The Gold Gourami fish – scientifically known as Trichopodus trichopterus – is one of the most beautiful fish species for freshwater aquariums. It is a fish variety that is loved by fish keepers from across the world for its beautiful appearance, peaceful nature, and easy care. This fish requires minimal care, which means it is a perfect choice for your tank even if you are new to fish keeping. The Gold Gourami is not a species of fish, but a variety of color variants of the original Trichopodus trichopterus fish. But this variant has become so popular that it is more common in aquariums than the original fish species.
The common name of the original fish species of Gold Gouramis is Three Spot Gourami. It has multiple color variants, some of the most popular color variants include Gold, Opal, and Blue Gouramis. All three of these are equally beautiful and have similar nature. But in this article, we will focus more on the Gold Gourami, which is the most popular variant. This fish species is called three dots fish or three spots fish because it has two spots on the sides of its body linear to the eye line of this fish. Because the eyes are linear to these spots, they are also considered a spot, hence the name three spots fish. Below are complete details and care guidelines to help you take care of this fish in your tank.
Basic Facts Table
| Family | Osphronemidae |
| Lifespan | Between 4 to 6 Years |
| Size | More than 6 inches |
| Colors | Gold, White, Silver, |
| Diet | Omnivore. |
| Freshwater or Saltwater | freshwater |
| Care Level | Minimum |
| Compatibility | Peaceful community tanks |
Tank Companions
Here is a list of the possible tank mates or tank companions of the Gold Gouramis.
- Cherry Barbs
- Harlequin Rasbora
- Loaches of the same size
- Crayfish
- Some Plecos
- Mystery snails
- Amano Shrimps
How To Select Tank Companions?
The Gold Gourami is a medium-large fish species. It lives peacefully inside the tank and is known as a great candidate for the community tanks. But this fish has some limitations when it comes to tank mates. You cannot pair them with any other fish species. If you want to maintain a peaceful and healthy environment in your tank, you should only select a candidate that is perfect for the Gold Gouramis. To select the right or perfect candidates for the Gold Gourami, you need to know a few things. Here is a list of those things or factors that you need to keep in mind.
Same Size: When selecting a potential tank mate for the Gold Gouramis, keep in mind the size of Gold Gouramis. You should select a tank mate that has a similar size. You must select a tank mate of the same size. Selecting a large tank companion or a smaller tank companion would result in chaos in your tank. Because if you picked a smaller fish species, your large Gold Gourami would consider it food. But if you picked a fish that is larger than the Gold Gourami, that large fish would bully your Gold Gouramis. Both of these scenarios reflect why you need a tank mate of the same size.
Same Nature: Apart from the size, you must also consider the type or nature of tank companions of Gold Gouramis. This is one of the peaceful fish species that likes to slowly swim inside the tank, explore and relax. They do not like aggressive behavior or fast-moving fish. So, you should not introduce any fast-moving fish species in the tank of Gold Gouramis. Because if you introduce a fast-moving or aggressive fish species in the tank of Gold Gouramis, it would destroy the peace inside the tank. Active fish species like to chase non-active or slow-moving fish species. This results in confrontation and sometimes fights.
Same Living Conditions: Third most important thing that you need to keep in mind when selecting a tank mate for the Gold Gouramis is that you must select a species of fish that can live in the type of living conditions. If you picked a fish species that cannot live in the same conditions or tank parameters as the Gold Gouramis, it would die within a few days of being introduced into the tank. To avoid such issues, you should learn about the possible tank companion and see if it is capable of living in the same condition or not. If it can survive in the same conditions, then you should pick that for the tank of Gold Gouramis, otherwise, you should look for other candidates.
Species Overview
The Gold Gouramis are a variety of the Three Spot Gourami. It is a color variant that was created using selective breeding of the original Three Spot Gouramis. But this color variant became more popular among the fish keepers because it has a more beautiful color pattern. Apart from gold, there are two other color variants of this species, these include blue and opaline. These fish are native to Asia but now have been introduced to different parts of the world. The Gold Gourami can live in different types of environments, and habitats with changing water conditions and parameters. Because it is capable of living through different changes, it has become a very popular choice for the new fish keepers, because they can survive through a few mistakes.
