All fish / Osphronemidae

Red Mountain Licorice Gourami

Parosphromenus rubrimontis

Also known as bukit merah licorice gourami, red mountain liquorice gourami, rubrimontis licorice gourami, parosphromenus sp. bukit merah, パロスフロメヌス・ルブリモンティス, 红山锯盖足鲈

A tiny, slender gourami with brown horizontal banding; males in display show reddish unpaired fins edged in blue and black. Specialist keepers value it as a rare, threatened peat swamp species that shows beautiful courtship colours in a dim, leaf-filled tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3.5 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

4 to 6

Smallest tank

30 litres

Keep as

A pair or small group in a species-only tank

Diet

Carnivore: small live foods such as Artemia nauplii, micro worms, Daphnia and Cyclops; frozen foods may be taken

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Malaysia: peat swamps near Bukit Merah, Perak

Breeding

A cave spawner: the male builds a small bubble nest under the roof of a cave and guards the eggs and larvae. It breeds fairly readily in very soft, acidic, quiet water, but fry are tiny and need infusoria at first.

Good to know

Needs very soft, acidic, clean water and dislikes lively tankmates, so keep alone or with very small peaceful fish. Its habitat is critically threatened and wild fish are scarce, so seek captive-bred stock and keep lines pure from other Parosphromenus species.