Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Labyrinth Fish > Opaline Gourami

Opaline Gourami

Family: Osphronemidae

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Trichogaster trichopterus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Opaline Gourami, a long time favorite with aquarists, is a very attractive fish available in a variety of color patterns!

  Like the Blue Gourami, Gold Gourami, and Platinum Gourami, this gourami is a color morph of the Three-spot Gourami. Like all the variants of this species, the Opaline Gourami is generally considered a good community fish when small, but they are not as peaceful as the other gouramis. They have been known to attack smaller fish. They can also get belligerent or territorial when they get large.

   This species group is certainly one of the hardiest available to the aquarist, and makes an excellent first fish for people entering the hobby. They are long lived fish with each having a remarkably individual personality. They will use their pelvic fins to feel their environment and even feel their tank mates. They also seem to be quite aware of their owners.  

   Besides being a color morph of the Three-spot Gourami, the Opaline Gouramiit has also been bred commercially in various color forms of its own. Because inbreeding is common in its genetic history, it is in the aquarist’s best interest to take extra care when choosing specimens. Look for a well formed fish, free of skeletal or other deformity, and without obvious injury. Sulking or resting on the bottom is never a good sign.

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

Distribution:
   The Opaline Gourami is a man made variant of theThree-spot Gourami which is found in streams and rivers of the tropical Far East.

Status:
   There are no wild populations of this species.

Description:
  The body of the Opaline Gourami is somewhat compressed and is elongated. The fins are rounded and relatively large. The ventral fins are threadlike and extremely sensitive. The body color is a pale bluish tone with a darker marble-like patterning that varies with each color form. There are usually dark blotches at the pectoral fins and at the base of the tail and white spots that extend on to the fins, giving them a very attractive pattern. This fish has a labyrinth organ, a part of the fish which allows it to absorb atmospheric oxygen directly into the bloodstream.

Size - Weight:
   Six inches (15 cm) is a good length for the Opaline Gourami to reach in the aquarium. They will breed at 3 inches (7.5 cm).

Care and feeding:
   Since the Opaline Gouramis, like all varieties of the Three-spot Gourami, are omnivores, these fish will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. A quality flake or pellet food makes a good base to the diet. Supplementation should include white worms, blood worms, brine shrimp, or any other suitable substitute. Fresh vegetables can be offered as well, blanched lettuce being a good option for many aquarists.
   Opaline Gouramis are extremely 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.
   The tank should be decorated in a way which allows both the dominant and quieter personality type fish to live happily. This means the construction of a few hiding places and some dense plant cover. This species appreciates the cover of floating plants. While juveniles can be easily housed in a 15 - 20 gallon aquarium, adults do better with at least 35 gallons.

An interesting characteristic of these gouramis (as well as the Pearl Gourami), is that they are well known for eating hydra. The hydra is a tiny pest that has tentacles with a venom. Very small fish that come in contact with the hydra are paralyzed by the venom and then held fast by the tentacles until eaten. If you have a hydra problem in your aquarium, here is your solution!

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
   Top, middle, and bottom; the Opaline Gourami will inhabit all levels of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:
   This fish will be bothered by a strong current in the tank, especially if the tank is small. It is also 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: 77-86° F (25-30° C)
   Hardness: 2-25° dH
   Ph: 6.0-7.8

Social Behaviors:
      The Opaline Gourami is generally considered a good community fish when small, but they are not as peaceful as the other gouramis. They have been known to attack smaller fish. When they get older, only keep them with fish their own size. Individuals will show varying degrees of aggression. Some will be very belligerent and will handle their tank mates quite roughly. Others will be peaceful to the point of shyness. The aquarist should be prepared to adapt their tank to suit all personality types.
   A mix of neutral personalities is an ideal goal for the range of tank mates. You should not include fish which will provoke this species into aggression as they are often passionate fighters. Fin nippers and gouramis should absolutely never be mixed, as the trailing pelvic fins and generally slower movement of this fish make it the perfect victim. Bullying between gouramis is a likely scenario as these fish, typical of the family, are fixated on constantly working out the details of the hierarchy. The Opaline Gourami is also a skilled hunter and extremely small fish or fish fry rarely last long.

