Blue Dwarf Gourami - Trichopodus lalius - single specimen

The beautiful turquoise blue breeding form Blue Dwarf Gourami Trichogaster lalius (Colisa lalia) from India is as popular in the aquarium as the wild form. Originally the dwarf gourami originates from the Indus as well as the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. Trichogaster lalius (Colisa lalia) belongs to the labyrinth fishes, also called climbing fishes. The Blue Dwarf Gourami is actually a schooling fish that occurs in high population levels in the wild. In the aquarium, however, it can be kept in pairs. The Blue Dwarf Gourami is a fairly shy, peaceful and compatible aquarium fish.

Dwarf gourami have been around in aquaristics for a very long time. They are so popular because they are relatively undemanding and very pretty. Blue Dwarf Gouramis grow up to a body length of 6 cm. For a pair an aquarium with 60 cm edge length is already sufficient. The tank should be well planted and somewhat shaded by floating plants such as frogbit or riccia . Blue Dwarf Gourami reach an age of about 4 years, provided they live in good conditions.

The turquoise Blue Dwarf Gourami is almost uniformly turquoise silver-blue in coloration. The orange-red stripes of the wild form are only vaguely visible. The iris of the eye is pale orange-red with a darker longitudinal stripe. The typical dot pattern on the fins is also only vaguely visible, now and then the fins have a pale orange fringe. The pectoral fins are very long and narrow, i.e. thread-like - which has led to the name "threadfish". Trichogaster lalius (Colisa lalia) palpates a lot with these thin fin rays and moves them briskly. Males of the Blue Threadfin are usually more intensely colored and have a pointed dorsal fin extending backward. Females are somewhat less intensely colored, and their dorsal fin is more rounded and shorter.

The somewhat reserved Blue Dwarf Gourami are suitable for a community tank with peaceful aquarium mates such as dwarf shrimp or small peaceful fish that do not nibble on the gourami fins. Colisa lalia should not be socialized with other gourami species. Crayfish would attack the fish and they may pinch off the filamentous pectoral fins, so they should also not be kept with the Blue Dwarf Gourami.

The Blue Dwarf Gourami is not particularly difficult to breed. When ready to mate, the male Colisa lalia builds a stable, large foam nest in floating plants such as frogbit, duckweed or a flopping cushion of pond liverwort at the water surface. It even buries plant debris in it. When mating, the female ejects about 600 eggs, which the male fertilizes and then collects and brings to the foam nest. There it cares for the fry and defends them against anything that comes too close to the foam nest. Therefore, there should be no other fish in the breeding tank, and it is also better to catch the female out so that stress is kept within limits. Once the fry have hatched and their yolk sac is depleted, they begin to swim freely. This takes about 3-4 days. Now the male should also be taken out of the rearing tank - from the time they swim free, the fish larvae are prey for the male. The young blue gourami are fed with fine Dust foodslipperfish, infusoria and - when they are a bit bigger - also with freshly hatched Artemia euplii grown up.

The somewhat sensitive Blue Dwarf Gouramis are susceptible to diseases, especially if the water values are unsuitable. They need humic richsoft to medium-hard water in the aquarium and a temperature of 24-30 °C. A temperature reduction in winter to 20-24 °C is recommended.

As an omnivore, the Blue Dwarf Gourami will eat almost anything - from Frozen food to Live food to algae, duckweed and other vegetable food, but also flakes or granulated food of good quality. As a surface-oriented fish, the Blue Dwarf Gourami prefers to eat from the water surface rather than the bottom. Gouramis are labyrinth fish, they have a lung-like organ, the labyrinth organ, with which they breathe - for this reason alone they must always return to the water surface.

Our food recommendation: With the NatureHolic BettaFeed a special food for fighting fish was tailor-made, whose soft granules remind of the consistency of insect larvae in nature. The soft beads protect the sensitive fish mouth from micro-cracks caused by too hard food granules. The specially developed NH Immun+ complex as well as the NH Color+ high-performance additive support the immune system and the magnificent color formation of the fish.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free from snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend when keeping fish the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.