Chocolate Gourami earned its name from its brown color appearance. It belongs to the labyrinth fish species that can rely on oxygen derived from normal atmosphere air for breathing. The fish is one of the hardest to keep because they have extremely sensitive requirement with regards to overall tank water quality. They are not supposed to be used as starter fish for yet to be fully cycled new fish tank and if for any reason, there’s a fluctuation in the nitrite or nitrate level, they will turn sick easily.
As such, aquarium owners who own the fish often have numerous problems having to deal with
bacterial and viral infection but nevertheless, keeping them as a pet is still a rewarding activity. Basically, chocolate gourami is considered a type of friendly fish which mix well with species of its own kind. Ideally a tank dedicated solely to keeping the fish, should have at least 5 -6 of them forming a small group. They are hardly aggressive towards each other but somehow change of behavior can be seen during mating season. Some aquarium fish owner also adds new pet fish such as pleco and loaches which are both bottom dwellers and they make excellent tank partner to your chocolate gourami.
There are somehow conflicting views on which is the right breeding method exhibited by the fish. Some claim that the species is a mouthbrooder with the male carrying the eggs, while there are other sources that mention that it is the female chocolate gourami that actually took care of the young. Somehow, one confirmed fact still remain true is that the parents will look after the young fish fry. The tank that houses your pet should be well ventilated and complete with a heater so that the water temperature can be maintained at
28 degree Celsius constant at all times. In fact, most people fail in their first obstacle towards ensuring survival of the fish because they didn’t realize that they
require temperature higher than other tropical species for their survival.
Other than temperature,
aquascaping is also your main consideration as you will need a heavily planted tank. If possible get some dense bunched leaves of aquatic plants which you normally find in tropical climates area and put also some rocks to create a cave for them to hide in. It is also recommended by experienced hobbyist to add in and maintain some green water condition just like what you have in an algae tank so that your chocolate gourami will like it. For the water pH level, maintain it between
pH 6 to 6.5 and I would suggest using moss peat to lower the value to the desired range.
Other types of fish for your new tank:
Freshwater Puffer and
Weather Loach
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