Fun Croaking Gourami Facts For Kids
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The croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, is a unique small-sized freshwater fish that is a member of the Osphronemidae family.
It is indigenous to the waters of southeast Asia and it is a unique labyrinth fish that is able to emit a croaking sound through its pectoral fins. The coloration of this fish varies; it can be darkish-purple in color with purple or black-colored spots on its fins or it can be pale brown-colored.
There are two to four black or brown rows of spots on its sides, stretching out to the cheek and the gill cover.
There is also a striking iridescent blue color on the edges of its median fins. Its iris is purple or vivid blue in color and the male of this species is much more vibrant and colorful than the female.
The female has a shorter anal fin and a barely rounded dorsal fin when compared to the male.
This species can be seen in Borneo, Cambodia, Laos, Malaya, Sumatra, Vietnam, Java, and Thailand naturally. It inhabits slow-moving shallow waters with vegetation such as densely vegetated canals, ditches, drainage, wet prairies, and ponds.
In captivity, their tank must be well-planted, with a temperature between 72-82 F (22.2-27.7 C), and must be at least 10 gal (37.8 L) in size.
It feeds upon bugs, bug larvae, crustaceans, zooplankton, shrimps, plant matter, flake foods, high-quality frozen foods like daphnia, brine shrimps, and mosquito larvae. Keep reading to learn about the average croaking gourami size, tank mates, breeding, sound, care, diet, and more!
If you enjoyed reading our croaking gourami facts, you must check out our severum surprising facts and amberjack interesting facts!
Croaking Gourami Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a croaking gourami?
The croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, is a small freshwater labyrinth fish. It is a peaceful fish species that is indigenous to southeast Asia. It is quite a common gourami species in the aquarium trade due to its distinctive abilities.
What class of animal does a croaking gourami belong to?
The croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, belongs to the class Actinopterygii.
How many croaking gouramis are there in the world?
The total population size and the population trend of this freshwater fish species are not evaluated yet. However, the croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, is known to be widely distributed across its range.
Where does a croaking gourami live?
This fish species is mainly found in Borneo, Cambodia, Java, Laos, Malaya, Sumatra, Vietnam, Florida, and Thailand. The population in Florida is a small breeding population that has been introduced by the aquarium industry in the drainage ditches of Florida's Palm Beach County.
What is a croaking gourami's habitat?
This fish species typically inhabits slow-moving shallow waters with vegetation such as densely vegetated canals, ditches, drainage, wet prairies, and ponds. All these habitats have sandy-mud bottoms present.
This fish can get accustomed to many water conditions, however, they are known to thrive in slightly acidic, soft water. Heavily planted tanks with a slow water flow are the best artificial habitat for this fish.
They also require lots of hiding places to stay comfortable. The average croaking gourami tank size must be at least 10 gal (37.8 L).
The aquarium must possess air pumps for the circulation of air above the surface of the water. It can tolerate a temperature of 82.4 F (28 C), but 78.8 F (26 C) suits it the best.
The optimum range is 72-82 F (22.2-27.7 C). Its aquarium should be well-planted and a pH of 6.8 must be maintained in the aquarium.
This fish can breathe oxygen from the atmosphere through its unique labyrinth organ from just above the surface of the water. The labyrinth organ of the croaking gourami is similar to the labyrinth organ of the Siamese fighting fish.
Who do croaking gouramis live with?
Croaking gouramis are peaceful fish that can be housed with other peaceful fish species. They can thrive in group settings.
These fish can be kept in a pair as well as in a group. Croaking gourami tank mates must be peaceful and must not be aggressive in nature or too large in size. Males of this species can be quite territorial in a group, particularly during breeding times.
If the size of the aquarium is sufficient, then these males can live in a group comfortably. They can be kept together in a group of gourami fish, but as these fish are micro-predators, they must not be kept with shrimps.
How long does a croaking gourami live?
The croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, lives for about two years but they can live up to five years when given the proper care needed when kept in an aquarium.
How do they reproduce?
These fish have elaborate courtship rituals. Males are known to dance to win over females and an interested female croaking gourami responds by rolling over.
In captivity, breeding must be done in a group comprising six individuals in a separate aquarium that has many plants. A pair must become accustomed to the settings of the aquarium before they breed.
