TankBud

Anjungan licorice gourami

Parosphromenus anjunganensis

Also known as Licorice gourami, Anjungan paro, Liquorice gourami

FreshwaterFish

Anjungan licorice gourami (Parosphromenus anjunganensis)

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
pH
4.0–6.5
Adult size
1.4 in
3.5 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Cave spawner · Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Known only from a few sites near Anjungan in West Kalimantan, Borneo.

Overview

The Anjungan licorice gourami is a tiny blackwater specialist for a dedicated species tank. It is a fish for experienced keepers only.

Did you know

The Anjungan licorice gourami is known from so few places that it could vanish along with its swamps. Keeping and breeding it in the hobby helps preserve it.

Caring for the Anjungan licorice gourami

Keep the Anjungan licorice gourami in a blackwater species tank of at least 11 gal (40 L). Add leaf litter and spawning caves.

Give it very soft, acidic water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 4.0 to 6.5. Stable, mineral-poor water is essential to keep it alive. Feed only small live and frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, moina and mosquito larvae, since it rarely takes dried food.

Keep it alone or with a few tiny, peaceful cyprinids, and never mix licorice gourami species. Like other licorice gouramis, it spawns in caves. Breeding it is hard.

Good to know

Parosphromenus anjunganensis belongs to the family Osphronemidae and was described by Kottelat in 1991. It is named after Anjungan, the area where it was first collected, and hobbyists also call it the Anjungan paro. Like other licorice gouramis, it is a tiny micropredator.

In the wild

The Anjungan licorice gourami is recorded from only a handful of sites near Anjungan, in West Kalimantan on Borneo. That makes it rare in the wild and vulnerable to habitat loss, and its native peat swamps are being cleared for agriculture. It lives in shaded blackwater forest streams with very soft, acidic, tannin-stained water. It stays close to leaf litter, roots and cover in the lower part of the water.

Common questions

What size tank does an Anjungan licorice gourami need?

An Anjungan licorice gourami needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does an Anjungan licorice gourami need?

An Anjungan licorice gourami is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 4.0–6.5.

What does an Anjungan licorice gourami eat?

An Anjungan licorice gourami eats only small live and frozen foods, such as baby brine shrimp, moina and mosquito larvae. It rarely takes dried food.

How big does an Anjungan licorice gourami get?

An adult Anjungan licorice gourami reaches about 1.4 in (3.5 cm).

How does an Anjungan licorice gourami breed?

Anjungan licorice gouramis spawn in caves, like other licorice gouramis. Breeding them is hard.

Related species