Gourami spotted or marble guris, as this fish is also called, comes from the family Belontievyh. The natural habitat of his parents, the blue gourames, are the water bodies of Indochina: slowly flowing rivers, standing water of ponds and lakes. In Europe, this rather large decorative fish was brought in the XIX century.
The body of the marble gurus is long and slightly flattened from the sides. Its coloring depends on the habitat: there are marble gourami and greenish-brown, and golden-green. A distinctive feature of spotted gurami is the marble pattern in the form of spots and strips, thanks to which these fish and got their name. There are completely brown gourami or fish with tiger color.
The upper fin of the male is pointed and elongated, while in the female this fin is round and somewhat shorter. The organs of touch at spotted gourami are thin thread-like tendrils growing on the site of the pectoral fins. Males of this fish have a brighter color compared to females. The size of marble gourami in an aquarium can reach 15 cm. The fish lives on average about 5 years.
Gurami marble - conditions of detention
Contain marble gourami in an aquarium of up to 40 liters. At the bottom of the tank, put a dark soil, do not forget about aquarium plants. Most often these fish are in the middle and upper layers of water . After all, for life they need air, which they swallow, rising to the surface of the water.
Marble gourami - a completely unpretentious fish, for which the composition of aquarium water does not play a special role. However, they prefer a water temperature in the range of 22 to 24 ° C. Spotted gourami love sunlight. Feed this fish can be any food: dry, live or frozen.
Marble gourami has one interesting behavior: a fish hunts for insects flying over the aquarium, and knocks them down with a stream of water that it releases from the mouth.
With whom does marble gouram get on?
Marble gourami is very popular among aquarists. This peace-loving fish easily coexists with other types of fish: guppies, lalius, botsias, scalars and others. However, it is not necessary to keep marble gourami along with fast kinds of fish, such as, for example, a shark ball, swordsmen and some others who can hunt for long mustaches with gurus. Fish with gourami are rather fearful. Sometimes males gurami, living without females, can aggressively treat themselves like fish. To prevent this from happening, a few self-taught gourami must live in the aquarium.
Diseases of marble gourami
Marble gourami, like any other species of aquarium inhabitants, is prone to various diseases, which can cause bacteria, viruses, fungi, infusoria, worms. The emergence of such diseases can contribute to poor feeding, as well as worsening conditions of fish.
Marble gourames are affected by lymphocystis. At the same time on the body of the fish appear open wounds, grayish nodules or flat black growths. The affected areas are somewhat swollen.
Gourami may experience pseudomonas. The disease manifests itself in the form of dark spots, in the place of which later appear reddish sores.
With food, you can bring another disease of marble gourami - aeromonosis. Most often they are infected with fish in overcrowded aquariums. In the beginning, the fish scales rise upward. Ill people do not want to eat and lie on the bottom, their abdomen swells and becomes bruised. Patients marble gourami must be transplanted to another aquarium. Affected fish can die.