Moonlight gourami

Care at a glance

Overview

The moonlight gourami is a calm, slow-moving fish that can be kept as a pair or a small group and mixes well with other peaceful mid-sized community fish. It favours the middle and upper water and uses its long, thread-like pelvic fins to explore, so avoid known fin-nippers that will pester them. Give it a quiet, planted tank; it can be a little shy at first. Feed a varied diet of flake or pellet, frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp and some vegetable matter. Keep the water warm and provide a tank of at least 115 liters so a group has room to settle.

In the wild

Trichopodus microlepis comes from the lowlands of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, living in slow and still waters such as swamps, ponds and flooded fields thick with vegetation. It likes warmth, so keep the temperature between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius and the pH from 6.0 to 7.5. A densely planted tank with floating plants, calm water and a dark substrate shows off its silvery sheen and helps it feel secure. Leave a warm air layer under the lid, as it breathes from the surface and dislikes cold drafts.

Good to know

A member of the gourami family Osphronemidae, the moonlight gourami reaches about 15 centimeters and takes its scientific name microlepis, meaning small-scaled, from its fine scales that give the body a smooth, silvery glow. Males develop orange to red pelvic fins and a slightly steeper forehead in breeding condition. They build a large bubble nest, often incorporating plant fragments, and guard the eggs, though home breeding is not commonly recorded.

Did you know

The moonlight gourami is named for its soft, silvery sheen, the result of unusually fine scales that scatter light across the body. When ready to breed, the male's threadlike pelvic fins flush a warm orange-red.

Related species

• 

  Three spot gourami

  Trichopodus trichopterus

  5.1 in (13 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Pearl gourami

  Trichopodus leerii

  4.7 in (12 cm)30 gal (115 L)75–86°F (24–30°C)

• 

  Snakeskin gourami

  Trichopodus pectoralis

  9.8 in (25 cm)61 gal (230 L)72–86°F (22–30°C)
• One-spot betta

  Betta unimaculata

  4.5 in (11.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Malay combtail gourami

  Belontia hasselti

  7.9 in (20 cm)45 gal (170 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Frail gourami

  Ctenops nobilis

  3.9 in (10 cm)24 gal (90 L)68–79°F (20–26°C)