All fish / Osphronemidae

Giant Chocolate Gourami

Sphaerichthys acrostoma

Also known as giant chocolate gourami, crossband chocolate gourami, pointed-mouth chocolate gourami, sphaerichthys acrostomus, giant choc gourami, ジャイアント・チョコレート・グラミー, gurami coklat raksasa, 大巧克力丽丽, 巨型巧克力飞船

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This is the largest chocolate gourami, with a rich brown body, pale cross bands and a noticeably pointed snout. Keepers prize it as a calm, unusual blackwater fish for heavily planted, softly lit tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

24 to 29 °C

pH

4 to 6.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Group of 6 or more

Diet

Carnivore: small live and frozen foods such as daphnia, bloodworm, brine shrimp and mosquito larvae, plus quality small granules

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Borneo (Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia)

Breeding

It is a paternal mouthbrooder, with the male holding the eggs and fry for around two weeks. Spawning in captivity is possible in very soft, acidic water but is uncommon and needs a quiet species tank.

Good to know

It is sensitive to poor water quality and hard or alkaline water, so it suits only mature blackwater set-ups. Look-alikes include the smaller Sphaerichthys osphromenoides and S. selatanensis.