Furry Diary

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Three Spot Gourami

Trichopodus trichopterus (Pallas, 1770)

Also called Blue Gourami, Gold Gourami, Opaline Gourami, Cosby Gourami, Platinum Gourami

SpeciesShort profile

From Southeast Asia, centred on the Mekong basin (Yunnan, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam) and extending to Myanmar, Malaysia and the Indonesian islands; lives in sluggish, weedy lowland waters and flooded forests.123

At a glance the quick version

Length10 to 15 cm123
Sizemedium
One of the hardiest aquarium fish
Many colour strains to choose from
Accepts almost any food
23

Looks how to spot one

Laterally compressed labyrinth fish

An oval, flat-sided fish with long feeler-like pelvic fins; the wild form is blue-grey with two dark spots on each flank, which line up with the eye to make three.32

Coloursblue-grey wild typebluegoldopaline (marbled)platinumlavendersilverCosby23

Personality what they are like

Personalities vary: many stay calm all their lives, while some males grow bolder and more territorial as they mature, so sturdy tankmates suit it best.23

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Cruises the middle and upper water and rises regularly to the surface to breathe air.12

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Very adaptable; keep the water clean and warm, cover the tank to keep humid air above the surface, and offer plants and floating cover.23

Home where they are happiest

At least a 90 x 30 cm base (about 80 litres), planted with some open space. Temperature about 22-30 C, pH 5.5-8.5, hardness around 3-35 dGH.21

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A true omnivore: in the wild it eats plants, algae, small invertebrates and zooplankton; in the aquarium give quality dried food with live or frozen extras.21

Company who they like around

Can live singly or with robust community fish like barbs and larger gouramis; one male per tank is the usual approach.23

The story where it all began

Described in the 18th century, it is one of the longest-known gouramis and is also a minor food fish in parts of Asia. Selective breeding has produced a wide range of colour strains, which are now seen in shops more often than the wild form.123

Fun facts for the dinner table

  1. 1

    The 'third spot' is actually its eye, lined up with two dark spots on each side.3

  2. 2

    Males build bubble nests and a spawning can produce several hundred to over a thousand eggs.2

  3. 3

    Wild fish migrate into flooded forests each rainy season.1

  4. 4

    The lavender strain comes from crossing blue and gold forms.3

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List
Least Concern (assessed 21 January 2019)1
Taxonomy
Described by Pallas in 1770 (FishBase); Wikipedia lists Linnaeus 17581

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Three Spot Gourami. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

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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.

  1. FishBase: Trichopodus trichopterus fishbase.seused for size, distribution, habitat, water, IUCN, uses
  2. Seriously Fish: Trichopodus trichopterus seriouslyfish.comused for care, tank, water, diet, behaviour, breeding, strains
  3. Wikipedia: Three spot gourami en.wikipedia.orgused for names, appearance, strains, distribution

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.