The pearl gourami fish, also known by their scientific name Trichogaster leeri, are animals with a fairly compressed body on their sides, with an oval profile and a maximum length when living in captivity of more or less 10 or 11 centimeters. The pearl gourami have a general yellowish brown color, which in females can turn silver in the throat and in the belly area. They also have a black line that runs through them from the snout to the base of their tail fin. As with other gouram fish, the ventral fins are transformed into two appendages, or whiskers that have a tactile function.
These animals are native to countries such as Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo, where they usually live in large groups. However, they can be seen swimming alone during the breeding season. These animals prefer slow-moving waters that are covered with underwater vegetation. It is important to note that, if we want to have these fish at home, we need large aquariums, of more or less 50 or 60 centimeters in length, with a capacity of more than 70 liters.
The water should be neutral or slightly alkaline, we should have enough surface plants, rocks and not very strong lighting. Similarly, it is important to take into account the filtering and temperature, since the latter must be between 25 and 26 degrees Celsius, although it should be noted that these pearl gourami can tolerate variations between 22 and 30 degrees.
As for the feedingThese animals accept dry food, as long as it is very well shredded, but they must be fed mainly with daphnia, brine shrimp, fly larvae and other live food.
I have a female pearl guarani and a Beta and some few seeds and it seems to me that the pearl does not eat well even though it is the largest, it is very slow when it comes to eating.