When one thinks about a pet, dogs or cats often come to mind!  But if you've had a chance to encounter or known someone who has raised a Giant Gourami for many years, then you will realize that these fish are the ultimate "pet fish" as it can live past 20+ years and has a personality and intelligence that many say resemble a dog.

Scientifically named Osphronemus goramy (or Osphronemus gourami, depending on how you want to spell it), the True Giant Gourami grows to a size bigger than that of many fish, along with a very long lifespan.  They have been seen to grow over 2 feet in the wild, though in captivity they rarely reach past 16 inches (which is good for many fish keepers).  Two variations of this Gourami are seen in the fish keeping hobby.  One is the Red Tail Giant Gourami and the other is the Albino Giant Gourami (also known as Pink Lady Gourami).

As they continue to grow and reach full adulthood size, its appearance will begin to change.  The face changes quite a lot from its juvenile stage to adulthood.  When younger, they have a pointer face and mouth and transitioning into adulthood, it will form a "beak" (thicker lips and chin) and have a swollen forehead.

They are known to be very hardy fish and aren't too fussy with their water conditions (be sure to do regular maintenance and upkeep though) or diet.  A temperature of around 68 - 86 degrees will suffice and a pH of 6.5 - 8.0 will do.  As a omnivore, they will readily accept anything you throw into the tank.  But ensure that you give your Gourami a varied diet, as you don't want them to get too spoiled off one particular food.  Flakes and pellets work great and other meaty or vegetable foods can be incorporated into its diet.  

The Giant Gourami is known to be aggressive as it grows large and should be kept with tank mates of similar size.  It can be kept within a community aquarium or with monster sized fish.  Known to be peaceful among other fish it was raised with, it can dominate newer additions to the tank.  Keep a close eye whenever you decide to put in new fish, as each fish has a different level of aggression.

Be sure you have the ability and commitment to keep this long-lived pet fish!  We've personally had friends that has a couple around 25 years old and they are definitely more intelligent than you'd expect from a fish!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
Pet Zone Tropical Fish