Kissing gourami
Helostoma temminckii
- Adult size
- 20 cm8 in
- Start with
- 1
- Tank length
- 150 cmabout 5 ft (59 in)
- Lifespan
- 10–15 yrs
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C72–82 °F
- pH
- 6–8
- Hardness
- 5–15 dGH
- Diet
- omnivore
Grows much larger than most gouramis, eats soft plants and harasses similar-shaped fish; needs a long, robust setup.Grows much larger than most gouramis, eats soft plants and harasses similar-shaped fish; needs a long, robust setup.
Tank sizes
Good tankmates
Avoid with
- Alligator gar
Alligator gar may eat Kissing gouramiAlligator gar may eat Kissing gourami
- Arapaima
Arapaima may eat Kissing gouramiArapaima may eat Kissing gourami
- Asian arowana
Asian arowana may eat Kissing gouramiAsian arowana may eat Kissing gourami
- Bullseye snakehead
Bullseye snakehead may eat Kissing gouramiBullseye snakehead may eat Kissing gourami
- Channel catfish
No shared temperature rangeNo shared temperature range
- Clown knifefish
Clown knifefish may eat Kissing gouramiClown knifefish may eat Kissing gourami
- Cuban gar
Cuban gar may eat Kissing gouramiCuban gar may eat Kissing gourami
- Dourada
Dourada may eat Kissing gouramiDourada may eat Kissing gourami
- Fire eel
Fire eel may eat Kissing gouramiFire eel may eat Kissing gourami
- Florida gar
Florida gar may eat Kissing gouramiFlorida gar may eat Kissing gourami
- Giant wolf fish
Giant wolf fish may eat Kissing gouramiGiant wolf fish may eat Kissing gourami
- Indonesian snakehead
Indonesian snakehead may eat Kissing gouramiIndonesian snakehead may eat Kissing gourami
Sources
| temperature | 22–28 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
|---|---|---|
| ph | 6–8 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04; agrees with FishBase (fishbase.se), retrieved 2026-10-04 · medium |
| gh | 5–15 | AqAdvisor (aqadvisor.com), retrieved 2026-10-04 · low |
| origin | Thailand to Indonesia, Southeast Asia | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| notes | Grows much larger than most gouramis, eats soft plants and harasses similar-shap | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| beginner friendly | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| care level | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| color palette | #F2C0B0, #C8C8B8 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| activity | moderate | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| swim zone | middle | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| temperament | semi-aggressive | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| fin nipper | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| long finned | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| territorial | true | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| schooling min | 1 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| diet | omnivore | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| lifespan years | 10–15 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| growth to adult months | 24 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| length weight | {"a":0.03,"b":3} | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · low |
| planted safe | false | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| min tank length | 150 | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |
| body shape | gourami | curated-v0 (needs expert review) · medium |