Dwarf Gourami Care Guide: Tank Mates, Tank Size, and Breeding

Dwarf gourami fish are small and easy to care for members of the family Osphronemidae. Their natural habitat is warm, plant-filled waters in South Asia.

As semi-aggressive fish, dwarf gouramis are good community tank fish when you provide enough water volume and a mate. Dwarf gouramis are sensitive to ammonia and other pollutants. In a mature, well-filtered tank they are hardy and live up to 6 years. 

• Common Names: Dwarf Gourami; Sunset Gourami; Red Fire Gourami; Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami; Flame Gourami
• Scientific Name: Trichogaster Ialius
• Origin: South Asia
• Length: 2½ to 3 inches
• Aquarium Size: 20 gallons
• Temperament: Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive
• Ease of Care: Easy

Dwarf Gourami Species Profile

The natural habitat of dwarf gourami fish is South Asia, in Bangladesh as well as the eastern Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. Gouramis prefer warm ponds and shallow streams. The water conditions are too hot for most fish and are a favorite habitat for mosquito larvae and other insects.

Gouramis and betta fish have a specialized gill structure called the labyrinth organ. They use their labyrinth organ to breathe atmospheric air. Gouramis will survive out of the water for a few hours if kept moist. The organ is used when oxygen levels get low, as they do in hot, shallow bodies of water. 

Dwarf gouramis are one of the smallest members of the gourami family. Their size and coloration makes them the most popular choice for aquarists around the world.

Dwarf Gourami Appearance

Wild type dwarf gouramis are as beautiful as any of their color morphs. Alternating blue and red stripes adorn their sides, with blued dominating the front of the body and red along the rear of the fish. 

Like all gouramis they have pelvic fins modified into delicate feelers. These feelers help them find their way through tangled plant growth and murky waters of their natural habitat.

Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami

Powder blue dwarf gouramis are a color morph that is covered in iridescent blue scales. The red stripes are thin and the fins are edged in scarlet. Powder blue gouramis will breed with normal dwarf gouramis without issue.

Sunset Gourami

Sunset dwarf gouramis are called flame gouramis for their red coloration. Blue patches exist along the dorsal and anal fins. Pet stores often carry all three color morphs as they are different enough for aquarists to want each one.

Dwarf Gourami Male vs Female

Dwarf gouramis display strong sexual dimorphism. The males are much more colorful in all color varieties. Wild type dwarf gourami females are a pale silver. In other breeds like powder blue the females have some faint coloration.

The dorsal and anal fins of male gouramis have a slight point. Females have rounded fins and are chunkier bodied in general. Male fish are larger and more aggressive than females.

Dwarf Gourami Tank Size

Dwarf gourami size will be up to 3 inches long. 20 gallon tanks are the minimum for one or more dwarf gouramis. Keeping them in too small of a tank will cause them to become aggressive towards their tank mates. All gouramis are a little territorial so give them space. If you have a lone breeding pair a 10 gallon tank will work so long as they have no tank mates.

Aquascaping a Dwarf Gourami Tank

Replicating their natural habitat is the best way to set up a dwarf gourami tank. These fish come from weed-choked waters with little to no current. Any filtration should be gentle enough to not stir the water. 

Your aquarium light has to be full spectrum with enough photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for plant growth. Low light plants like cryptocoryne, rotala, and hygrophila are beginner friendly yet suitable for a gourami tank.

Floating plants provide several benefits for dwarf gouramis. The surface shade lowers incoming light, helping your fish feel less exposed. Floating plants also provide anchor points for the bubble nests that male fish build. These plants grow fast and require little attention from you besides occasional pruning.

Be careful of rocks that leach minerals into the water. Limestone, marble, and shale are all poor choices. Dissolved minerals will raise the pH of your tank, which gourami fish don’t like. Driftwood is a better choice as the plant tannins they release lower the pH naturally.

Water Conditions

Warm water temperature is important for dwarf gourami health. Their preferred range is 75-82℉, increased to 84-86℉ to treat diseases or encourage the fish to spawn. 

