Photo: Photo by Greg Hume ( Greg5030 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Moonlight gourami
Trichopodus microlepis
15 cm
Adult size
100 L
Minimum volume
4
Minimum group
12 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Trichopodus
- Diet
- omnivore
- Social life
- small group
In the wild
Overview
The moonlight gourami, silvery and pearly, is less colourful than other gouramis but very elegant in a community tank. Its thread-like pelvic fins are much longer than in other gouramis. It is eaten in its native range; fish in the trade are bred in the Far East and Eastern Europe.
- Scientific name
- Trichopodus microlepis (Günther, 1861)
- Classification
- Anabantiformes › Osphronemidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Mekong (Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand) and Chao Phraya basins; introduced populations in Singapore and Colombia
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in lowland pools, peat swamps and marshes, in shallow, slow or still, heavily vegetated water. It is common on the lower Mekong floodplain and breathes air at the surface.
Behaviour
Timid, it should live neither with fish small enough to be eaten nor with overly lively species. Ideal companions: other gouramis, Botia, Corydoras, barbs, angelfish and Loricariidae. Males can become territorial towards each other and other gouramis. An omnivore: prepared foods, supplemented with live and frozen prey.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth