Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Licorice Gourami
Parosphromenus deissneri (Bleeker, 1859)
Also called Deissner's liquorice gourami, Osphromenus deissneri (original name)
From Endemic to Bangka Island, Indonesia, mostly in the north and east, in slow, tea-coloured blackwater streams of peat swamp forest among dense vegetation.123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, slender, elongated labyrinth fish
A small, slim, elongated fish. Males have dorsal, anal and tail fins edged in white to bluish with a black band inside, plus iridescent green-blue pelvic fins; females are much plainer.12
Personality what they are like
A timid, peaceful little fish that does best in a calm species tank where it can show its colours.1
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A quiet fish suited to slow, gently flowing water with plenty of plants and leaf litter.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Needs very soft, acidic water, gentle or no flow, and leaf litter or small caves. Keep the water very clean with careful, small water changes.1
Home where they are happiest
Tank with a base of at least 40 x 20 cm (about 16 litres) for a pair. Temperature 22-28 °C, pH 3.0-6.5, hardness 1-4 dGH.1
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A micropredator. Feed live foods such as brine shrimp nauplii, daphnia, mosquito larvae and microworms; frozen food may be taken, dried food usually is not.1
Company who they like around
Keep alone as a pair or with a small group of tiny, peaceful cyprinids. Do not mix different Parosphromenus species.1
The story where it all began
Pieter Bleeker described it in 1859 from fish collected on Bangka by F. H. Deissner, a military health officer. For almost a century it was the only known member of its genus, which now contains around 20 species.31
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is named after F. H. Deissner, who sent the first specimens to Pieter Bleeker.3
- 2
It is found naturally only on one Indonesian island, Bangka.2
- 3
Pairs spawn in small caves or among leaf litter, and the male alone looks after the eggs.1
- 4
For nearly 100 years it was the only recognised licorice gourami; today the genus has about 20 species.1
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Endangered (assessed 6 January 2020)2
- Taxonomy
- Type species of the genus Parosphromenus; originally described as Osphromenus deissneri; a neotype was designated in 19981
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Licorice Gourami. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Parosphromenus deissneri (Deissner's Liquorice Gourami) seriouslyfish.comused for standard length, native range, habitat, tank size, temperature, pH, hardness, diet, compatibility, sexing, breeding
- FishBase: Parosphromenus deissneri, Licorice gourami fishbase.seused for max length, distribution, habitat, water ranges, IUCN status, uses, breeding biology, author and year
- Wikipedia: Parosphromenus deissneri en.wikipedia.orgused for other names, description, taxonomy and history, fun facts
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.