Thick-lipped gourami
Trichogaster labiosa
Also known as Sunset thicklip gourami, Colisa labiosa
FreshwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 72–82°F
- 22–28°C
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Adult size
- 3.5 in
- 9 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Middle
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Medium
- Rarity
- Common
- Family
- Osphronemidae
- Origin
- Southern Myanmar
Overview
Do not house them with banded or dwarf gourami, since the three hybridize freely. This is one of the better community gouramis, calmer than the dwarf gourami, and it sits in the middle of the water column. Keep a small group in a tank of at least 75 liters, weighted toward more females, because males get a little territorial with each other. They are mostly peaceful and social, and water should run 22 to 28 C with a pH of 6 to 7.5. Feed a varied diet of small pellets, flakes, and frozen foods like daphnia or brine shrimp, and pick calm tankmates that will not nip or outcompete them at feeding time.
In the wild
Thick-lipped gouramis come from slow, warm waters in southern Myanmar, the kind of shallow, plant-choked pools and ditches with soft light and little current. To match that, give them a heavily planted tank with floating plants on top, a dark substrate, and gentle flow. They are a labyrinth fish that breathes air at the surface, so keep a tight lid that traps a warm humid layer above the water and stop them gulping cold dry air. Keep the water between 22 and 28 C with a pH from 6 to 7.5.
Good to know
This is Trichogaster labiosa, a labyrinth fish in the family Osphronemidae, growing to about 9 cm as an adult. It is a bubble-nester, with the male building a foam nest at the surface and guarding the eggs, and spawning it takes a bit of setup. Most fish in the trade are tank-bred, and the sunset and gold color forms are common. A healthy adult lives several years.
Did you know
Like other labyrinth fish, this gourami breathes air from the surface using a lung-like organ, which is why it gets by in the still, low-oxygen pools it comes from. That same habit is why the warm humid air under the lid matters, since a blast of cold room air at the surface can chill the organ and make the fish sick.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
Thick-lipped gourami is a mostly 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.
Six-barred panchax
Epiplatys sexfasciatus
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Marble wood shrimp
Atya scabra
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)73–82°F (23–28°C)
Giant kuhli loach
Pangio myersi
Freshwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
Amazon molly
Poecilia formosa
Freshwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)68–82°F (20–28°C)
Rex halfbeak
Nomorhamphus rex
Freshwater2.2 in (5.5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
Agassiz's dwarf cichlid
Apistogramma agassizii
Freshwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–84°F (22–29°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a Thick-lipped gourami need?
A Thick-lipped gourami needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a Thick-lipped gourami need?
A Thick-lipped gourami is comfortable at 72–82°F (22–28°C) with a pH of 6.0–7.5.
How big does a Thick-lipped gourami get?
An adult Thick-lipped gourami reaches about 3.5 in (9 cm).
Related species
3.5 in (9 cm)26 gal (100 L)70–82°F (21–28°C)Banded gourami
Trichogaster fasciata
3.5 in (9 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)
3 in (7.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)Dwarf gourami
Trichogaster lalius
3 in (7.5 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)
2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)Honey gourami
Trichogaster chuna
2 in (5 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
3.5 in (9 cm)24 gal (90 L)70–77°F (21–25°C)Eyespot betta
Betta ocellata
3.5 in (9 cm) · 24 gal (90 L)
3.5 in (9 cm)26 gal (100 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Pi betta
Betta pi
3.5 in (9 cm) · 26 gal (100 L)
3.5 in (9 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Sims' betta
Betta simorum
3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)