Three-spot gourami

Quick facts

Adult size

15 cm

Lifespan

can live up to 6 years

Tank zone

top

Temperament

semi-aggressive

Difficulty

beginner

Water parameters

Temperature

22–28°C

pH

6.0 to 8.0

Hardness

2 to 25 dGH

Tank requirements

Minimum volume

150 L

Minimum length

90 cm

Flow

low

Lighting

dim preferred

Substrate

any

Hiding spots

needed

Open swimming room

needed

Lid

required - jumper

Feeding

Diet: omnivore, feeds primarily at the top.

Omnivore that eats everything: flake, pellets, frozen food, live food, blanched vegetables, algae. Not picky. Feeds at the surface and mid-water. A larger gourami with a proportionally bigger appetite; feed once or twice daily. They'll graze on algae and biofilm between meals.

Compatibility

• Larger gourami (12–15 cm) that's more assertive than honey or pearl gouramis. Males become territorial with age and harass other gouramis and slow-moving fish in the same zone.
• One male per tank is the standard advice. Two males fight. A male with 2-3 females works in a 150 L tank with plant cover. The female needs escape routes.
• Sold under multiple common names depending on color variant: blue gourami (wild-type), gold gourami (yellow morph), opaline gourami (marbled morph), and platinum gourami (pale silver). All are the same species (Trichopodus trichopterus).
• Tankmates should be robust enough to handle occasional chasing: barbs, larger tetras, catfish, loaches. Avoid very small or very timid species.

Habitat

Native to Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Found in a huge variety of habitats, from stagnant ponds and rice paddies to slow-moving rivers and swamps. The labyrinth organ allows them to breathe atmospheric air, which explains their success in low-oxygen environments. This is one of the most widespread and adaptable freshwater fish in tropical Asia. The common name "three-spot" refers to two dark spots on the body (one mid-body, one at the caudal peduncle) plus the eye as the third spot, though the spots are often faded or absent in color-bred variants. Wild-type fish are silvery-blue with the spots visible. The gold, opaline, and platinum variants have been in the hobby for decades. Adults reach 12–15 cm, which surprises keepers who buy 4 cm juveniles. The species has been in the aquarium hobby since the early 1900s and was once the default "beginner gourami" before the honey gourami took that role.

Breeding

Bubble nest builder. The male constructs a large nest among floating plants, then courts the female with darkened coloring and flared fins. The spawning embrace produces 700-1000+ eggs per batch, far more than smaller gouramis. The male collects falling eggs and places them in the nest. After spawning, the male guards the nest and should be the sole adult in the tank; he'll attack the female if she approaches the nest. Eggs hatch in 24-36 hours. Fry are tiny and need infusoria for the first week, then baby brine shrimp. The massive clutch size means a single spawning can produce hundreds of fry. The species is bred on an industrial scale; three-spot gouramis are among the cheapest tropical fish available.

Common problems

Male aggression is the main issue, especially in tanks under 150 L. A dominant male gourami monopolizes the upper third of the tank and chases everything that enters. The gold and opaline variants are reputed to be slightly less aggressive than the blue, though individual variation matters more than morph. Dwarf gourami iridovirus (DGIV) does not affect this species; T. trichopterus is a different genus from the dwarf gourami (T. lalius). Ich and bacterial infections are the standard disease risks. The species is otherwise very hardy and tolerant of poor conditions, which is both an advantage (survivability) and a risk (keepers get lazy about maintenance because the fish seems fine until it isn't). Overfeeding leads to fatty liver; keep portions controlled.

Bioload

Bioload coefficient: 4.5 (large gourami; comparable to pearl gourami but slightly more active).

Bioload coefficients are calibrated against the neon tetra as the anchor (1.0). See the methodology page for the formula and how each value was derived.

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size