Gourami Fish Life Span

Gourami fish are tropical freshwater fish, who are seen in aquariums of a number of hobbyists. Unlike popular belief, Gourami is actually a family of fish, which is often known as labyrinth family. They have a lung like labyrinth organ, which is used for gulping air and taking in atmospheric oxygen, from where they derive their name. Fish of this family have long elongated structure in front of the pelvic fins. It is the bright colors and liveliness of the fish, which attracts hobbyists to this fish. Gourami commonly seen in different aquariums adding multi-chromatic flair to the aquariums, are pearl Gourami, kissing Gourami, honey or golden Gourami, moonlight Gourami, dwarf Gourami, etc. They are known to have strong personalities, due to which most they become a 'pet' albeit of the presence of the number of other fish in the aquarium. To increase life span of Gourami fish, it is important that proper care be taken of this strong personality fish.

How Long Does a Gourami Fish Live
It is not uncommon to see fish owners asking, "for how many years does a Gourami fish live". The life span depends on the species it belongs to. Having said that we will now turn to find out the lifespan of Gourami fish.

Name of the Fish	Origin	Lifespan
Moonlight Gourami	Thailand, Cambodia	4 years
Honey or Gold Gourami	Bangladesh	4 years
Kissing Gourami	Java, Thailand	5 years
Pearl Gourami	Sumatra, Malaysia, Borneo	8 years
Powder Gourami	Ganges, Yamuna, Brahmaputra Rivers	4 years
Blue Gourami	Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam	4 years
Dwarf Gourami	India, Bangladesh, China	4 years

Gourami Fish Care
To extend the life span of a Gourami fish, it is important, right care be taken of these fish. They are semi-aggressive in nature, but can be kept in community tank. It is advisable that they be kept alongside non aggressive tank mates. It is observed that the male of the species are often very territorial, therefore it is best not to keep more than one male Gourami in the tank. If they are kept in a large tank, then more than one male can be kept. Along with right tank mates, right temperature should also be maintained in the tank. The optimum water temperature for Gourami is 74 to 79 Fahrenheit. The pH balance of the water should be maintained at 7. The pH should not increase above 8 and decrease below 6 for better longevity of the fish.

As far as food for Gourami goes, they are known to be carnivores and enjoy almost all kinds of foods. In other words, they are not fussy eaters. They can be given dry, frozen or fresh food. Vegetables like cooked peas, spinach, lettuce can also be fed to the fish. Likewise fresh foods like glass worms, brine shrimp, etc. can also be given. Care should be taken to ensure that they get all the nutrients from their food, so that they do not suffer from any kind of deficiency.

During the breeding season, the water level in the tank will have to be reduced. These fish are egg layers and are known to build bubble nests for laying eggs and raising the young ones. Along with the water levels, lighting in the tank will have to be subdued during the spawning season. The temperature will have to be increased gradually just before spawning, till it is around 84 to 84 Fahrenheit. Care will have to be taken not to disturb the bubble nest with the speed of water.

Before you get Gourami fish home, make sure you have the tank ready to welcome the new member of your 'fish' family. Talking to the breeder about the care to be taken of the fish will give a lot of valuable insight. Follow the tips given by the breeder to increase the Gourami fish life span.