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Alfred's licorice gourami

Parosphromenus alfredi

Also known as Alfred licorice gourami

FreshwaterFish

Alfred's licorice gourami (Parosphromenus alfredi)

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
4.5–6.0
Adult size
1.3 in
3.2 cm
Minimum tank
5 gal
20 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Cave spawner · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Peat swamps of southern Johor, Malaysia

Overview

Alfred's licorice gourami is a tiny, shy blackwater fish for a calm species tank. It is for experienced keepers.

Did you know

Courting male Alfred's licorice gouramis hang in a near-vertical, head-down pose inside their cave, with their fins spread wide. Meanwhile, the drab female turns pale and yellowish. The whole display plays out in water almost too dark to see into.

Caring for the Alfred's licorice gourami

Keep Alfred's licorice gourami in a calm, dimly lit species tank of at least 5 gal (20 L). Add driftwood, a deep bed of leaf litter and a few small caves, with an air-driven sponge filter and gentle flow. It swims in the lower and middle water among roots and leaf litter, and spends its time near a chosen cave.

Keep the water very soft, with negligible hardness, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 4.5 to 6.0. It is a micropredator that wants small live and frozen foods, such as newly hatched brine shrimp, microworm, daphnia and mosquito larvae. Frozen and dried foods are often refused, so live cultures make keeping it far easier.

Keep a single pair, which is the usual way with this genus. Keep tank mates to a minimum and pick them with care, at most a few very small, gentle fish such as Boraras. Anything bolder outcompetes it at feeding time.

A pair spawns inside a small cave, and the male guards the eggs. The fry are tiny and light-sensitive, and they need very soft, acidic water to develop. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

Parosphromenus alfredi belongs to the labyrinth fish family Osphronemidae. Kottelat and Ng described it in 2005. Like other licorice gouramis, it breathes air at the surface through a labyrinth organ. It is assessed as critically endangered, as its swamps are being cleared.

In the wild

Alfred's licorice gourami lives only in peat swamp remnants in Johor, Peninsular Malaysia. The water there is dark with tannins, extremely soft and strongly acidic.

Common questions

What size tank does an Alfred's licorice gourami need?

An Alfred's licorice gourami needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an Alfred's licorice gourami need?

An Alfred's licorice gourami is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.0.

What does an Alfred's licorice gourami eat?

Alfred's licorice gourami is a micropredator that eats small live and frozen foods, such as newly hatched brine shrimp, microworm, daphnia and mosquito larvae. It often refuses frozen and dried foods, so live cultures help.

How big does an Alfred's licorice gourami get?

An adult Alfred's licorice gourami reaches about 1.3 in (3.2 cm).

How does an Alfred's licorice gourami breed?

Alfred's licorice gouramis spawn inside a small cave, and the male guards the eggs. The fry are tiny and light-sensitive and need very soft, acidic water. Breeding them is hard.

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