Bony fish · Anabantiformes · Osphronemidae

Dwarf Gourami

Trichogaster lalius

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Trichogaster lalius, commonly called Colisa lalia or the dwarf gourami, is a fish of an almost transparent blue, with vertical stripes of a colour between red and dark orange. In its natural range it is dried and eaten, although it is also used as an aquarium fish.

Size

5 cm – 9 cm

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

FreshwaterOmnivore Solitary Fish Freshwater

5countries2same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe male builds a bubble nest out of saliva and scraps of plant matter.
The male guards the nest alone, driving off even the female once the eggs are laid.
It can live in water so short of oxygen that no other fish would survive, because it breathes air at the surface.
Releases by aquarists have established it in rivers in the United States, Colombia and Singapore.
It breathes air with a labyrinth organ beside its gills, which lets it live in water where the dissolved oxygen falls below what other fish can tolerate.
The male builds a floating nest of mucus-coated bubbles and defends it alone, along with the eggs and the larvae.
Its pelvic fins are modified into two long filaments that it uses as feelers.