All fish / Osphronemidae

Sumatran Licorice Gourami

Parosphromenus sumatranus

Also known as sumatra licorice gourami, sumatran liquorice gourami, sumatranus licorice gourami, licorice gourami, liquorice gourami, parosphromenus sumatranus, パロスフロメヌス・スマトラヌス, cupang coklat sumatra, 苏门答腊巧克力娃娃

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This is a tiny, slim gourami with dark horizontal bands along a pale brown body, and males show red and blue-edged unpaired fins when displaying. Keepers value it as one of the less often seen licorice gouramis from Sumatra, suited to quiet, dimly lit blackwater tanks full of leaf litter.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

4 to 6

Smallest tank

20 litres

Keep as

A pair or a small group in a species-only tank

Diet

Carnivore: live foods such as baby brine shrimp, daphnia, cyclops, grindal worms and micro worms; frozen foods are sometimes accepted

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Indonesia: Sumatra (Jambi and Riau provinces) and nearby islands such as Bintan

Breeding

Males build a small bubble nest under a leaf or in a cave, often on the ceiling, and guard the eggs and fry after a courtship embrace. Breeding is possible in very soft, acidic water with low conductivity, but fry are small and need infusoria or similarly fine foods at first.

Good to know

Needs very soft, acidic, tannin-stained water and does poorly in hard or alkaline water or with boisterous tankmates. It looks very like other licorice gouramis such as P. deissneri and P. paludicola, so keep each population separate and avoid hybrids; its peat swamp habitat is under threat.