Vaillant's Chocolate Gourami

Sphaerichthys vaillanti

FreshwaterFish

Care at a glance

Temperature: 70–77°F (21–25°C)
pH: 5.0–6.5
Adult size: 2.2 in (5.5 cm)
Minimum tank: 20 gal (75 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Schooling
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Rare
Origin: Borneo
Family: Osphronemidae

Overview

Vaillant's chocolate gourami is a delicate, peaceful fish that should be kept as a group of six or more, since it is a shoaling species that feels safest in numbers. It occupies the middle water of a quiet, densely planted tank and is easily out-competed, so keep it only with small, gentle tankmates or on its own. It can be a fussy feeder that needs small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, baby brine shrimp, cyclops and bloodworm to thrive. Its need for very soft, acidic water makes it a difficult fish. Provide a shaded, well-planted tank of at least 75 liters for a group.

In the wild

Sphaerichthys vaillanti is native to Borneo, where it lives in soft, acidic blackwater peat swamps and slow forest streams shaded by overhanging plants and stained dark with tannins. Matching that water is essential. Use a dark substrate, dense planting, floating cover, driftwood and a thick bed of dried leaves, with subdued lighting. Keep the temperature between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius, cooler than many tropical fish, and the pH acidic, from 5.0 to 6.5. Very soft, tannin-rich, gently filtered water is the key to keeping it well.

Good to know

A member of the gourami family Osphronemidae, Vaillant's chocolate gourami reaches about 5.5 centimeters. Unusually, the female is the more colourful sex, showing bold red and blue-green bands, while the male is plainer. It is a paternal mouthbrooder: the female courts and the male broods the eggs in his mouth for two to three weeks. Breeding is rated hard, as it demands very soft, acidic water and a well-settled group before a pair will spawn.

Did you know

This chocolate gourami turns the usual pattern on its head. The female is the brightly coloured, banded sex and does the courting, yet it is the plainer male that carries the developing eggs in his mouth until the fry are ready to swim free.