Marble Gourami "Cosby" - Trichogaster trichopterus - single specimen

The beautiful Marbled Gourami or Cosby Gourami Trichonogaster trichopterus is a labyrinth fish, which means that it breathes air on the surface of the aquarium water with the help of its labyrinth organs. These are very calm and peaceful fish, which are very popular in aquaristics. Marbled threadfish grow to 13-15 cm in size and therefore require a larger aquarium with an edge length of at least 120 cm. Marbled gourami reach an age of an impressive 10 years or more. The Marbled Gourami originates from Southeast Asia, where it lives in slow-flowing rivers in the vegetation along the banks. Meanwhile, Trichonogaster trichopterus has also been found in rivers in South America and Africa, where it was introduced by humans as a food fish.

The marble gourami has a light blue to silvery blue ground color and shows a darker blue marble pattern on the body. All or part of the iris of the eyes is bright orange-red. The fins are covered with large bright spots. Conspicuous in both the male and female are the long, thread-like pectoral fins, which the gourami use as a tactile organ and which they use frequently and actively. The males of Trichonogaster trichopterus can be easily identified by their pointed dorsal fin. The dorsal fin of females is more rounded and shorter. The sexes in the Cosby Gourami can be reliably distinguished from a body length of about 6-8 cm.

Marbled Gourami are very peaceful and quiet aquarium mates outside of mating season, and enjoy hanging out among plants. They are comfortable with other calm, peaceful fish, and socialization with shrimp is also very feasible. Crayfish would nip at the thread fins, so these aquarium companions should be refrained from.

During the mating season, males of the Cosby Threadfin become quite territorial, defending their area against other males and also against other Threadfin. A large foam nest is built by the males between floating plants such as duckweed, frogbit or riccia / pond liverwort . When mating, the eggs float up and thus automatically catch in the nest. The males then perform brood care. They clean the clutches and return fry that have fallen out to the nest. Once the eggs are laid, the male marble gourami drives the female away. If the aquarium is not large enough and lacks structure, there may even be casualties here. In any case, it is less stressful if the female is placed out of the rearing tank. As soon as the larvae start to swim freely, the male should also be taken out of the rearing aquarium, otherwise it could happen that he eats the fry. The baby gourami are raised with dust food, finest live food such as infusoria or slipper animals and later also with artemia euplii and micro worms.

Marbled Threadfish feel comfortable in soft to hard water, humic substances in the aquarium water contribute their part to a feel-good atmosphere. Water temperatures of 22-28 °C are optimal. Trichopodus trichopterus tends to orientate itself more towards the upper water regions. As a labyrinth fish, the Marble Gourami must be able to reach the water surface unimpeded to catch its breath.

Marble threadfish are omnivores. Besides frozen food and live food they also like to eat vegetable food, even algae coverings and duckweed are eaten. Plants with very soft foliage can be nibbled on. Cosby Threadfish can of course also be fed with high-quality flake food or granulated food for omnivorous aquarium fish.

Our food recommendation: With the NatureHolic BettaFeed a special food for fighting fish has been tailor-made, whose soft soft granules are reminiscent of the consistency of insect larvae in nature. The soft beads protect the sensitive fish mouth from micro-cracks caused by too hard food grains. 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.