Three spot gourami Care Guide

The Three Spot Gourami is a moderately hardy and popular ornamental fish that requires proper care and attention to thrive in a home aquarium. Due to their social but semi-aggressive nature, understanding their habitat needs and feeding preferences is crucial for maintaining their well-being.

Tank Setup

To accommodate the Three Spot Gourami, ensure your tank provides at least 20 liters of water per fish. Gouramis can grow to lengths of 10 to 15 cm, so providing ample space is essential. They typically dwell across all levels of the tank: surface, mid-tank, and bottom, which requires a well-planned layout. A gentle filtration system, plenty of plants, and hiding spots will create a peaceful environment. Maintain the water temperature between 24°C and 28°C, ensuring the pH remains stable within the range of 6.0 to 7.5. This species has a moderate maintenance level, so regular monitoring and cleaning are necessary for optimal water quality.

Feeding

The Three Spot Gourami has a versatile diet and thrives on a variety of food types. Their nutrition can include flakes, pellets, bloodworms, brine shrimp, tubifex worms, and frozen shrimp. They also accept vegetable matter, algae wafers, color-enhancing food, daphnia, micro worms, freeze-dried foods, and stick-on tablets. Feeding them a varied diet will keep them healthy and promote vibrant colors. Due to their social behavior, ensure there is enough food to prevent competition and undue aggression during feeding times.

Behavior and Compatibility

The Three Spot Gourami displays social, yet semi-aggressive tendencies, making them suitable for community tanks, provided the tank mates are non-aggressive and compatible in size. However, they exhibit highly territorial and aggressive behavior during breeding, so a separate breeding tank is recommended for breeding attempts. Their natural habitat includes being surface, mid-tank, and bottom dwellers, so they will explore and utilize all parts of the aquarium.

Breeding

Breeding Three Spot Gouramis is an intriguing process as they are bubble nest builders. A separate breeding tank with optimal conditions—temperature between 26°C and 28°C, and pH between 6.5 and 7.0—is recommended. A bonded pair should be introduced, and the male will construct a bubble nest at the water surface. Remove the female post-spawning to avoid aggression from the male, who will nurture the eggs until they hatch.

Care of the Fry

Carefully monitor the fry, as they require delicate attention to thrive. After the eggs hatch—within 24 to 36 hours—maintain humidity in the tank to aid labyrinth organ development. Initially, fry should be fed with infusoria or liquid fry food, transitioning to micro worms and then baby brine shrimp as they grow. Ensure water quality remains pristine through gentle filtration and regular water changes as the fry mature.

In conclusion, with a balanced diet, appropriate tank setup, and understanding of their behavior, the Three Spot Gourami can thrive and exhibit its characteristic fascinating behaviours, bringing color and life to any aquarium.