The Combtail Gourami is also known as the Comb-tailed Paradise Fish, Ceylon Combtail, or simply, Combtail. It is pale yellow-orange with a very faint reddish outline along the scales. There is a dark patch at the base of the dorsal fin, next to the body. The Combtail Gourami is a labyrinth fish, meaning it has gills and a special organ which allows it to also breathe directly from the air. As a result, it prefers to have access to the surface of the water in the aquarium.
This gourami requires a tank of at least 30 gallons that is densely planted and has large amounts of room to swim. It should be brightly lit and have many hiding places among plant roots. The Combtail Gourami should have larger tank mates, as it is often a boisterous fish. Some good choices would be the Kissing Gourami and Cichlids.
The male and female Combtail Gourami are hard to differentiate, with the male's dorsal fin being slightly more extended. The water level should be decreased and the temperature increased to induce spawning. When spawning, the eggs are normally laid in clumps under a plant leaf. Not a bubblenest builder, the male usually makes one large air bubble instead. The fry are free-swimming after approximately 6 days and should be fed brine shrimp immediately. They may also be fed very fine flake food.
The Combtail Gourami is an omnivore and prefers both algae-based foods as well as meaty foods. An algae-based flake food, along with freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp will provide this fish with the proper nutrition.
Ideal tank mates include:
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