Neon blue keeps the wild red barring but brightens the blue between the bars. It reads as a striped fish rather than the near-solid powder blue, and the bars separate the two blue lines fast. Brightness varies between suppliers, and because the color sits in the males, females of this line and every other look alike.
In the wild
A selection line on farmed dwarf gourami stock, worked toward a brighter blue while keeping the red bars the wild fish already carries. It sits closer to the natural pattern than the powder blue or flame lines, but that intensity is a breeding result. Most stock comes from Southeast Asian farms, and no breeder or date is recorded for the line.
Good to know
Two mechanisms sit side by side on this fish: guanine-stacked iridophores reflect the blue, while pigment cells in the bars carry the red. Selection has pushed the reflective layer without stripping the pigment, which is why this form keeps a contrast the near-solid lines give up. Both halves of the pattern show in the males.
Did you know
The three shop names describe one wild pattern split three ways. Wild dwarf gouramis wear red and blue bars. Neon blue brightens the blue and keeps the bars, powder blue drops the red, and flame drops the blue from the body. Line the three up and you can watch the wild fish being taken apart.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Neon blue 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)