Thick Lipped Gourami
Trichogaster labiosa
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 10 cm
- Minimum tank
- 67 litres
- Temperature
- 22–27 °C
Species profile
Tailspot Ctenopoma
Ctenopoma kingsleyae
Common names: Tailspot Ctenopoma, Silverbelly Climbing Perch, Silverbelly Ctenopoma, Tailspot Climbing Perch
Recognized speciesGouramis
Adult size
Up to 18.2 cm
Up to 18.2 cm
Countries of origin
Good fit for your tank?
Good fit for
- A keeper who has researched this fish and can match its needs
Think carefully if
- You keep smaller fish, which it may eat
- You cannot provide about 304 litres for a fully grown fish
- You keep shrimp you want to protect
A large African labyrinth fish with a dark spot at the base of the tail, also called Kingsley’s Climbing Perch. Keep alone or in a small group in 304 litres or more.
Appearance and Identification
A large African labyrinth fish with a dark spot at the base of the tail, also called Kingsley’s Climbing Perch. It is very long-lived, with reports of fish passing 30 years, and it will eat smaller fish.
Check the scientific name when buying, as common names vary between sellers and countries.
Sexes are usually hard to tell apart.
Tank Requirements
- Suggested filter
- About 1,220–1,520 litres an hour
- Suggested heater
- About 300–450 W for this tank
- Minimum tank volume
- 304 litres
- Minimum tank length
- 97 cm
- Minimum group size
- 1
- Recommended group size
- 1
- Activity level
- Moderate
- Flow preference
- Low to moderate
- Planting preference
- Moderately planted
- Hiding places
- Yes
- Lid recommended
- Yes
- Jumping risk
- High
Allow plenty of room, use a very secure lid and fit strong filtration. Predators produce a lot of waste, and many are strong jumpers.
Behaviour and Tankmates
A predator that spends much of its time watching and waiting for prey.
Usually best alone, or in a very large tank with others of its size.
Many are intolerant of their own kind.
It will eat any fish that fits in its mouth, so keep it with fish too big to swallow, or alone. It is likely to eat shrimp.
Water Parameters
Fairly tolerant of different water, if it is clean and stable. Keep the temperature steady.
Parameter caveat
Keep up regular water changes, and acclimatise new fish slowly.
Feeding
- Diet types
- Carnivore, Predator
- Feeding frequency
- Daily
- Preferred foods
- Quality carnivore pelletsWorth training it onto these, as they are balanced and clean.
- Frozen prawn, mussel and fishUse a variety. Avoid a diet of feeder fish, which can bring in disease.
- EarthwormsA good food, and most predators take them readily.
A predator that eats invertebrates and small fish. Feed frozen and live foods such as bloodworm, shrimp and earthworms.
Feed small amounts, and remove anything left after a few minutes.
Breeding
- Breeding type
- Egg Scatterer
- Breeding difficulty
- Difficult
- Parental care
- None
- Baby foods
- InfusoriaNeeded for the first days, because most fry are very small.
- Newly hatched brine shrimpIntroduce as soon as the fry can take it.
An egg scatterer with no parental care. Adults eat eggs and fry, so use a separate tank with fine plants, moss or mesh on the bottom, and remove the adults after spawning. The fry need very small foods at first.
Habitat and Origin
- Geographic origin
- Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
- Natural habitat
- River
- Aquarium contexts
- Planted Aquarium
- Audience level
- Intermediate
Classification
- Profile type
- Recognized species
- Genus
- Ctenopoma
- Family
- Anabantidae
- Species group
- Fish, Gouramis
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Three-Spot Gourami
Trichopodus trichopterus
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 10–15 cm
- Minimum tank
- 80 litres
- Temperature
- 24–30 °C
Banded Gourami
Trichogaster fasciata
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 10 cm
- Minimum tank
- 71 litres
- Temperature
- 21–28 °C
Bintan Licorice Gourami
Parosphromenus bintan
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 2.6 cm
- Minimum tank
- 16 litres
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C