Sparkling gourami care
Trichopsis pumila · Mekong and Chao Phraya basins
Sparkling gouramis are tiny, iridescent labyrinth fish that make audible croaking sounds.
- Tank size
- 10 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 76 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 1.6 in
- pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 4 to 5 years
- Diet
- Micropredator
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 10 gallon
20¼ × 10½ × 12 9/16 in outsideHow to keep sparkling gouramis
Sparkling gouramis are tiny, iridescent labyrinth fish that make audible croaking sounds. A planted 10 gallon with floating plants and calm tankmates suits a few of them.
Diet: Micropredator: small frozen foods, crushed flakes, micro pellets. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Top of the tank.
Sparkling 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.
Neon tetra
1.6 in · 10+ gal · 70–79 °F
Cherry shrimp
1.6 in · 5+ gal · 65–82 °F
Serpae tetra
1.6 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Pitbull pleco
1.6 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Agassiz's dwarf cichlid
1.7 in · 20+ gal · 75–84 °F
Black neon tetra
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 73–81 °F
Glowlight tetra
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 72–80 °F
African dwarf frog
1.5 in · 10+ gal · 75–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: sparkling gouramis need 76 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Betta: Bettas fight with gouramis, their close relatives.
Reticulated hillstream loach: No shared temperature: sparkling gouramis need 76 to 82 °F, reticulated hillstream loaches 68 to 75 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: Adult fancy goldfish eat fish under about 2 in; sparkling gouramis grow to 1.6 in.
Gold barb: No shared temperature: sparkling gouramis need 76 to 82 °F, gold barbs 64 to 75 °F.
What a sparkling gourami tank needs
A tank of 10 US gallons or more (such as the 10 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
hygger AquaFall Aquarium Filter, S
Rated by the maker for 7–10 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon sparkling gourami tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 5–15 gal
Rated by the maker for 5–15 US gal, which covers a 10 gallon sparkling gourami tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 50W
Sparkling gouramis need 76 to 82 °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 sparkling 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 76 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 10 gallon tank · Heaters for a 10 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 sparkling gourami problems
- Easily outcompeted at feeding time by fast fish.
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: Trichopsis pumila. 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.
- Sparkling gourami BEDO (Thailand), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Serpae tetra Faucon, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pitbull pleco Haplochromis, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Agassiz's dwarf cichlid Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- African dwarf frog Stuart Halliday, CC BY 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
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gold barb Fred Hsu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dwarf gourami Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pearl gourami h080, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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