Chocolate gourami care
Sphaerichthys osphromenoides · Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
Chocolate gouramis are small, delicate gouramis for soft, acid water: pH under about 6.5, very soft water and 77 to 81 °F, in a quiet, densely planted 20 gallon or larger tank with gentle filtration.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 77 to 81 °F (25 to 27 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.4 in
- pH
- 5 to 6.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 1 to 5 dGH
- Lifespan
- 4 to 5 years
- Diet
- Micropredator
- Care level
- Demanding
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep chocolate gouramis
Chocolate gouramis are small, delicate gouramis for soft, acid water: pH under about 6.5, very soft water and 77 to 81 °F, in a quiet, densely planted 20 gallon or larger tank with gentle filtration. They do best without tankmates, or with only tiny, calm fish; unusually, the female carries the eggs in her mouth.
Diet: Micropredator: small live and frozen foods, fine flakes. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Chocolate gourami tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Leopard frog pleco
2.4 in · 20+ gal · 77–84 °F
DrawingGolden pencilfish
2.6 in · 15+ gal · 75–82 °F
Sterbai corydoras
2.6 in · 20+ gal · 74–82 °F
Bloodfin tetra
2.2 in · 20+ gal · 65–82 °F
Golden dwarf cichlid
2.2 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Bronze corydoras
2.75 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Croaking gourami
2.8 in · 15+ gal · 72–82 °F
Honey gourami
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: chocolate gouramis need 77 to 81 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Betta: Bettas fight with gouramis, their close relatives.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: chocolate gouramis need 77 to 81 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Amazon puffer: Amazon puffers nip slow fish such as chocolate gouramis.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: chocolate gouramis need 77 to 81 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
What a chocolate gourami tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon chocolate gourami tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon chocolate gourami tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Chocolate gouramis need 77 to 81 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding chocolate gouramis.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 77 to 81 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common chocolate gourami problems
- Hard or unstable water brings on infections; keep the chemistry steady and change water in small amounts.
- Boisterous tankmates stop them feeding.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Sphaerichthys osphromenoides. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Chocolate gourami OSt DD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Leopard frog pleco Frank M Greco, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sterbai corydoras Matthew Mannell, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bloodfin tetra VGW2006, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden dwarf cichlid Borkowski.robert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Croaking gourami Howard Jelks, U.S. Geological Survey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Betta ivabalk (Pixabay), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Reticulated hillstream loach Spiketooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amazon puffer O. Schneider, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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