Bukit Merah licorice gourami
Parosphromenus rubrimontis
Also known as Red hill licorice gourami
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–81°F (22–27°C)
- pH
- 4.5–6.0
- Adult size
- 1.2 in (3 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 5 gal (20 L)
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- Tankmates with caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Bukit Merah area, Perak, Malaysia
- Family
- Osphronemidae
Overview
The Bukit Merah licorice gourami is one of the more colorful small paros, and it is kept as a single pair in a shaded tank of about 20 liters rather than in a group. It keeps to the lower and middle levels near caves and roots. Keep it alone or with only a handful of tiny, calm fish, since it is timid and slow to feed with pushy company around. Condition it on small live and frozen foods, newly hatched brine shrimp, moina, microworm, and finely chopped bloodworm, which also brings up the male's color. Give each fish a cave to call its own and keep the room quiet.
In the wild
Parosphromenus rubrimontis lives in peat swamp remnants around Bukit Merah in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, in water stained dark by tannins and almost free of dissolved minerals. Reproduce it with a soft, acidic layout: driftwood, dried leaves, low light, and small spawning caves. Hold the pH from 4.5 to 6.0 and the temperature from 22 to 27 degrees Celsius, using reverse osmosis water if needed to reach that softness.
Good to know
A labyrinth fish in the family Osphronemidae, Parosphromenus rubrimontis was described by Kottelat and Ng in 2005 and grows to about 3 centimeters. Displaying males flush their banded fins deep red over metallic blue. Breeding is hard and runs to the genus pattern: the male alone guards eggs and fry inside a cave, and only very soft, acidic water lets them survive. The species is considered endangered as its habitat shrinks.
Did you know
The scientific name is the Latin for red mountain, a direct translation of Bukit Merah, the Malay place name where it lives. The locality is written twice over, once in each language.
Common questions
What size tank does a Bukit Merah licorice gourami need?
A Bukit Merah licorice gourami needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH do Bukit Merah licorice gourami need?
Bukit Merah licorice gourami are comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.0.
How big do Bukit Merah licorice gourami get?
An adult Bukit Merah licorice gourami reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Freshwater fish · Bettas & gouramis · Gouramis · Advanced fish · Nano fish · Community fish
Keeping Bukit Merah licorice gourami?
Track water tests, reminders and stocking fit.
Planning tankmates
See how Bukit Merah licorice gourami fits a stocking plan. Open the stocking calculator
Add to your site
Show this species on your own site: a shortcode for WordPress, or an HTML embed for anywhere else.
Related species
Gunawan's licorice gourami
Parosphromenus gunawaniFreshwater1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Juelin's licorice gourami
Parosphromenus juelinaeFreshwater1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Opal licorice gourami
Parosphromenus opalliosFreshwater1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Sumatran licorice gourami
Parosphromenus sumatranusFreshwater1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Tweedie's licorice gourami
Parosphromenus tweedieiFreshwater1.2 in (3 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Harvey's licorice gourami
Parosphromenus harveyiFreshwater1.2 in (3.1 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)