
Choose a healthy diet for your fish. It is important. Your diet can affect your gourami’s growth and behavior.
Pearl’s gourami aren’t eaters of picky food. They live a lifestyle that is omnivorous and allows them to eat almost everything.
This could be larvae, small insects, eggs or algae in the wild. They can easily find food because they have aquatic plants around them that they can eat if nothing else happens.
It’s not going to be hard for you to replicate in an aquarium.
Feeding these type of food for pearl gourami would fit in:
- Flock
- Pellet
- Live and frozen food
Just ensure It needs only to be small enough to fit in your mouth.
Live food is good because it encourages various behaviors; the fish have to work for their dinner. Shrimp and glass worms are examples of live foods.
Green vegetables may be added instead of fish food. When you cut some small pieces, it becomes a healthy way to vary your diet by a simple vegetable like a calf.
Feed your fish twice to three times a day, so that your digestive system does not overload.
You just have a few minutes to give them as much food as they can eat. Remove any food remaining from the tank so as not to decline and ruin water quality.
Peal Gourami Care
By changing the water every week or two and removing excess algae every time your tank remains clean.
A clean tank is a lot less likely to have a disease, but you can not totally avoid diseases. It is no exception to all the fish and pearl gourami.
Fin rot is one of the most common issues for this species. It is a bacterial infection leading to decay and fine dyeing.
When water quality is poor, the bacteria thrive and are more likely to become a problem if the fins are already damaged. That’s another reason to avoid fiberglasses. If you find your fish to be finished, change the water more periodically.
To control infection, antibacterial medicines may be added to the water.
Fin red is one of many diseases that may be experienced by pearl gouramis. You must carefully monitor your fish to check for signs of illness.
Your Gourami may also get other illnesses:
- Ammonia Poisoning
- Dropsy
- Ich
- Fish Fungus
- Swim Bladder Disease
Lower activity, discoloration and leaving your food are the most common symptoms. Also, look for physical damage, especially when males struggle.
Breeding
These pearl gouramis are usually bubble nest builders. When it comes to breeding males tend to blow lots of bubbles when looking to mate, However, these bubbles float on the surface of the water.
To ensure the durability of the bubbles they are coated with the saliva of pearl gourami. Later, the eggs are deposited in a safe place called a nest. The collection of bubbles is called bubble nest These are blown to the surface of the water.
In the wild, the breeding process would be done in the shallowest waters, in the hopes that any predators would be too big to reach the shallow water which makes it safe.
After the eggs are courted and spawned with the females they are fertilized and released into the floating bubble nest. The males defend these eggs from their predators.
After a day or two, the eggs hatch and the fry should begin to swim at the age of five days. Although adults are labyrinth-like, breathable, they have gills, so that they have good oxygen supply in the water until they get older.
It is not too hard to make these fish breed at home and most of what can be done to increase the chances that most fish breed them.
- First, in your tank, both males and females are needed. Pearl varieties are simple to have sex, so it ought not to be a problem.
- Males’ breasts are red and their dorsal fins longer. Keep 1 male pearl gourami for 2-3 female gouramis. Too many men will mean a lot of struggle and not a lot of breeding.
- Separate all fish that may eat eggs.
- Feed foods that are of high quality.
- Induce spawning behavior, increasing temperatures are often effective. You can go up to 82 ° F in this case, but no more.
- Lastly, keep the tank clean for stress reduction.
Concluding Thoughts
If you are fairly new to fish keeping or planning to get an aquarium. We recommend you to add pearl gourami which is a great addition. It’s quite easy to maintain this pearl gourami. They are also one of the popular species in fish keeping. Note that this fish is a freshwater fish.
They look attractive which makes the aquarium look great. I am sure people would love to see this fish in your fish tank.
To make them felt at home, you need lots of plants. Any tank mates you have should definitely not be allowed to become small or peaceful.
You will like seeing these fish move around and interact with each other when they are kept healthy. It will be a great addition if you are looking for a new fish.
