Animal-World > Aquarium Tropical Fish > Labyrinth Fish > Flame Dwarf Gourami

Flame Dwarf Gourami

Blushing Gourami ~ Red Fire Dwarf ~ Blood Red Dwarf ~ Neon Red Dwarf

Family: OsphronemidaeColisa laliaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs

   The brilliant coloring of the Flame Dwarf Gourami is a real eye catcher,... it is a very popular variety of Dwarf Gourami!

   The Flame Dwarf Gourami is an extremely attractive color-morph of the Dwarf Gourami. With its bold red and blue coloration it is referred to by a variety of very descriptive common names. First called the Red Dwarf Gourami or Blushing Gourami, it is now more commonly called such things as Red Fire, Blood Red, and Neon Red Dwarf Gourami. Other than its coloration however, the Flame Dwarf Gourami is the same as the regular Dwarf Gourami. Not only are they hardy but they stay fairly small, reaching only about 2 inches. Being a peaceful fish makes them a good addition to a community tank but they can be a little timid, especially if housed with fish that pester them.

   Characteristic of all the Labyrinth fishes, the Dwarf Gourami is a bubble nest builder. However it is unique in that it will use bits of vegetation in its nest; such things as leaves, twigs, roots, peat fibers, and other debris. These fish are very desirable for a smaller aquarium but be sure to give them with lots of plant cover not only for nest building, but also to provide plenty of places to hide.

   The Flame Dwarf Gourami is one of a number of beautiful hybrids that have been developed. Some of the other hybrids, also recognized by a variety of names, include the: Blue Dwarf or Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami, and Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Habitat: Distribution / Background

   The Flame Dwarf Gourami is a captive bred color-morph of the Dwarf Gourami. Dwarf Gouramis are found in waterways and paddy fields of the tropical Far East; India, west Bengal, Assam, and Bangladesh. They typically inhabit areas with thick vegetation, such as the wetlands of the Ganges river; Jumna, Bramaputra, and the Baram river in Borneo.

• Scientific Name: Colisa lalia
• Social Grouping: Groups - Can be kept singly, in pairs, or groups. If kept in a group make sure there are plenty of hiding places to keep one or more of the individuals from being bullied.
• IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed - There are no wild populations of this species.

Description

   The body of the Flame Dwarf Gourami is somewhat compressed. The fins are rounded and relatively large. The ventral fins are threadlike and extremely sensitive. Their coloring is quite a bit different from the Dwarf Gourami, most notably lacking the vertical striping on the body and fins. This color-morph is easily distinguished by the solid bright red on most of the body contrasted by a brilliant blue dorsal fin. This fish has a labyrinth organ, a part of the fish which allows it to absorb atmospheric oxygen directly into the bloodstream.

• Maximum Size: 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) - Two inches (5 cm) is a good length for this gourami to reach in the aquarium, though males can get slightly larger up to a maximum of two and a half inches (6cm).

Fish Keeping Difficulty

• Aquarium Hardiness: Very Hardy
• Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner

Foods and Feeding

   Since they are omnivores, the Flame Dwarf Gourami will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a quality flake or pellet food as the base to the diet. Supplement this with live foods such as white worms, blood worms, brine shrimp, or any other suitable substitute. Vegetable tablets can be offered as well.
   These gouramis are hardy fish. Although the labyrinth organ allows the fish to survive in oxygen depleted water, it is a common misconception that this makes water changes unnecessary. This is hardly the case as these fish will suffer the same tissue damage from built up toxins as any other fish. Regular water changes are a must with 25% weekly being recommended.
   Dwarf Gouramis enjoy an aquarium that gets a good amount of light, but the tank should be decorated in a manner that provides plenty of hiding places for this shy fish to live happily. They appreciate dense vegetation and the cover of floating plants. They can be housed in smaller aquariums. The minimum size is 5 gallons for a single fish, but more than one will need a larger tank.

• Diet Type: Omnivore
• Flake Food: Yes
• Tablet Pellet: Yes
• Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
• Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
• Meaty Food: Some of Diet
• Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day

Aquarium Care

• Water Changes: Monthly

Aquarium Setup

• Minimum Tank Size: 10 gal (38 L)
• Substrate Type: Any
• Lighting Needs: Moderate - normal lighting
• Temperature: 75.0 - 82.0° F (23.9 - 27.8° C) - Keep the surrounding room temperature consistent with the water temperature to avoid causing trauma to the labyrinth organ.
• Range ph: 6.0-8.0
• Hardness Range: 5 - 18 dGH
• Brackish: No
• Water Movement: Weak
• Water Region: All - These fish will swim in all areas, but particularly in the middle and top portions of the aquarium.

Social Behaviors

   Flame Dwarf Gouramis are a good community fish. They are timid, however, and may take a bit of time to become comfortable in an aquarium and come out of hiding. Keep them with other peaceful fish.

• Venomous: No
• Temperament: Peaceful - Breeding males can be quite belligerent.
• Same species - conspecifics: Yes
• Peaceful fish (): Safe
• Slow Swimmers & Eaters (): Monitor - Gouramis can be quick at eating. Make sure any fish that are not so quick get fed if you are keeping them with gouramis.
• Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive

Sex: Sexual differences

   The male Dwarf Gourami is much more colorful and has a pointed dorsal pennant, they also generally have a smaller belly than the female. The female actually has very little color at all. Pairs will generally swim together.

Breeding / Reproduction

   Like most fish in this family, Dwarf Gouramis are bubble nest builders. They do go a little farther in their nest building than most gouramis however, and will weave in bits of plants and debris into their nest structure. Their eggs as well as the fry, are lighter than water and float to the top.

