How many kissing gourami

They respond negatively to fluctuation water parameters and excess ammonia in the tank. Because of this, you must keep the water clean and stay on top of conditions to keep them in good shape. The typical size of kissing gouramis is around 6 inches in length.

These fish will rarely exceed this length in captivity, but usually reach the 12 inch mark in the wild.

Author Note: The reason for this difference is that the confined environment of a tank stunts their growth. However, this pretty much only happens in massive freshwater aquariums. That said, these freshwater fish do have distinct personalities and some quirky behaviors. However keeping them in a larger aquarium of 75 gallons or more is even better if you have the ability to do so.

You may see success keeping a single kisser in a tank as small as 30 gallons, but you would need to keep the habitat pretty empty which is unfair to the fish. Larger tanks provide ample space for this active species. Not only that, but it reduces the chances of territorial disputes.

This is particularly important if you plan on keeping a pair or small group more on that later. As with any fish, the best course of action in terms of water parameters is to replicate the natural environment.

Kissing gouramis inhabit slow-moving ponds and marshes that are filled with plant life. Kissing gouramis are quite hardy when it comes to water conditions.

They even do well in low-oxygen environments. This is because they are one of the unique fish species that have a labyrinth organ. They use it to pull as much oxygen from the water as possible. This fish can even suck in air from the surface!

Overall, the kissing gourami is very adaptable. As long as you stick with the following parameters, your fish can live a healthy life. You can reduce the frequency of the tests once water parameter consistency has been established. However, you have to be careful about the types of plants you use. This species is notorious for eating delicate plants down to the stem. Java moss , Java fern , and other durable plants work very well with this species. Also, make sure to leave plenty of open space.

For the substrate, you can use fine sand or large gravel. Fine sand is safer than gravel. Large rocks and chunky gravel can prevent accidental sand ingestion. Rocks can also prevent the fish from pushing too much sand around. Scatter some rocks and driftwood throughout the tank, too. Kissing gouramis have fine teeth inside their puckering lips.

It is also believed that they use these lips to assert dominance and establish territories over other kissing gouramis. There is usually no external distinction between the females and the males, though the females will become noticeably rounder when carrying eggs.

This species is known to live 20 to 25 years in an aquarium tank setting. However, you are not likely to find many adult fish that are fully grown. This is most likely due to popular misconceptions and misinformation about the species as a whole. It is usually recommended to keep kissing gourami in a 55 gallon L tank; however, this would only be good for one fish that is still a manageable size.

To keep your gourami happy and to be able to have other fish, a minimum tank size of gallons Water movement within the tank should be low to help replicate their natural habitat. Too much water flow could actually cause your fish to become stressed. Kissing gouramis will also appreciate dense vegetation , but make sure to keep in mind how large they will get and leave plenty of space for your fish to swim in the forefront.

Any plants added should be able to withstand being scraped for food. They do best with a large-grained substrate and large river rocks for more surface area so that they have easy access to algae in the tank. These fish are also known to burrow in the substrate and uproot plants, so a large gravel will make it more difficult to do so.

Because they are known to go to the water surface for air, there should be enough space between the tank and the aquarium hood for them to do so without injuring themselves. It is also better to go with a bigger tank size to avoid aggression between fish; these gouramis do best in a semi-aggressive community tank with other large fish that can hold their own.

However, other fish should vary enough in shape and size that they are not mistaken for the same or similar gourami species as this is when they become especially aggressive. If you see one of your fish going to the surface of the water for air more than usual, your water may not have enough oxygen in it. This could be due to high water temperatures or high amounts of dissolved nutrients. Test your water parameters, do water changes accordingly, and add an air stone if needed.

If two kissing gouramis are kept together in too small of a space, you may often see your fish locking lips. They can eat both plants and meat, so anything you add to the tank will be happily gobbled up. In the wild, plants would make up a large portion of their diet. The tiny teeth on their lips help them to rasp algae from rocks and break down larger vegetation.

They would also eat insects should the opportunity arise. They also have gill rakers that filter the water that passes over the gills, helping them to eat plankton.