The male builds a bubble nest below the leaves of plants in the tank and displays it to his partner. This nest is built from mucous and air bubbles.
The female swims below the bubble nest before spawning takes place. The female releases 10 eggs in one go which are quickly fertilized by the male.
The eggs are spit onto the nest by the male where he typically adds a few additional air bubbles. The female can spawn up to 100-2000 eggs after this and females must be removed from this tank after spawning is complete.
The eggs take 48 hours to hatch into small-sized wrigglers and a warm air layer must be maintained between the cover slides and the water surface in the tank. The nest is maintained by the male, but he too needs to be removed when the fry are two to three days old.
Males are known to circle other males to portray dominance while emitting croaking sounds. The breeding tanks must be protected from cool drafts.
What is their conservation status?
The croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, has been classified as Least Concern in the IUCN's Red List. Its main threats are pollution and urbanization.
Croaking Gourami Fun Facts
What do croaking gouramis look like?
The croaking gourami has a variable coloration that can typically range from pale brown with red or black marks on its fins, to dark purple or green. It may possess black or brown rows of marks on the sides of its body that stretch over the cheek and the gill cover.
It possesses a striking blue-colored iridescent shine on its fin edges.
Adults have filamentous and long rays on their pelvic, caudal, anal, and dorsal fins. Males are more colorful and have a longer anal fin than females and the male's dorsal fin is rounded whereas that of the female is pointed.
How cute are they?
These gouramis are quite cute. The croaking sound they make and their beautiful coloration make them quite endearing and adorable. The hint of iridescence on their median fins is also quite striking.
How do they communicate?
These gouramis communicate vocally. Croaking gourami sounds make these fish so popular and these audible sounds are produced by croaking gouramis throughout their courtship displays! They also portray dominance in their behavior by producing sounds during breeding displays.
How big is a croaking gourami?
The croaking gourami ranges between 1.4-2.7 in (3.8-7 cm) in size. Its size is fairly similar to the size of the goldfish!
How fast can a croaking gourami swim?
There is no data available about how fast the croaking gourami can swim. However, we do know that they aren't that fast and they must not be kept with fast-moving fish.
How much does a croaking gourami weigh?
The croaking gourami, Trichopsis vittata, weighs between the range of 0.04-0.08 oz (1.3–2.4 g).
What are their male and female names of the species?
Males and females do not possess any distinct names.
What would you call a baby croaking gourami?
A baby croaking gourami is known as a fry.
What do they eat?
The fry of these gouramis must be given infusoria-grade food for their initial days. Afterward, it can consume foods like Artemia nauplii and microworms.
An adult fish requires a healthy balanced diet that comprises frozen, live, and freeze-dried foods. In captivity, their diet includes flake food, high-quality frozen food like daphnia, brine shrimp, and mosquito larvae, and green flake food.
In the wild, this is an insectivorous fish that preys upon bugs, bug larvae, shrimp, crustaceans, zooplankton, and plant matter in the wild. The searching behavior of this species is quite a sight to see for any aquarist.
Are they dangerous?
No, these gouramis aren't dangerous to humans and they aren't normally aggressive. However, the male of this species can be quite aggressive and territorial when breeding in a group. It can normally be quite comfortable in a group if the aquarium is big enough, but they are capable of killing or harassing long-finned or smaller fish!
Would they make a good pet?
A croaking gourami can be a great pet. It is a relatively peaceful fish that remains very happy in a heavily planted tank with slow water movement. Croaking gourami care is quite easy once the owner is familiar with the requirements of this cute pet.
Did you know...
This fish can be seen sleeping on its backside, immobile on the floor, or relaxing on the substrate during the evening.
Croaking gourami and sparkling gourami fish are often confused to be one another! Sparkling gouramis croak throughout the breeding period as a part of a display! Sparkling gouramis can also be kept in a tank along with five to six other gourami fish.
Why do croaking gouramis croak?
Croaking gouramis croak, making a noise that is audible to humans, especially during courtship displays. This noise is made with the help of their pectoral fins and it is used to assert their dominance.
Do croaking gouramis eat shrimp?
Yes, croaking gouramis do eat shrimp.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our Florida pompano surprising facts and rainbow chichild interesting facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable blue snapper fish coloring pages.
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