Saturday, September 15, 2018

Gouramis Are Fun Additions to Your Aquarium

If the fish world had comedians, Gouramis would be superstars. They have so many funny, incredible behaviors that they can put on quite a show in your fish tank. 

You can mix and match different types of gouramis too because they are a docile, friendly fish most of the time. 


The gourami (Trichogaster), also known as a labyrinth is one of the most colorful ornamental fish, and its distinctive behavioral habits make this a favorite fish for aquarists, according to Aquarium USA.  
Different species of gouramis like the dwarf gourami, croaking gourami, chocolate gourami, blue gourami, pearl gourami and kissing gourami can live in the same tank, so you can enjoy all the gourami’s unusual habits.

Gouramis Touch Everything

Gouramis touch everything in the aquarium, using their long, thin, sensitive pelvic fins as feelers to find food, potential mates and maneuver their way through cloudy, muddy water. 
Although your fish tank has clean water, gouramis continue this interesting habit, even touching all the other fish in the tank. If you have gourami in your aquarium, avoid adding fish that nip at long, threadlike fins. All species of gourami touch things, especially the dwarf gourami.

Gulping Gouramis

You may notice that all gouramis reach out of the water for gulps of air, as if breathing.  All types of gouramis gulp the air at the water’s surface, which passes through the mouth into an extra respiratory organ that carries oxygen through a labyrinth into the gourami’s bloodstream. This labyrinth system supplements their gills, allowing gouramis to live in low-oxygen or polluted water. Gulping air is most noticeable in snakeskin gouramis and kissing gouramis.

Gouramis Chirp and Croak

Kissing gouramis make sounds during social interaction by grinding their teeth together. The male croaking gourami chirps and croaks when putting on a show for females. Two males also make the croaking sounds when aggressively facing each other.

Kissing Gouramis Could be Fighting 
Kissing Gourami


Although gouramis touch their mouths together in what looks like a kiss, they are actually displaying aggressive behavior, sometimes known as mouth fighting.  Kissing can also occur during mating or in aggressive situations but gouramis are usually friendly, passive fish. This behavior is most noticeable in kissing gouramis because of their large, protruding lips but all gouramis use their mouths for “kissing” rocks, plants and gravel while searching for food. 

Watch out for Spitting Gouramis

Many new fish hobbyists are surprised when they walk up to their aquarium and their gourami spits a jet of water in the air. Because of the gourami’s ability to gulp air, they can take in water and blow it out above the water line. Gouramis often spit water to knock insects out of the air, snatching them up for food. All gouramis can also jump above the water to grab insects.
If you decide to give gouramis a try, read up on what you'll need for supplies and food. Hope you have a great time watching your silly gouramis.

Image Credits: 
By Jörn (Flickr: küssender Gourami II) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Green Yoshi [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Resources:
2012 Annual Aquarium USA: A Great Group of Gouramis: Jeffrey Howe






No comments:

Post a Comment