Care
In the wild, the Moonlight Gourami lives in heavily vegetated swamps, ponds and slow-moving waters. Therefore they are best kept in a planted aquarium (incorporating floating plants) with gentle water circulation. Usually quite a peaceful and timid species, though not to be trusted with very tiny fish. Males of the species may become territorial with other Trichogaster sp. gouramis. Will eat fine-leaved or soft-leaved plants, so more robust species such as Java fern and Anubias species could be used, or else stick to fast-growing species.
Feeding
Due to the timid nature of the Moonlight Gourami, observe when feeding to ensure they are getting their share. Offer a good quality flake food, green flake food, and frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, brineshrimp, daphnia etc.
Breeding
Prepare a shallow breeding tank with soft, acidic water. The temperature should be approximately 27 °C (81 deg F) and plenty of floating plants should be provided. When ready to spawn, the male will construct a bubblenest among the floating plants. He will then go through a courtship ritual, trying to encourage the female under the nest area. The female will move under the nest when she is ready, and the male will embrace her, wrapping his body around hers. The male will then turn the female over onto her back and she will start releasing her eggs, which are fertilised instantly by the male. The eggs float up towards the safety of the bubblenest, and any that stray are retrieved by the male. This process is repeated until 500-2000 eggs have been released. As soon as spawning ceased, the female should be removed from the breeding aquarium. The male will guard the nest until the eggs hatch, which is usually 2-3 days later. The male should be removed at this point, and the tiny fry offered very fine foods.
