Opaline Gourami

Name: Opaline Gourami
Brand: Brooklands
SKU: TH25
Price: 17.9 NZD
Availability: InStock

SKU TH25

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Opaline Gourami

Product Details

Opaline Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus variant)

NOT AVAILABLE FOR SHIPPING - In-store Only

Overview: The Opaline Gourami (also widely known as the Marbled Gourami) is a stunning, highly popular color variant of the wild Three-Spot Gourami. It features a beautiful, pearlescent silvery-blue body heavily blanketed by an irregular mosaic of dark blue, swirling marbled patterns. Like all labyrinth fish, they possess modified, thread-like pelvic fins ("feelers") that they use to touch, taste, and navigate their surroundings.

Origins: The ancestral species is native to the warm, slow-moving tropical waters of Southeast Asia, including the Mekong River basin across Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. They naturally inhabit swamps, marshes, and flooded rice paddies, using their specialized labyrinth organ to breathe atmospheric oxygen directly from the surface when oxygen levels in the water drop.

Personality: Opaline Gouramis are active, bold, and highly inquisitive, but they also possess a classic semi-aggressive attitude. While they are peaceful and charming as juveniles, mature adults—especially males—can become quite dominant, territorial, and bossy. They will readily claim the upper layers of the aquarium and chase away any perceived intruders.

Care Level: Very Easy (Incredibly hardy, resilient, and adaptable)
Temperament: Semi-aggressive (Can be territorial with other gouramis or top-dwellers)
Diet: Omnivore (Unfussy, enthusiastic eaters; thrives on high-quality flakes, pellets, and frozen foods like bloodworms or brine shrimp. They are also excellent biological controls, as they will readily hunt and eat nuisance hydra and small pest snails).
Max Size: 12 – 15 cm
Family: Osphronemidae
Tank Size: 115 Litres minimum for a single adult or a sexed pair; 200+ Litres is highly recommended if keeping them in a community tank.
Temperature: 22°C – 28°C
pH: 6.0 – 8.0 (Extremely adaptable to a wide range of water conditions)
Should be kept in groups? With caution. They can be kept singly as a centerpiece fish, or in a male-female pair. Avoid putting multiple males together in a standard-sized tank, as they will aggressively fight for dominance over the surface territory.

Setting Up an Opaline Sanctuary:

Because adult Opaline Gouramis can be bossy, managing their environment and tank mates is key to a peaceful aquarium:

1. Line-of-Sight Breakups: If you want to keep them with other gouramis or a mate, your aquarium must be heavily planted. Use tall background plants, driftwood branches, and floating vegetation. This breaks up their line of sight, allowing submissive fish to safely hide out of the dominant fish's view.

2. Smart Tank Mates: Avoid housing them with slow, long-finned fish like Angelfish or Discus, as the gouramis may nip at them. Also, avoid hyperactive fin-nippers like Tiger Barbs. Instead, pair them with robust, fast-moving mid-water schoolers like Tiger Barbs (in large groups), Danios, Rainbowfish, larger Tetras, or peaceful bottom-dwellers like Corydoras and Loaches.