Appearance
The Gold Gourami fish has a unique gold color that fades into white towards the belly. Its fins are silver-white on the bottom and transparent towards the ends. This species of fish is known for having large fins. Along the body, this fish has two spots on each side. These spots are aligned perfectly with the eye of the fish. It can be four to six inches long, and 5 inches tall. This fish has a thick body. According to expert fish keepers, this fish can change color.
This color change depends on the situation. For example, if this fish is being bullied, it would change its color to dark, pale, and blackish. Also, if the water conditions or parameters in your tank are not perfect, it would impact the health of your fish. That can also cause a color change in the Gold Gouramis. For that reason, keep an eye on the color change in this fish species. If you see any color change, you should work on improving the water quality inside your tank.
It is one of those fish species where males and females have different body sizes, shapes, and color patterns. This makes it easy for you to identify them separately during the breeding season to increase the success rate. Male Gold Gouramis are comparatively longer than females. Males are also thinner, and pointy, meanwhile, the female Gold Gouramis are thicker and more round instead of being pointy.
The actual size of the Gold Gouramis depends on the conditions that you provide them. For example, if you provide them with excellent water conditions and a large space to swim and grow, they can grow up to 7 inches long and tall. But if the conditions are not right, and there is not enough space for them to explore, your Gold Gouramis would only reach 5 to 6 inches in length and height.
Origin/Native
The original species of Gold Gouramis (Three Spot Gourami) was native to Southeast Asia. It is found in the rivers of China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India. Apart from these countries, this fish is found in many other regions. In its native habitat regions, this fish is used as a food source. It lives in those places where the overflowing of rivers is a common phenomenon. During the floods, these fish species migrate towards the flooded areas and live in the ponds that are formed when the river recedes to its original position. This fish was also introduced to many other regions of the world where it became hardy in those new conditions.
Natural Habitat
The natural habitat of this fish contains multiple rivers that are filled with vegetation, rocky bottom, and soft sand. Gold Gouramis live near the sides of the river in those places where the flow of water is extremely slow. This is because Gold Gouramis cannot swim in fast-moving waters. Their bodies are huge as compared to their fins and that is why they cannot swim in open waters. It has a varied diet, meaning that it can eat anything available to this fish. It eats small fish, shrimps, larvae, insects, and invertebrates such as live worms that it can find in the rivers, lakes, and ponds. This type of broad diet helps this fish species live in difficult conditions.
Gold Gourami Lifespan
The Gold Gouramis have an average lifespan of 6 years. According to expert fish keepers, your Gold Gouramis can live for more than 6 years if you provide them excellent care. Otherwise, your fish would die within two to three years. That is why it is very important to keep your fish healthy, and well-fed. You should create a perfect tank environment, habitat, and follow the care guidelines to make sure that your fish is getting the excellent care that it needs to survive long.
The lifespan of Three Spot Gouramis is less than three years because the naturally occurring Three Spot Gouramis are farmed, hunted, cooked, and eaten. But the fancy Gouramis such as Gold Gourami, and Blue Gourami are not hunted or farmed. Instead, they are kept in perfect growth conditions because they are traded as aquarium species. That is why the lifespan of Gold Gouramis is usually longer than the Three Spot Gouramis.
Habitat and Tank Conditions
The Gold Gourami fish needs perfect habitat and tank conditions to live, and thrive. If the conditions are not perfect, your Gold Gourami fish would eventually die because of stress or disease. For that reason, it is very important to learn about the type of conditions that it needs to live and successfully replicate them in your tank. When it comes to building an aquarium for the Gold Gouramis, you need to keep a few things in mind, first is the size of the tank, second is the tank setup, third is the parameters inside the tank, and the fourth is the water source. All of these factors are discussed in detail below.
