- Common name
- Sparkling gourami
- Scientific name
- Trichopsis pumila
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Group
- Bettas and gouramis
- Environment
- Freshwater
- Origin
- Mekong and Chao Phraya basins of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- 3–4 cm
- Expected lifespan
- 3–5 years
- Minimum housing
- At least 60 L for a small group, with dense plants and several separated micro-territories
- Temperature
- 24–28 °C
- pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Hardness / minerals
- Soft to moderately hard
- Salinity
- Freshwater
- Lighting
- Normal aquarium lighting
- Placement / swimming zone
- Species dependent
Identity and search names
Single-species profile for Trichopsis pumila. Preserve permanent ID 655, slug sparkling-gourami and route /species/sparkling-gourami/; retain former scientific combinations and trade names only as searchable aliases. Search names include Pygmy gourami.
Environment and housing
Quiet densely planted aquarium, floating cover, gentle flow and access to warm air above the surface
Feeding and nutrition
Feeding ecology: Micropredator/omnivore; very small dry foods with live or frozen invertebrate foods
Feeding routine: Small appropriate meals based on age and body condition
Breeding and reproduction
Bubble-nest builder
Breeding plan: Bubble-nest builder Parental care: Male guards the bubble nest and eggs until the fry become free-swimming.
Compatibility plan
Tiny calm fish and invertebrates too large to eat; avoid fast feeders and fin-nippers
Filtration and aeration
Filtration: Use mature biological filtration sized for the adult group and feeding load, with protected intakes and a flow pattern suited to the species.
Aeration: Maintain dependable gas exchange and dissolved oxygen with surface agitation or supplementary aeration while preserving sheltered resting areas.
Maintenance
Test water routinely, remove waste and uneaten food, service filtration without destroying biofilm and review stocking as animals mature.
Adult projected load
Adult projected load includes mature body mass, social-group size, territorial space, oxygen demand, feeding waste and breeding output.
Welfare and risk
Use the adult housing and social plan in this profile, monitor body condition and behaviour, and correct measured water or compatibility problems early. Do not combine with large, fast or food-dominant fish.
Main risk: Do not place this shy small gourami with large, fast or food-dominant fish. Surface turbulence and cold dry air above the water can also disrupt breeding and welfare.
Biosecurity and release
Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or live foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Confirm current Australian import conditions and South Australian possession, trade and movement rules before acquisition or transfer.
Overridable warnings
Warnings may be overridden only after adult size, group structure, filtration, aeration, compatibility and maintenance capacity are recorded.
Sources
- Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes — Trichopsis pumila — Taxonomy — accepted name, original combination, synonyms and distribution cross-check
- NCBI Taxonomy — Trichopsis pumila — Identity — independent accepted-species and classification cross-check
- IUCN Red List search — Trichopsis pumila — Conservation — current assessment and wild-provenance cross-check
- PIRSA — South Australian noxious fish list — Australian biosecurity — current South Australian possession and trade restriction cross-check
- DAFF — importing live ornamental fish to Australia — Australian biosecurity — current national live-fish import pathway and permitted-species warning
- Catalog of Fishes — current nomenclature — Current fish taxonomy and synonymy
- AquaNexus editorial policy — Independent synthesis, scope and source-policy control