Malay combtail gourami

Care at a glance

Overview

The Malay combtail is a large, sturdy gourami with a bold personality that can be kept singly, as a pair, or in a group in a big tank with room to establish territories. It cruises the middle water and can be pushy at feeding time or when spawning, so give it robust, similar-sized tankmates rather than timid ones. Plenty of wood, plants and broken sight lines help keep the peace. It is an unfussy eater, taking pellets, frozen bloodworm, prawn and other meaty foods along with some greens. Provide a tank of at least 170 liters, as adults need space to avoid squabbling.

In the wild

Belontia hasselti is found from Thailand through the Sunda Islands, in slow streams, ponds, ditches and swampy pools, often among dense plants. A spacious, well-structured tank suits it, with driftwood, hardy plants and a soft substrate, plus floating cover to soften the light. Keep the temperature between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius and the pH from 6.0 to 7.5, in soft to moderately hard water. As a labyrinth fish it takes air from the surface, so leave a warm, humid gap beneath the lid and keep the flow gentle.

Good to know

A member of the gourami family Osphronemidae, the Malay combtail reaches about 20 centimeters and is also known as the Java combtail. Its common name comes from the caudal fin, whose rays extend past the membrane into a comb-like fringe. Males guard the eggs, which float at the surface, and may build only a loose bubble nest or none at all; home breeding is not widely recorded. It is one of the larger and more robust gouramis kept in the hobby.

Did you know

The combtail gets its name from its tail: the fin rays reach beyond the webbing to form a comb-like edge. Unusually for a gourami, males often skip the bubble nest and simply guard a raft of floating eggs at the surface.

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