Dwarf Gourami

Trichogaster lalius

Also known as: Sunset gourami, Powder blue gourami, Flame gourami

Water Parameters

• Temperature: 22–27°C
• pH: 6–7.5
• Hardness: 35–320 ppm

Care Summary

A peaceful, beautiful labyrinth fish that breathes atmospheric air from the surface — requires access to the water surface and a tight-fitting lid to prevent injury from breathing cold air. Often sold to beginners but increasingly difficult to keep due to a serious modern problem: <strong>Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus (DGIV)</strong>. Up to a third of commercially-farmed dwarf gouramis carry this incurable virus, which causes the fish to deteriorate and die within months of purchase. Buy only from reputable breeders, quarantine new arrivals, and accept that even with care, a percentage of fish from chain stores will be lost. Healthy specimens are long-lived and rewarding.

Tankmates

Best kept as a single male, or as one male with two or more females. Males are territorial toward each other and toward similar-bodied surface-dwellers — never house with bettas, and avoid pairing with other gourami species in tanks under 200L. The wide variety of colour morphs (powder blue, flame red, sunset) are all the same species. A single dwarf gourami makes an excellent centrepiece fish for a peaceful community.

Compatible with

• Neon Tetra
• Harlequin Rasbora
• Bronze Corydoras
• Ember Tetra
• Kuhli Loach
• Mystery Snail
• Otocinclus

Avoid keeping with

• Betta
• Other Dwarf Gourami Males
• Fin Nippers
• Large Cichlids
• Aggressive Tankmates

Common Problems

• Dwarf Gourami Iridovirus (DGIV) — incurable, common in farmed stock
• ich
• fin rot
• aggression between males in undersized tanks
• stress in bright open tanks

Sources: seriouslyfish.com, fishbase.org · Last updated: 2026-06-03