Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Kissing Gourami
Helostoma temminckii Cuvier, 1829
Also called Kissing fish, Kisser, Pink kissing gourami (colour form)
From Southeast Asia from Thailand to Indonesia: southern Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra and Java, in floodplain lakes, oxbows, backwaters and swamps with slow or still water and thick vegetation.12
At a glance the quick version
Wikipedia gives an average of 5-7 years with records above 25 years; Seriously Fish says it can exceed 20 years
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, deep-bodied, compressed labyrinth fish
An oval, flattened fish with large, fleshy lips set on a protrusible mouth. The wild form is greenish to silvery grey with faint dark lengthwise stripes and darker fins, while the familiar aquarium form is a soft pink to orange-pink with see-through pinkish fins.32
Personality what they are like
A characterful fish that gets to know its owner. It is calm with similar-sized fish when it has enough room, and its 'kissing' is a ritual contest between two fish.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Grazes over surfaces with its lips and needs open swimming space as it grows.23
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Plan for its adult size from the start. Keep water clean with regular partial changes, and offer surfaces where it can graze.2
Home where they are happiest
Tank with a base of at least 150 x 45 cm (about 300 litres) for adults. Temperature 22-30 °C, pH 6.0-8.0, hardness 1-20 dGH.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A specialised filter-feeder with fine gill rakers. Feed quality flake and small pellets with plenty of vegetable content such as spirulina, plus frozen foods like bloodworm and brine shrimp.21
Company who they like around
Best with robust fish of similar size rather than small community fish. Enough space keeps it relaxed.2
The story where it all began
Georges Cuvier described the species in 1829. It is farmed and fished as food across its range, and its kissing habit made it a well-known aquarium fish worldwide.13
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is the only member of its whole family, Helostomatidae.3
- 2
The 'kiss' is really a test of strength: two fish press their open mouths together to settle who is dominant.3
- 3
It has an extra joint in its lower jaw that helps it scrape food from surfaces, a use not known in any other fish.3
- 4
Unlike most of its relatives it does not guard its eggs; it scatters thousands of floating eggs instead.2
- 5
It has been recorded living for more than 25 years.3
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 19 September 2019)1
- Taxonomy
- The only species in the family Helostomatidae3
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Kissing Gourami. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Feedingevery day
- Water changeAbout 30 to 50% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Filter rinseevery 2 weeks
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at support@furrydiary.app and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Helostoma temminckii, Kissing gourami fishbase.seused for max length, distribution, habitat, water ranges, IUCN status, uses, breeding biology, author and year
- Seriously Fish: Helostoma temminkii (Kissing Gourami) seriouslyfish.comused for standard length, native range, habitat, tank size, temperature, pH, hardness, diet, compatibility, sexing, breeding
- Wikipedia: Kissing gourami en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, description, taxonomy and history, fun facts
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.