TankBud

Eyespot gourami

Parasphaerichthys ocellatus

Also known as False chocolate gourami, Burmese chocolate gourami, Ocellated gourami, Burmese Mini Chocolate Gourami

FreshwaterFish

Eyespot gourami (Parasphaerichthys ocellatus)
Andrew Bogott · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
64–77°F
18–25°C
pH
6.5–7.5
Adult size
1.4 in
3.5 cm
Minimum tank
12 gal
45 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Very rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Upper Ayeyarwady basin of northern Myanmar, including Lake Indawgyi, in cool, still, vegetated waters.

Overview

Keep a group of six or more in a planted 45 litre tank at 18 to 25 C with soft to neutral water around pH 6.5 to 7.5. Feed small live and frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, and micro worm, as this picky micropredator often ignores dried food. It is easily intimidated, so keep it alone or with equally calm, small fish and no fast feeders. Cooler room-temperature water suits it better than tropical heat.

In the wild

Found in still and slow waters of northern Myanmar, including swamps and the margins of Lake Indawgyi, that are heavily planted. Being in the north, these waters can run cool, so it experiences subtropical rather than tropical temperatures. It is a slow, retiring fish that keeps to cover. It looks like a small chocolate gourami but sits in a separate genus.

Good to know

Parasphaerichthys ocellatus was described by Prashad and Mukerji in 1929 and belongs to the family Osphronemidae. Despite resembling the chocolate gouramis, it is a bubble-nest builder rather than a mouthbrooder. It stays tiny at around 3 cm and carries a dark eyespot near the base of the tail.

Did you know

It is one of the few chocolate gourami relatives that builds a bubble nest instead of brooding its eggs in the mouth.

Common questions

What size tank does an Eyespot gourami need?

An Eyespot gourami needs at least 12 gal (45 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does an Eyespot gourami need?

An Eyespot gourami is comfortable at 64–77°F (18–25°C) with a pH of 6.5–7.5.

How big does an Eyespot gourami get?

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

Related species