Tank Size
You must select a tank of the right size for your Gold Gourami fish. You need to consider the total number of fish that you are planning on putting in that tank, and the average fish per gallon ratio of the members of your tank. A single Gold Gourami fish needs 6 gallons of water. So, if you are planning on introducing 5 or 6 Gold Gouramis to your tank, you should select a tank that can accommodate 6×5 = 30 gallons or 35 gallons at least. This is the smallest size of the tank that you can select. But it is not a perfect or ideal size tank. The ideal size of the Gold Gourami fish tank is anything close to 50 gallons. Apart from that, you should also focus on getting a tank that is not tall, instead select a tank that is wide, and long. This would help you provide more exploring space to your Gold Gouramis.
Tank Setup
Once you are done with the selection of tank size, you will need to work on setting up that tank. First, you should spread treated sand at the bottom of the tank. This will provide a soft layer similar to their natural habitat. After that, you should add some fine-grained substrate or gravel to your tank’s bottom layer. Apart from sand and substrate, you will also need to add some stones to the bottom layer to complete a natural look in your aquarium. This not only looks beautiful but also depicts the natural habitat conditions of the Gold Gouramis.
Just working on the bottom layer is not enough. You will also have to put some aquatic plants in your aquarium. It is important that you select these plants wisely, and plant them in the right spots in your aquarium. Apart from plants, you may also need artificial caves, driftwood, and some other decorations to create a habitat that is interesting and explorable for the Gold Gouramis. Make sure that everything is completely clean and sanitized before putting them into the tank. Do not use decorations, or anything from other tanks, because there is a chance that these might carry harmful bacteria or parasites.
Apart from these decorations in the tank, you also need a filtration system to provide oxygen and to keep the water in your aquarium clean. For this purpose, you should select a strong aquatic filter that can filter the entire tank within a day. The filter also helps in inducing some water flow or movement inside your tank. You may also have to put a water temperature monitor, or heater in your tank. The heater will help you maintain a higher temperature in cold regions during the winter and the temperature monitor will allow you to track the temperature fluctuations in the tank. So that you can maintain a steady temperature in your tank. Also, you will have to use standard aquarium lights for the tank of Gold Gouramis.
Water Conditions/Parameters
You have learned about creating a perfect habitat inside the tank for the Gold Gouramis. Now, it is time for you to learn the basic parameters or water conditions. These water conditions are essential and should be maintained at a given range. Otherwise, it would impact negatively on the health and wellbeing of your Gold Gouramis.
- Temperature between 73° to 82°
- pH levels between 6.8 to 7.3 (Close to Neutral)
- Hardness below 15 dGH
All of these parameters are very important because they impact the water chemistry inside the tank. If these parameters are not maintained or controlled properly, your Gold Gouramis would not live long.
Water Source
For the tank of Gold Gouramis, you can use water from different sources. For example, you can use the water of your tap, local river, lake, or pond. The source of water would not matter that much but the quality of water and chemistry of the water is very important. That is why you should get the water tested before using it. If the water is clean, and according to the given parameters, then it can be used in the tank. But if it is not clean or not safe, it should not be used or should be filtered using reverse osmosis before being used.
Behavior and Temperament
The Gold Gourami fish is one of those fish that like to assert dominance inside the tank. This type of behavior can give rise to tensions and fights inside the tank. Male Gold Gouramis are known for being more aggressive as compared to females. Because of this aggressive behavior, you should not pair them with smaller or defenseless fish species. Because Gold Gouramis would bully them, harm them, and eat them.
But if you pair them with the right type of companions, who are also passive-aggressive similar to the Gold Gouramis, it would create a balance in your tank. The Gold Gouramis would become more social and would swim inside the tank peacefully instead of attacking the smaller members of the tank. This fish can intake oxygen directly from the air.
So, you might also notice that your Gold Gouramis come up to the surface of your tank, and try to jump out. They do this to get more oxygen from the air. You should put a lid or a cover over your tank to prevent them from falling outside of the tank. The Gold Gouramis are slow swimmers, and explorers. That is why the fish keepers love to have them in their aquariums because it is interesting to see them going from one part of the tank to another.
Breeding Gold Gourami
The Gold Gourami fish are known for being easy to breed. This is because they do not require that much care during the breeding season. All you have to do is provide them the right conditions, and leave the male and female together and they will spawn. But to increase the level of your success at breeding the Gold Gouramis, you should follow these tips.
