The flame dwarf gourami runs red-orange over nearly the whole body, with the blue pushed back into the dorsal fin. It is a peaceful fish that suits a keeper with a little experience.
Did you know
A flame dwarf gourami 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.
Caring for the flame dwarf gourami
Keep one male flame dwarf gourami on its own, or with a couple of females, in at least 10 gal (38 L). Never keep two males together, since they will fight. A densely planted tank with some floating plants gives the fish cover and helps them feel secure.
The water should be warm and calm, with little surface current. Hold it at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. Leave a gap between the water and the lid, because the fish breathes air at the surface. Avoid strong filter flow as well.
Feed a varied diet of flakes, micro pellets and frozen foods. It will pick at small live foods too. The flame dwarf gourami is a peaceful midwater fish that spends a lot of time near the top. It is safe in a community tank.
The red-orange color sits in the males, so shop tanks hold males, and the females stay plainer and silvery. Males build a floating bubble nest and guard the eggs. Breeding them is hard.
Good to know
The flame's 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. Trade names overlap, and red dwarf gouramis also turn up as Sunset, Red or Robin, so read the fish rather than the label.
In the wild
The flame dwarf gourami is a farm-selected line rather than a wild fish. 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.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The 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)14 gal (54 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)18 gal (67 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
2.8 in (7 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)