Flame runs red-orange over nearly the whole body, with the blue pushed back into the dorsal fin and the wild vertical bars largely gone. Trade names overlap here: red dwarf gouramis also turn up as Sunset, Red or Robin, so read the fish rather than the label. The color sits in the males, so shop tanks hold males and the females stay plainer and silvery.
In the wild
Wild dwarf gouramis alternate red and blue bars down the flank. Flame keeps the red, drops the bars, and pushes the blue back into the dorsal, all of it selected on farms. Most trade stock is bred in Southeast Asia, and several retailers list flames specifically as tank bred. Who fixed the line, and when, is not documented.
Good to know
The red comes from pigment cells in the skin carrying carotenoids and pteridines. The blue left in the dorsal is structural, reflected by guanine platelets inside iridophores. Selection has rearranged which cell type covers which part of the fish rather than inventing a pigment. Because the color is concentrated in the males, a breeder can only judge half of each generation.
Did you know
A flame is the wild fish with its stripes taken out. Dwarf gouramis in the wild wear alternating red and blue bars, and this line holds the red while letting the bars fade. Faint ghost bars still show on some individuals.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Flame dwarf gourami is a 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.
2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
3.5 in (9 cm)26 gal (100 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)
3.5 in (9 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)25 gal (95 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)