The Giant Gourami is perhaps the biggest of its kind among the labyrinth fish family known for its ability to take in and breathe normal air. Just like other species in this group such as the banded gourami and pearl gourami, this giant type is very much similar in terms of body appearance and aquatic behavior except that it can grow up to 70 cm in length and that is more than 2 feet in length, which is how the fish got its name.The giant gourami (scientific name: Osphronemus goramy) is a native fish found on the island of Sri Lanka and today the species is widely caught and bred in aquariums not just for the purpose of ornamental fish trade but also as food fish served on dinner table. In its juvenile form, the fish itself is already 15 cm long and thus a normal sized home aquarium measuring about 100 gallon may not necessarily enough to accommodate it once it has attained full-grown length. Because of its size, this tropical species is often bred in backyard ponds dug at least 1 meter deep for them to have more swimming area so that they can attain maximum growth.
If you have intention to breed this gigantic species, the process is only possible if you have adult fish which is about 2 years old and the pond surface is full of vegetation so that the male can build its nest. What the male will do is that it will tear off bit and parts of the aquatic plants and then arrange it in a hemispherical shape with bubbles blown right in the middle of the nesting zone. Once the fish is ready, the mating ritual will begin and the pair will spawn to produce eggs.
Success rate of getting a full grown stock raised from the collected fry can be quite high provided that care must be taken to ensure that there is no spread of unwanted fish disease especially fluke. As such, once fish fry is noticeable and can be seen free swimming, I will quickly transfer them to their own separate pond and just for precaution, I will usually add in about 1% of methylene blue and having other fish medications on standby just in case. If properly fed with high protein fish feed mixed with some vegetable offering like salad and sliced tomato, soon enough you will find that you will run out of space to keep all of them. From here, your only choice is to part with some of the stock by selling it and keep only the healthiest breed to continue to the next generation.
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From giant to dwarf gourami group, find out about the Yellow Sunset Gourami and Chocolate Gourami.
