Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Moonlight Gourami
Trichopodus microlepis
Also called Moonbeam gourami, Trichogaster microlepis (former name), Osphromenus microlepis (former name)
From Southeast Asia: the Mekong basin in Cambodia and Vietnam and the Chao Phraya basin in Thailand, in shallow, still or slow, heavily vegetated ponds, bogs, swamps and floodplains.12
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Scaled, laterally compressed labyrinth fish
A flat, oval-bodied gourami with very fine scales and a gently concave forehead. Its silvery body carries a faint green sheen that recalls soft moonlight, and its thread-like pelvic fins are noticeably longer than in related gouramis. Males have orange to red pelvic fins and a more pointed dorsal fin; females have clear to yellowish pelvic fins and a rounder dorsal.32
Personality what they are like
A calm, somewhat shy gourami that does best in a quiet tank. Males can be a little territorial toward other males and gouramis, but it is generally a gentle community fish.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A slow, graceful swimmer that spends a lot of time in the middle and upper water and regularly rises to gulp air at the surface.31
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep the water clean and stable with regular partial changes, leave a small air gap above the surface for air breathing, and offer floating plants for cover.21
Home where they are happiest
Tank with a base of at least 90 x 30 cm (about 80 litres) and dense planting. Temperature 25-30 °C, pH 6.0-7.5, hardness 2-25 dGH.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivore. In the wild it eats zooplankton, small crustaceans and aquatic insects; in the aquarium it takes good dried foods plus frozen and live foods.12
Company who they like around
Can be kept singly, in pairs or as a small group alongside peaceful fish such as other gouramis, loaches, corydoras, barbs and angelfish. Avoid very small fish and pushy, aggressive tankmates.2
The story where it all began
First placed in the genus Osphromenus and later in Trichogaster, it now sits in Trichopodus. In its home region it is also caught as a food fish, while the aquarium trade has made it known worldwide.321
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Its name comes from the soft, silvery-green shine of its body, which reminded people of moonlight.3
- 2
Like all labyrinth fish it can breathe air from the surface, and if kept damp it can survive out of water for several hours.3
- 3
The male builds a floating bubble nest, and one spawning can produce up to about 2,000 eggs.2
- 4
Its pelvic fins are clearly longer than those of related gourami species.2
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed March 2011)1
- Taxonomy
- Family Osphronemidae; formerly placed as Osphromenus microlepis and Trichogaster microlepis before moving to Trichopodus3
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Moonlight 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.
- FishBase: Trichopodus microlepis, Moonlight gourami fishbase.seused for max length, distribution, habitat, water ranges, IUCN status, uses, breeding biology, author and year
- Seriously Fish: Trichopodus microlepis (Moonlight Gourami) seriouslyfish.comused for standard length, native range, habitat, tank size, temperature, pH, hardness, diet, compatibility, sexing, breeding
- Wikipedia: Moonlight gourami 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.