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Banded gourami

Trichogaster fasciata

FreshwaterFish

Banded gourami (Trichogaster fasciata)
(c) Sandipan Das, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Temperature
70–82°F
21–28°C
pH
6.0–7.5
Adult size
3.5 in
9 cm
Minimum tank
26 gal
100 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Bubble nester · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Pakistan, India, Nepal

Overview

The banded gourami is a hardy, mostly peaceful gourami for a planted community tank. It is best kept once you have a little experience.

Did you know

The banded gourami's long, thread-like pelvic fins work as feelers. They are tipped with taste and touch sensors, and the fish uses them to feel its way around plants and decor.

Caring for the banded gourami

Give a banded gourami at least 26 gal (100 L), so a group has room to spread out. A planted tank with plenty of surface cover, some floating plants and a soft substrate suits it. Leave a warm, humid gap under the lid for the air it gulps, and avoid strong currents.

Keep the water at 70 to 82°F (21 to 28°C) with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Feed a mix of quality flake or pellet, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, along with some vegetable matter.

It favors the middle and upper water and can live singly, as a pair or in a small group. Males can turn territorial as they come into breeding condition, so plant densely to break up sight lines. It mixes well with other calm community fish of a similar size.

Males build a floating bubble nest, often woven together with bits of plant, and guard the eggs and fry. Breeding is hard, because conditioning a pair and rearing the tiny fry take care and a steady supply of small live foods. A settled pair will still spawn readily under the right conditions.

Good to know

The banded gourami now sits in the genus Trichogaster, within the gourami family Osphronemidae. It was long known as Colisa fasciata, from the years it was grouped with the dwarf gouramis in the genus Colisa. Like other labyrinth fish, it can breathe air.

In the wild

The banded gourami ranges across Pakistan, northern India and Nepal. It lives in slow rivers, ponds, ditches and flooded fields, often among dense marginal plants. These waters are warm for much of the year but can cool in winter.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The banded gourami is a mostly peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a banded gourami need?

A banded gourami needs at least 26 gal (100 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a banded gourami need?

A banded gourami is comfortable at 70–82°F (21–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.

What does a banded gourami eat?

A banded gourami eats a mix of quality flake or pellet with frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp. Give it some vegetable matter as well.

How big does a banded gourami get?

An adult banded gourami reaches about 3.5 in (9 cm).

How does a banded gourami breed?

A banded gourami is a bubble nester, and the male builds a floating nest often woven with bits of plant. He guards the eggs and fry. Raising the tiny fry is hard and takes a steady supply of small live foods.

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