You can add green vegetables lettuce, spinach, and zucchini into the tank to satisfy their need for plant matter. Live and frozen foods are the best way to replicate the insects and plankton in their natural diet. You could use daphnia, bloodworms, or brine shrimp.

Dried foods flakes and pellets can also be used at feeding time. They contain fewer nutrients than live foods, but they are often much more convenient. Foods containing carotenoids help to maintain their color. Be careful not to overfeed them — once or twice a day, feed them what they can easily finish within two minutes. All species need a clean and healthy environment to thrive. If you clean your tank regularly , you will be less likely to experience problems such as algae blooms or diseases.

Try to maintain consistent water conditions as sudden changes can kill your fish or leave them far more prone to illness. Ideally, the room temperature should not be too different from the water temperature. If there is a big difference, your Kissing Gourami could damage their labyrinth organ when breathing from the air.

If this is not possible you can use a lid on top of your tank to trap some warm air above the surface of the water. Choosing the right diet is also a crucial aspect of Kissing Gourami care. If their diet is not varied and does not contain a range of nutrients, their immune system will weaken.

If everything mentioned so far has been implemented, the disease will be rare because this is a hardy species. These gradually get larger, providing an entry point for other pathogens. Potential causes are uncertain but moving the fish to a different tank without activated carbon often leads to improvement.

Ich white spot disease is an ectoparasite that presents as white spots over the body. Other symptoms include a loss of appetite and cloudy eyes. Separate the infected fish as soon as you spot the disease. Quarantining new fish and cleaning second-hand equipment are the best ways to prevent pathogens from entering your aquarium. When trying to breed a pair of Kissing Gourami, you must first condition them. Do this by feeding them high-quality foods that are full of nutrients.

This means increasing the proportion of live foods in their diet. You also need to create the perfect conditions in your tank. When ready to mate, the pair will start circling each other. They are not kissing but they are in fact acting aggressive and having a showdown. When they do this it means that one is trying to establish dominance over the other. The Kissing Gourami can get quite large, often 10 - 12 inches in length.

We do not recommend them for the beginner because of their potential adult size and because they can become very territorial in a community tank. They will often chase your other fish around the tank, especially after fish food has entered the aquarium. This behavior can get very annoying.

They are not picky eaters and will go after flakes, pellets, frozen, freeze dried and live foods. We've found that it is good to get a pair so that when they are feeling aggressive they will chase each other around instead of the other tropical fish.

Tank Mates : Because of its potential adult size and because it can become territorial, use caution when selecting tank mates. References : Fishbase Wikipedia. This went on for four years I've grown so attatched to Meeko that I was allowed to keep him.

During those four years, my dad gave me fish ranging from angel fish to tiger barbs and other gourami, and they've all attacked my kisser a lot, but he never did anything back to them. Kirby was a pansy, surely. Particularly, my kisser, goldfish, and an iridescent shark by the name of Boomer roomied together for 4 years.

The later 2 years they grew so large I had to get a gallon tank for them. The shark grew too big for that and kept rampaging around the tank every few minutes, crashing into the goldfish and impaling him until he died from his injuries. I know this topic is about Kissing Gourami, but my kisser and the shark got along PERFECTLY for four years, but on the morning after my goldfish died, Kirby Ripped the flesh off the shark whose twice his size and mauled him until he died.

I was afraid to buy any new fish for the tank for a while so he was on his own and I put him back in a gallon tank since my dad wasn't around to help me with maintenance anymore. A year later I was given some new brown gouramis for the tank and they picked on my kisser all the time. He once again did nothing to fight back, and he remained friendly again until he died from eating poisoned roaches that drowned in his tank. I have a new kisser now after a 3-year haitus from raising fish.

He's about the size of a thumb and gets along with my two catfish quite well. Based on my experiences with Kirby and the new guy, A good setup for a community tank with Kissers can use a lot of balance.

Kissing Gouramis like the mid and top waters mostly mid , so bottom-dwellers like Catfish will do fairly well in the tank. Kirby never bothered my catfish at all to times where I forgot those catfish exist in my tank sometimes.