Snakeskin gourami

Care at a glance

Overview

The snakeskin gourami is a large but genuinely peaceful gourami that can be kept as a pair or a group and rarely troubles tankmates. It cruises the middle water and, being big and mild-mannered, makes a good companion for other sizeable, calm community fish. It uses its long pelvic fins to feel around plants and decor. Feed a varied diet of pellet or flake, frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, plus plenty of vegetable matter, as it grazes on soft plant growth and algae. Because it grows large, give a group a roomy tank of at least 230 liters.

In the wild

Trichopodus pectoralis is native to the lowlands of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, in still and slow waters such as swamps, canals, ponds and flooded fields. It is a warmth-loving fish, so keep the temperature between 22 and 30 degrees Celsius and the pH from 6.0 to 7.5. A large, planted tank with floating cover, gentle flow and a soft substrate suits it. As a labyrinth fish it breathes at the surface, so leave a warm, humid gap beneath the lid and keep the current calm.

Good to know

A member of the gourami family Osphronemidae, the snakeskin gourami reaches about 25 centimeters and is named for the faint, snakeskin-like diagonal barring along its silvery-green flanks. Males build a bubble nest and guard the eggs and fry; breeding is rated hard mostly because of the space needed and the many tiny fry to raise. It is one of the most farmed food gouramis in Southeast Asia, valued for its size and easygoing nature.

Did you know

The snakeskin gourami is one of the most important farmed food fish in Southeast Asia, raised in huge numbers in rice fields and ponds. Its faint diagonal barring and reticulated pattern give the fish both its common name and its understated looks.

Related species

• 

  Pearl gourami

  Trichopodus leerii

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

• 

  Moonlight gourami

  Trichopodus microlepis

  5.9 in (15 cm)30 gal (115 L)77–86°F (25–30°C)

• 

  Three spot gourami

  Trichopodus trichopterus

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

• 

  Giant Pikehead

  Luciocephalus pulcher

  7.9 in (20 cm)36 gal (135 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Malay combtail gourami

  Belontia hasselti

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

• 

  Dwarf gourami

  Trichogaster lalius

  3 in (7.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)