Spadetail licorice gourami
Parosphromenus filamentosus
Also known as Filament licorice gourami
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–81°F (22–27°C)
- pH
- 4.5–6.5
- Adult size
- 1.6 in (4 cm)
- Minimum tank
- 5 gal (20 L)
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Tankmates
- Tankmates with caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- Southeastern Borneo around Banjarmasin, Indonesia
- Family
- Osphronemidae
Overview
The spadetail licorice gourami is a tiny, quiet blackwater fish best kept as a single pair, or as several pairs in a larger tank with a cave for each. Choose tankmates with great care or, better, keep it in a species tank, both because it is easily overwhelmed and because captive breeding helps take pressure off threatened wild stocks. It wants small live and frozen foods, such as baby brine shrimp, microworm, and daphnia, and often ignores dry food. A shaded tank of around 20 liters, soft and acidic, with leaf litter and a scatter of small caves, suits a pair.
In the wild
It is known only from blackwater habitats in southeastern Borneo, around Banjarmasin, shallow, shaded, tannin-stained water that is very soft and strongly acidic. Recreate that with a dim tank, dark substrate, dense leaf litter, botanicals, and gentle filtration through peat. Keep the temperature between 22 and 27 C and the pH from 4.5 to 6.5. Small caves and clay tubes give the fish the spawning sites it needs.
Good to know
Parosphromenus filamentosus, family Osphronemidae, reaches about 4 centimeters, one of the larger licorice gouramis, and is a facultative air-breather with a labyrinth organ. The male's tail is drawn out into a filament, giving the spade-shaped outline behind the common name. Breeding is hard: it is a cave-spawner, the male tending a small bubble nest built inside a cavity, and it is best raised in dedicated soft, acidic water.
Did you know
There is an international conservation network, the Parosphromenus Project, built specifically to keep licorice gouramis alive in aquaria as their peat-swamp homes are drained and cleared.
Common questions
What size tank does a Spadetail licorice gourami need?
A Spadetail licorice gourami needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH do Spadetail licorice gourami need?
Spadetail licorice gourami are comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.5.
How big do Spadetail licorice gourami get?
An adult Spadetail licorice gourami reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Freshwater fish · Bettas & gouramis · Gouramis · Advanced fish · Nano fish · Community fish
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Related species
Swamp licorice gourami
Parosphromenus paludicolaFreshwater1.5 in (3.7 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Nagy's licorice gourami
Parosphromenus nagyiFreshwater1.4 in (3.5 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Quindecim licorice gourami
Parosphromenus quindecimFreshwater1.3 in (3.4 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Bintan licorice gourami
Parosphromenus bintanFreshwater1.3 in (3.2 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Phoenix licorice gourami
Parosphromenus phoenicurusFreshwater1.3 in (3.2 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Alfred's licorice gourami
Parosphromenus alfrediFreshwater1.3 in (3.2 cm)5 gal (20 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)