TankBud

Spadetail licorice gourami

Parosphromenus filamentosus

Also known as Filament licorice gourami

FreshwaterFish

Spadetail licorice gourami (Parosphromenus filamentosus)
The Wet Spot Tropical Fish · Used with permission

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
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Cave spawner · Hard
Rarity
Rare
Family
Osphronemidae
Origin
Southeastern Borneo around Banjarmasin, Indonesia

Overview

The spadetail licorice gourami is a tiny, quiet and peaceful blackwater fish. It suits experienced keepers.

Did you know

Licorice gouramis such as this one have their own international conservation network, the Parosphromenus Project. It was built specifically to keep them alive in aquaria as their peat-swamp homes are drained and cleared.

Caring for the spadetail licorice gourami

Keep spadetail licorice gouramis as a single pair, or as several pairs in a larger tank with a cave for each. A shaded tank of at least 5 gal (20 L) suits a pair. Give it dim light, a dark substrate, dense leaf litter, botanicals and a scatter of small caves and clay tubes.

Keep the water soft and acidic, at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Filter it gently through peat. Feed small live and frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, microworm and daphnia. It often ignores dry food.

It is easily overwhelmed, so choose tank mates with great care, or better, keep it in a species tank. Captive breeding also helps take pressure off threatened wild stocks.

Males have a tail drawn out into a filament, which gives them a spade-shaped outline. The spadetail licorice gourami is a cave-spawner, and the male tends a small bubble nest built inside a cavity. Breeding it is hard, and it is best raised in dedicated soft, acidic water.

Good to know

Parosphromenus filamentosus belongs to the family Osphronemidae and is one of the larger licorice gouramis. It is a facultative air-breather with a labyrinth organ. The common name spadetail refers to the male's tail.

In the wild

The spadetail licorice gourami is known only from blackwater habitats in southeastern Borneo, around Banjarmasin, Indonesia. Its home water is shallow, shaded and tannin-stained, very soft and strongly acidic.

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 does a spadetail licorice gourami need?

A spadetail licorice gourami is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 4.5–6.5.

What does a spadetail licorice gourami eat?

A spadetail licorice gourami eats small live and frozen foods, such as baby brine shrimp, microworm and daphnia. It often ignores dry food.

How big does a spadetail licorice gourami get?

An adult spadetail licorice gourami reaches about 1.6 in (4 cm).

How can you tell a male spadetail licorice gourami from a female?

Males have a tail drawn out into a filament, which gives them a spade-shaped outline.

How does a spadetail licorice gourami breed?

A spadetail licorice gourami is a cave-spawner, and the male tends a small bubble nest inside a cavity. Breeding it is hard, and it is best raised in dedicated soft, acidic water.

Related species