- Create a separate spawning tank. This is very important. You should always create a separate breeding tank with similar conditions and tank setup. This allows the male and female to court and breed more freely, and it also prevents the eggs from being eaten by other fish species.
- You may have to raise the water temperature a little bit to provide them the comfort of the warm spring season. Male Gold Gouramis would start to circle the females after that and spawning will start.
- Females would lay multiple eggs in different spots and the Male Gold Gourami would fertilize those eggs. The male might not be able to fertilize all of the eggs. You can check the color of the eggs to determine if they are fertilized or not. Within 72 hours of fertilization, the eggs will hatch and the fry will come out of the eggs.
Eggs and Fry Care
Fry in this species start eating the egg sac as soon as they are born. After that, they need special food. You can provide them with special food by using the Fry food that is available in the market. Apart from packaged food, you can also feed your fry small shrimps, and invertebrates.
Diet of Gold Gourami
Gold Gouramis eats almost everything. Their diet is omnivorous, meaning they can eat vegetables, meat, insects, and invertebrates. This type of diet helps them live in the wild waters. It also makes it easy for you to feed your Gold Gouramis. You can feed them food flakes, pellets, and frozen meat. Apart from that, you can also feed them live food such as small shrimps, insects, and blood worms. These are large fish, meaning that they would need more food. That is why, you should put a lot more food in their tank, and you should feed them twice a day.
Diseases of Gold Gourami
Here is a list of the possible illnesses of Gold Gourami.
- Ich: It is the most common fish disease. The reason behind this disease is a parasitic bacteria that propagates in unclean water. Once this parasite enters your tank, it will infect all the members of your tank. So, you must quarantine your sick members and treat them. There are multiple treatments available for treating Ich.
- Fin Rot: It is a common problem that you will see in most fish species with long fins. Smaller and faster fish species nibble on these fins and that can cause the fin to rot. That is why it is advised that you should not pair them with fast-moving species.
- Hole in the head: This is one of the deadliest fish diseases. It starts with lesions forming across the head of the fish. It causes the erosion of the head. This is a treatable disease but you should quarantine your infected individuals to stop the spread. Also, you may have to clean your entire tank.
According to expert fish keepers, you can avoid all of these diseases if you maintain hygiene in your tank. Most of these diseases happen because of the unhygienic conditions in your tank. So, if you kept your tank clean and maintained proper hygiene, the chances of these diseases attacking your fish would be reduced.
What is the Ideal Size For The Tank?
For a school of 5 to 6 Gold Gouramis, the ideal size of the tank is 30 to 35 gallons. But you must keep future expansion in mind and select a tank of 50 gallons or more capacity.
Are Gold Gouramis Saltwater or Freshwater Species?
Gold Gouramis are freshwater fish species. (Morph or color variant of the freshwater fish species.)
Are Gold Gouramis schooling species or not?
No, the Gold Gouramis are not schooling fish. But you will see them interacting and swimming with other members of their species.
Conclusion – Are Gold Gouramis Suitable For Your Aquarium?
The Gold Gouramis are known for their beautiful color variation, their passive-aggressive nature, and their ability to survive in different conditions. These factors make them one of the perfect choices for a lot of aquariums. For example, if you are new to fish keeping, you need a fish that can live through a few of your mistakes. So, selecting a Gold Gourami as your first fish will be good because it would allow you to learn fish keeping. Also, it is a rare and unique fish species that is loved by millions. Based on these arguments, we can say that it is a suitable choice for your aquarium.
FAQs
Question: What is the expected lifespan of Gold Gouramis?
Answer: The expected lifespan of Gold Gourami fish is 6 years. But some can survive for more than 7 years.
Question: Honey Gourami vs Gold Gourami, what is the difference?
Answer: Honey Gouramis have a honey-gold color, and the Gold Gouramis have a Golden, yellow color combination. Also, both are different species of fish from the same family.
Question: How to identify male and female Gold Gourami?
Answer: Male Gold Gourami fish are thin, long, and pointy, meanwhile the females are known for being thick, wide, and round. These differences become more apparent during the breeding season.