All dwarf gouramis in the trade are captive bred and tolerate alkaline water (pH 7.0+). They do better in acidic or neutral water conditions (pH 5.5-7.0) and are easier to spawn. Low water hardness (3 to 10 dGH) improves their health and feeding response. Gourami breeders mix tap water with distilled or reverse osmosis water to keep hardness levels down.

Dwarf gouramis are sensitive to high nitrogenous waste levels. Ammonia and nitrite should test at 0 parts per million at all times. Their sensitivity means that dwarf gouramis should be the last fish you add to a new tank. Allow it to cycle using tougher fish like guppies, which tolerate higher ammonia levels. Nitrate levels should be at or below 10-15 ppm. 

Frequent water changes will keep nitrogenous waste levels low. Live plants help maintain good water quality by using these chemicals as fertilizer.

Dwarf Gourami Tank Mates

As community aquarium fish, dwarf gouramis do best in peaceful setups. They are semi-aggressive but won’t harm or kill their tank mates. Small tanks bring out the worst in them so don’t go smaller than 20 gallons of space. 

Small to medium sized fish that are peaceful are the best tank mates. Other semi-aggressive fish are poor choices since dwarf gouramis don’t have teeth or other weapons. Dwarf cichlids will attack them in return, stressing the gourami. Let the gourami be the dominant fish in the community tank. Good tank mates include:

• Tetra Fish
• Danios
• Barbs
• Harlequin Rasboras
• Livebearing Fish
• Kuhli and Yoyo Loaches
• Peacock Gudgeons
• Cory Catfish
• Asian Stone Catfish
• Rainbow Shark
• Freshwater Snails

Freshwater snails are safe invertebrates. Some dwarf gouramis will eat freshwater shrimp and others will leave them alone. They are a risky choice. Red cherry shrimp are the best option. Full grown shrimp are too large to be eaten and they have lots of babies so some will reach adulthood.

Dwarf gouramis are social fish. Male fish will perform aggressive fin displays and compete for the attention of females. Provide 5-10 gallons of space per additional dwarf gourami to minimize any fighting. Keeping one female per male ensures the male’s colors remain bright. A female tank mate keeps male fish from chasing their non-gourami tank mates. Multiple dwarf gouramis lets you observe their social dynamics and makes spawning possible.

Feeding Dwarf Gourami Fish

As carnivores, dwarf gouramis eat animal material. Aquatic invertebrates are their main source of food. Mosquito larvae, bloodworms, water fleas, and other animals are their prey. 

Captive bred dwarf gouramis accept flake and pellet formulas. Offer them frozen or live invertebrate options a few times per week. Fresh food conditions them for spawning by providing extra fat, protein, and micronutrients. Feed adult dwarf gouramis 2 to 3 times per day, as much as they will eat without wasting food.

Breeding Dwarf Gouramis

Spawning dwarf gouramis is simple to do if you’ve met the water chemistry conditions outlined here. A compatible pair offered plenty of fresh food and housed in a planted aquarium will soon be willing to spawn. Environmental cues are the final step to breeding dwarf gouramis.

Perform frequent water changes with soft, acidic water. Lower the water volume to half its usual volume. The water temperature should sit at 82-86℉. These changes mimic seasonal variation in their natural habitat. 

The male will build a bubble nest among floating plants and entice the female to swim under it. Once the pregnant female gourami responds to his advances they embrace and release hundreds of buoyant eggs. The male collects them in his mouth and spits them into his plant and bubble nest. The female then departs. 

If the male acts aggressively towards her you should remove the female to a separate aquarium. With gourami fish the male is the sole caregiver. He watches over the eggs until they hatch in 24 to 48 hours.

Dwarf gourami fry won’t eat for the first 48 hours of life. They are too small to eat brine shrimp nauplii or crushed flakes. Instead, have an active culture of infusoria ready. The fry have to eat as soon as their yolk sack is depleted or they will starve. After the first week your baby dwarf gouramis are large enough for live brine shrimp nauplii.

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