See the description of how to breed these fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

• Ease of Breeding: Moderate

Availability

   The Flame Dwarf Gourami is readily available. Males will start at about $6.00 USD and females at $4.00 USD, with puchasing by the pair usually being a little less.

References

Animal-World References
Freshwater Fish and Plants Tropical Fish ~ Freshwater Fish ~ Aquatic Plants

Author: Clarice Brough, CFS

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Lastest Comments on Flame Dwarf Gourami View all 15 comments on Flame Dwarf Gourami Add Your Comment

Meaghan Busch - 2011-01-23 Two days after Thanksgiving last year, I went to PetSmart to get two fish. I had always had goldfish growing up and I love fish, but I couldn't stand getting more goldfish. First of all, Petsmart really helped me out. I also needed a fish for a biology lab with a self-contained ecosystem and there was an aquarium part in it. I needed a hardy fish and they pointed me out to the gouramis. I also said I wanted fish to keep for myself, because the fish I brought for biology I would be bringing home. I got the last two Red Fire Dwarf Gouramis there (both male). When I brought them home and put them in the tank, one was a little less colorful, but a bit bigger than the other. So, I put him in the project so the smaller one would claim the tank a bit (I also fed him a bit more so he'd grow to be a bit bigger). Oh, and the colorful one is Iago and the less colorful one is Simba. About a month later--just before Christmas, I brought Simba home and now Iago, who is about the same size as Simba now, started bullying him. Over about a week, however, they started getting along. Much more recently, I went to PetSmart and purchased a Blue Mystery Snail (I named him Clyde) to clean up after Simba and Iago. Now, they all get along--although Simba and Iago like to rub up against and uproot the two plants I have rooted in the gravel so I have to keep replanting them. I also noticed when Simba came home and Iago was bullying him, that Simba would turn almost sideways--someone else mentioned similar behavior in their two conflicting gouramis. After much observation, I believe it is a submissive behavior, such as dogs rolling over and showing their bellies. Of course, I'm just a sixteen year old girl who has a little too much time on her hands--most of it used to watch said fish--and not a world class animal behaviorist. Anyway, that's my observation. I know my tale has been pretty long, but I hope my fish story answers some of your questions. Like, when Simba and Iago were bullying each other, I was worried and thought about getting a tank divider of some kind. However, over time, they got used to each other and started getting along. Now, they're inseparable. Also, these are by far the smartest fish I have ever seen--then again, I'm mostly familiar with goldfish. They get used to routine and know what time they are to be fed or what time the lights go out so they can rest. These are my favorite fish ever and definitely fish I would recommend for anyone! --Meaghan Busch Reply

Sarah - 2010-04-17 I have a Dwarf Gourami fish and the other fish that was in the tank with it bit its back fin (that other fish is dead now) I don't know how it died. I guess mostly I was wondering how long it takes for them to grow their tail fins back and basically how long can they live after having their back tail fin bit. Please respond back to me ASAP. Send me an e-mail with the response if you can. My e-mail is a_sweetgirl13@hotmail.com. Please I would greatly appreciate it. Thank You. Reply

Anonymous - 2009-08-12 Hi! I'm Tina, my dad owns a pretty big tank and we've had guaramis for at least 10 years now. Lemme think which ones we have had: -two Flame Dwarf -Two Honey -Two moonlight (currently in the tank) -four Gold -Two Powder Blue -one opaline (which I thought was a blue at first) -One Blue, I call him Buddy. At the moment we've got two moonlight, one opaline and one blue (and a white molly). Even though I don't take care of them, I love to watch them swim, they're so graceful and friendly! We have the tank in the dining room and at the dinner table I sit directly behind the fish. The blue guarami is extremely friendly and swims to my finger when I place it on the glass (the other fish hide in the corners they don't like me much). He also likes to "kiss" my finger if I stick it in the top of the tank (I wash my hands before and after of course!) Overall I think they're my favorite fish to have and I'd definately like to buy a tank and keep a dwarf or two of my own Reply

Jessica - 2011-10-23 This was very helpful! Thank you so much. I do have a question though. I just got 5 Red Dwarf Gourami's, and they are the cutest things to watch. They're the only thing in my tank, with many plants of course (along with some snails, and a sucker fish). What I'm having trouble with, though, is figuring out whether they're male or female. Is there any other helpful information you could give about the sex of the fish? It would be very appreciated! Charlie Roche - 2011-10-24 The male Dwarf Gourami, Colisa lalia, is said to be much more colorful than the female and also has a pointed dorsal pennant. The males are generally narrower in body than the females. Pairs usually hang out together. Reply

Ricky - 2010-02-28 How large Should the tank be for one of these fish? o00slim00o - 2010-04-26 Typical rule of thumb is 1 gallon per inch of the max size of your fish ... however these fish are shy and like extra space so for them to be happy I'd recomend you have 5 gallons at least per fish. jenny - 2010-10-09 5 or 10+ gallons Anonymous - 2010-11-28 I have a system 6 tank and my two flame dwarf gourmis seemed happy until I added two paradise gouramis. Then the flames got all timid and the paradises actually killed one and have turned on each other. We are getting a bigger tank for them. However my flames were happy alone in a system 6. Reply

Tina - 2009-07-12 I have three gouramies that were given to me, a blue and 2 orange. Also a tetra. One of the orange gouramies keeps biting the back fins of all the other fish, he is a real bully. Actually I think it is female. It follows and pushes around the others. I have heard these fish are peaceful. I have decided to put the aggressive one in a separate tank. Other than that, they are great fish and easy to take care of. Reply

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