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Author: Twyla Lindstrom-Peters
Title: Trichopsis vittatus, the Croaking Gourami
Summary: Twyla describes how she bred the Croaking Gourami.
Contact for editing purposes:
email: President, Dave Wade: d.wade@accesscomm.ca Date first published:
Publication: Fins and Friends, Regina Aquarium Society, Canada:  http://nonprofits.accesscomm.ca/ras/
Reprinted from Aquarticles:

Trichopsis vittatus
Croaking Gourami

by Twyla Lindstrom-Peters
From "Fins & Friends" Regina Aquarium Society, Canada
Aquarticles

This interesting little fish originates in South Vietnam, Thailand, Malaya, and Indonesia jungle streams. Its maximum size is 6.5 cm.. The fish is basically brown with a darker back. It often has two dark horizontal lines from the eye to the base of its tail. Fins are clear to reddish. The eyes are large with the outer part a deep red and blue green in the center. It is quite hardy and peaceful in both large and small aquariums. They thrive on both dry flake and pelleted foods as well as small live food. They do not damage plants. They tolerate 70F - 85F and spawn at 78F - 85F (pH of 6.6-7.0).

This species is most notable (as its name implies) for its audible grunting or 'croaking' noises made during courtship.

I found they did best either in a species tank or a small community tank. My tank is a 6.5 gallon tank measuring 8 inches tall by 6 inches deep by 30 inches long. I keep the water level down 1 inch-1.5 inches and have 1 inch- 1.5 inches gravel on the bottom. They really appreciate lots of plants and natural light. My tank is in an east window and receives only daylight. Filtration is not required and they seem to prefer little to no circulation of water. For spawning, my fish like a separate area filled densely with Java moss and/or thread algae and with a few floating plants like penny wart, water lettuce or water sprite. The male may (or may not!) build a small insignificant bubblenest often under the leaves of surface plants. This male really doesn't appreciate any other males at this point and will flare his fins and spar with any other males in the area. He develops quite a bit of baby blue tinge to his fins and especially his rays. He displays boisterously for the female of his choice to entice her over to his nest. He then wraps himself around her (much as Bettas do) as the eggs are expelled and fertilized. I found the eggs to be buoyant and look like small white opaque seed beads. My fish spawns were usually around 50 eggs.