General information – The common name fits this fish well, as it

grows to a size of only three inches. The male is more colorful while

the females are less colorful. Usually the female Dwarf Gourami is

gray in appearance. In the trade there are several different color

variations of this fish, including Blue Dwarf Gourami, Neon Dwarf

Gourami, Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami, Sunset Dwarf Gourami and

Flame Sunset Dwarf GouramiDwarf gouramis from Singapore may

carry dwarf gourami retrovirus 

Common Name - Dwarf Gourami, Blue Dwarf Gourami, Sunset

Gourami, Powder Blue Gourami,  

Scientific Name – Colisa Lalia

Family – Belontiidae, Helostomatidae (Labyrinth fish) 

Origin - south Asia from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and India 

Size – up to 8cm (3 inches) 

First discovered – unknown 

Nutrition – In nature gouramis eat small insects and larvae from

the surface of the water, and graze on algae growth on plants. In

captivity it will accept most fish food including flakes, freeze-dried,

frozen and live foods. 

Maintenance and care – Dwarf Gouramis require a tank that is 10 gallons or larger, should kept in pairs

in a well planted aquarium, Dwarf Gouramis are peaceful towards other fish species and it should be kept

in community aquariums with other non-aggressive fish species. 

Water Parameters – temperature: 25C-28C (77F – 82F), PH: 6.5-8, DH: 5-20.  

Breeding – the Dwarf Gourami is a bubble-nester and constructs a floating nest made from scraps of

plant that it pulls off. The female lays floating eggs which the male guards for a few days. The entire

spawning process can therefore take up to four hours and the bubble nest can eventually be filled with

up to 800 eggs. The eggs will hatch after 12-24 hours but the fry will stay inside the bubble nest for at

least three more days. The male should be removed from the tank once the fry have left the bubblenest

or it may eat its own fry.     

The fry are so tiny so it is most recommended to breed it in a special aquarium away from other fish,

the fry should be feed with small food such as infusoria.