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Swamp licorice gourami

Parosphromenus paludicola

Also known as Paludicola paro

FreshwaterFish

Swamp licorice gourami (Parosphromenus paludicola)
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
1.5 in
3.7 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
Malay Peninsula east coast and southern Thailand

Overview

The swamp licorice gourami is a small, quiet blackwater fish for a dim, tannin-dark tank. It is shy and best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

The swamp licorice gourami reached further north than any other licorice gourami. It is the only member of its genus to cross out of the Malay Peninsula and into Thailand.

Caring for the swamp licorice gourami

Keep swamp licorice gouramis as a single pair in a tank of at least 5 gal (20 L). Several pairs can share a larger tank if every fish has a cave to claim. Set up a dark, dim tank with leaf litter, botanicals and small caves.

Give them very soft water, stained dark with tannins and filtered gently through peat. Keep it at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Aim for water below neutral if you want the fish to show and spawn.

Feed small live and frozen foods, such as microworm, grindal worm, baby brine shrimp and daphnia. Dry food is usually refused. Swamp licorice gouramis are peaceful but shy and easily overshadowed, so add tank mates sparingly or not at all.

They are cave spawners. The eggs sink, and the parents gather them into a bubble nest inside a cavity. Breeding is hard and needs stable, soft, acidic water.

Good to know

The swamp licorice gourami, Parosphromenus paludicola, belongs to the family Osphronemidae and is also called the paludicola paro. Tweedie described it in 1952, and the name paludicola means swamp-dweller. Its wild homes are shrinking fast.

In the wild

The swamp licorice gourami lives in small creeks in swamp forest on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula and in southern Thailand. The water there is shaded, acidic, warm and very soft.

Common questions

What size tank does a swamp licorice gourami need?

A swamp licorice gourami needs at least 5 gal (20 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a swamp licorice gourami need?

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

What does a swamp licorice gourami eat?

A swamp licorice gourami eats small live and frozen foods, such as microworm, grindal worm, baby brine shrimp and daphnia. It usually refuses dry food.

How big does a swamp licorice gourami get?

An adult swamp licorice gourami reaches about 1.5 in (3.7 cm).

How does a swamp licorice gourami breed?

Swamp licorice gouramis are cave spawners. The parents gather the sinking eggs into a bubble nest inside a cavity, and breeding them is hard. It needs stable, soft, acidic water.

Related species