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Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami

Rainbow Dwarf Gourami Family: Osphronemidae

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Colisa lalia Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy Ken Childs

   Though it has the same basic coloration as the regular Dwarf Gourami... the Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami has a lot more blue!

   The Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami is an extremely attractive color-morph of the Dwarf Gourami. This color variety may be referred to as the Rainbow Gourami when the blue coloring has a shiny metallic cast to it. Other than the more intense blue coloration, the Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami or the Rainbow Gourami are the same as the 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 Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami is one of a number of beautiful hybrids that have been developed and are readily available today. Some of the other hybrids, recognized by a variety of names, include the: Powder Blue (Blue) Dwarf Gourami, and the Flame (Fire Red/ 'Blood' Red) Dwarf Gourami.

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

Distribution:
   The Neon Blue 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.

Status:
   There are no wild populations of this species.

Description:
   The body of the Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami is somewhat compressed. The fins are rounded and relatively large. The ventral fins are threadlike and extremely sensitive. Their coloring is very similar to the Dwarf Gourami, but with a much more intensive amount of blue. Males are easily distinguished, having a bright orangish red background with bluish green vertical striping extending onto the fins. Females have a lighter blue-gray background and are less colorful. This fish has a labyrinth organ, a part of the fish which allows it to absorb atmospheric oxygen directly into the bloodstream.

Size - Weight:
   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).

Care and feeding:
   Since they are omnivores, the Neon Blue 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.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   These fish will swim in all areas, but particularly in the middle and top portions of the aquarium

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   It is desirable to keep the tank in a room with a temperature as close as possible to the tank water, or risk damaging the labyrinth organ.
   Temperature: 75-82° F (24 -28° C)
   Hardness: 5 -19° dH
   Ph: 6.0 - 8.0

Social Behaviors:
   Neon Blue 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.

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.

Buy Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami From LiveAquaria.com

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

Availability:
   The Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami is readily available. Males will be about $6 - $10 USD each, with females (or puchasing by the pair) usually being a little less.

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Latest Comments
Believe it or not, Walmart has female eon dwarf gouramis. The best part is, if you have any problems within 90 days, you take them the fish and the reciept and they will refund your money or give you another fish. Amanda 2008-09-09
I had a Dwarf in a community tank and everything got along great, I then added an opaline gourami. The Dwarf and the Opaline fought but it was never bad. Then one morning I woke up and my dwarf was on his side at the bottom of the tank with gashes in his side and a dent in his head. I wouldn't recommend putting these two fish together Robert 2008-05-17
Haha, my neon blue dwarf gourami's name is Rey, and he's crazy. He built a bubble nest about a week after I bought him, yet there's no female. I've been searching for a female dwarf gourami of any sort at PETsMART, but they don't seem to have any. Eventually, we'll find him a girlfriend. I've been reading up on breeding, and it seems fairly easy enough... faris 2006-10-22
i recently bought a beautiful neon dwarf gourami. i bought him in hopes that he would become my almost 4 year old powder blue (what i believe is a female)gourami's new best friend, after her friend moosache died. well, they didnt hit it off, but they didnt rip each other to shreds either. I think Fire Works(the male) respects Danny's(the female) high status in the little group of fish that i own. Recently however, ive noticed that fire works and danny are either challenging each other, or they are in love, because FW is building what i beleive to be a bubble nest. well, whatevers happening, alls fair in love and war. sparki 2006-06-13
I just bought my first Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami! He appears tiny next to my two Moonlight Gouramis! So far, the Moonlight's have checked the Neon out with their long graceful "feelers", but haven't shown any aggresion (yet) and I hope never do. Now I'm considering adding a female Neon. I have a 40 gallon with three small schools - Rummy Nose Tetras, Rasboras and Glo-Lites, the two Moonlights and the Neon! The tank is beautiful! Dianne 2006-03-19
Some of the coolest comments:
I have been breeding this species for a while now. I love them and believe them to be one of the best tropical fish available. The fish are quite agressive but (normally) only towards each other and it never gets too nasty, just a bit of chasing and nudging etc. I notice when I remove a male for breeding the other must re-arrange the ranking order in the tank (Who is most dominant etc) and so when the breeding is over and he is re-introduced there is always a lot of flared fins and tail slapping etc, this only last an hour or so and I have never seen any fish become injured due to this, one of them always seems to back off before it gets that bad. My advice is dont remove them too quickly, watch them and you will see the violence stop as soon as the Alpha male is decided and the rankings are agreed by the other tankmates. After that you will just see the highest ranked fish chasing the others from time to time and they always run away. Good Luck. Steve... QUICK BREEDING TIP: I have noticed I get better breeding results from choosing a male that is not very high in the ranking order (The one that always runs away and doesnt fight). This is because he will spend more time on the nest than the high ranking males. They normally spend 95% of their time chasing the female and only 5% building. The lower ranking male tends to ignore the female for longer periods of time and puts the nest toghether quicker and better. (Dont get me wrong he does still chase the female away etc as this is natural). Steve... Steve Rich 2005-01-19
This is my favourite fish. Im sitting here now watching a Power Blue tending his nest and eggs. For some reason he keeps shooting water at me when I approach, just like an Archer fish would! Amazing. Nevyn 2003-09-15

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Author: Clarice Brough, CFS