The pearl gourami or lace gourami,
Trichopodus leerii, is a small tropical freshwater fish in the gourami family (Osphronemidae) native to the southeastern Asian countries Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. In the wild it occupies the top portion of the water column in shallow, heavily vegetated, acidic slow moving streams and lakes in lowland swamps, and eats a carnivorous diet of small invertebrates. In conditions of low oxygen, gouramis can breathe air from the surface through an accessory breathing organ called the labyrinth organ. Gourami are "bubble breeders"; males build a large nest at the water's surface out of bubbles, strengthened by plant matter. After the pair spawns underneath the nest, the eggs float up into the nest where the male guards them until they hatch 20-30 hours later. A hardy, peaceful and pretty fish, pearl gourami grow up to 5 inches long and are popular in the aquarium trade, and can live up to eight years. (
Wikipedia 2011;
Seriously fish)