Sexual Differences:
  The male has a longer and more pointed dorsal fin.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Like most fish in this family, the Opaline Gouramis are bubble nest builders. Their eggs as well as the fry, are lighter than water and float to the top. Breeding is moderately difficult, and finding a suitable pair is perhaps the biggest challenge. An individual breeding tank of 10 or more gallons should be set up. The water should be shallow, about 5 inches (13cm) being ideal. Tank current should be minimal. Many aquarists find that floating plants, or stem plants grown to the surface, or any other floating debris will help keep the bubble nest in place.
   A healthy pair of adults should be introduced into the breeding tank. The male will spend a lot of time building a large bubble nest. The two will spawn and eggs will be deposited in the nest. The female must be removed at this time or she risks being killed by the male. Fry will soon emerge and must be kept on fry food until they can swallow flake foods. This is when the male should be removed or he might eat the fry which emerge from the nest.

Buy Opaline Gourami From LiveAquaria.com

For more information, see the description of how to breed labyrinth fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Availability:
The Opaline Gourami is readily available. Specimens will be about $4 - $5 USD each.

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Latest Comments
I heard around that male Blue gouramis are really agresive with other fish. One of these little girls solved that problem really quick! When they are together, the opaline dominates but she won't pick on the blue to often because they get pretty big. The only problem I find with them is that they get really panicky and that's not all too good when you have young children in the house who like to tap the glass! Otherwise they seem like great fish. Maybe our opaline will get braver and stop being a scaredy-fish! Tina 2009-08-13
Bought two of these fish. For the first two weeks one would chase and nudge the other around the tank non stop. I thought I would have to end up returning him but after some time he settled down and the two of them got along great. Unfortunately one of them just died the other day and the remaining Opaline looks devastated and lonely. After I removed the dead fish the other kept frantically searching every inch of the tank looking for his buddy... makes me so sad! david 2009-06-03
Part 2....after I read more on the fish I returned most back to the pet store. These are not schooling fish, they are more like betta and as they get larger (mine were all very young) they will fight each other. Best to only have one in a tank and even then he/she may bully other smaller fish. Some people say a male and two females is a good mix. The thing to remember is they may grow to be 4 inches. Jamie 2009-02-06
I just purchased a new 30 gallon tank and decided on the opaline gourami. I ended up taking all that were in a small 10 gallon tank at the pet store, about 18 females. Since they already knew each other I have no problems with fighting...I think they are just glad to be in a larger tank. I figure I'll leave them alone and not drop a male in the mix. Jamie 2009-01-28
I have a 60 gallon tank, three diamond tetra, three long finned gold barbs, Three Striata loaches, four mixed cory, two crabs and a pleco. I added a Opaline and Green Gourami. The Opaline is almost an inch bigger and get attacked every ten seconds by the other. I tried adding more plants and some decor to hid. But no use. So today I put him in a lonely 10 gallon tank. The Opaline is now very much darker in color, and seems lost with out the bully, while the other just looks at me like.. you jerk. lol spencer 2009-01-27
Some of the coolest comments:
I just got one of these fish and it is getting along great. For those with problems keeping two....try getting a third or fourth. It is said that when you keep two, the one will dominate the other, but if there is more they will settle down. bob 2003-10-25
I had 2 male Opaline Gouramis that chased each other constantly. I found another home for one of them, and added a male Pearl Gourami, 2 Rainbow Fish (male and female), and 3 Harlequin Rasboras. Everyone seems to be getting along fine so far. The Opaline Gourami nipped at the tails of the Rainbow Fish at first, but seems to have settled down now. The 20 gallon tank now consists of 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 Opaline Gourami,2 Dwarf Gouramis, 7 Neon Tetras, 3 Pristella Tetras, 2 Rainbow Fish, and 3 Harlequin Rasboras. So far everything is going well. Bailey 2003-10-01

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Author: David Brough, CFS
Additional Informaton: "Yvonne"