Fishy Tales - Tales from an Aquarium

Originating from India (think Ganges, Jamuna, Bramaputra), the Colisa lalia, commonly known as the Dwarf Gourami, derives it’s name from the fact that it rarely grows beyond 2 inches, which also makes them ideal for the small aquarium.
Males have an almost translucent blue color, with vertical red to dark orange stripes, while females are usually a silvery/ grey color. In the wild they are found in slow-moving streams, rivulets, and lakes with plenty of vegetation, so make sure that your aquarium has plenty of vegetation to replicate their natural habitat.
On the whole these guys are pretty peaceful, though they have known to beat up the female of their species, and are very well suited to a community aquarium. There are reported instances of them being a bit aggressive with their own kind, but I had a pair of males, and they never had any problems between them. In any case, it would be safer to keep multiple males only in a large enough aquarium to allow them to establish their own territories.
They pretty much eat anything - I feed them a mixed diet of flake food alternating with freeze dried bloodworms, and they seem quite happy. In their natural environment, they munch on small insects and larvae, and graze on algae growth on plants, so it would be good to supplement their diet with live worms once in a while.
Due to the labyrinth organ, these fishes can directly from air and hence are not too troubled by low oxygenated waters. All these habits combined make them rather hardy, and an easy fish. Avoid dwarf gouramis from Singapore, however, since they are known to carry the dwarf gourami iridovirus.
Breeding them is also quite easy. Lower the water level to 6-8 inches and raise the water temperature to 28-30 C to trigger spawning. Make sure you have a separate aquarium for this though. Like the Siamese fighting fish, the Dwarf Gourami are bubble nest builders, but use plant material bound together by bubbles. Not surprisingly, the nests are very elaborate and sturdy, reaching several inches across and an inch deep.
Once the nest is completed, its courtship time with the male swimming around the female with flared fins, attempting to draw her to the nest. Acceptance by the female is denoted by swimming in circles with the male beneath the bubblenest.
When she is ready to spawn she touches the male on either the back or the tail with her mouth. This is the signal for the male to embrace the female, which in turn leads the female to release approximately five dozen clear eggs, which are immediately fertilized by the male. While most of the eggs will float up into the bubblenest, the stray ones are collected by the male and placed in the nest.
Once the eggs are securely in the nest, the two will spawn again till about 300 - 500 eggs are released, after which the male covers the nest mouth with a layer of bubbles. Now, the females should be moved to a different tank, since the males tends to take his responsibility for guarding the eggs quite seriously.
Eggs hatch in about 12 to 24 hours at which time, you should remove the male, else he may eat the fry. Feed the fry infusoria initially, and later, brine shrimp and flakes.
Voila, you can now start wondering what to do with all the fry.

Fishy Facts
Common Name: Dwarf Gourami
Scientific Name: Colisa lalia
Origin: Ganges, Jamuna, Bramaputra
Adult Size: 2 inches (4-5 cm)
Social skills: Peaceful, suitable for a community tank
Lifespan: Roughly 4 years
Tank Level: Top and Mid level dweller
Tank setup - Planted, located in a quiet place
Recommended Tank Size: 10 gallons
Diet: Omnivore, also eats algae
Breeding: Egglayer - builds a bubblenest
Care: Intermediate
Temperature: 72-82 F (22-28 C)

Filed under: Fishes