ТРИХОГАСТЕР

Представителите на този род достигат дължина на тялото 8-12 см, окраската е в приятни пастелни тонове. Не са взискателни към условията на живот.

Мозаечен трихогастер (Trichogaster leeri)

  Това е риба с великолепна окраска - по цялото тяло се намират светлокафеникави петна със седефен блясък, гърлото и гърдите на самците са яркочервени, аналният и опашният плавници са украсени с черна обшивка. Това е миролюбив и твърде плашлив вид, взискателен към чистотата и стабилният температурен режим(26-28С).Резките колебания в температурата на водата водят до простудни заболявания.Хранят се предимно със жива храна. За развъждането е необходима зряла двойка и просторен размнижителен аквариум (минимум 40л).

Петнист трихогастер (Trichogaster trichopterus)

Самците се отличават от самките по по-добре развитите и заострени гръбен и анален плавници.Непретенциозни са към условията на отглеждане, отличават се със спокойно поведение, независимо от твърде големите си размери (до 12 см).Петнистите трихогастери са стари обитатели на аквариумите, които не са загубили своята популярност. Съжителстват добре с други нехищни видове.

                The Pearl Gourami - Trichogaster leeri

Trichogaster leeri is the Asian import commonly known as 
the pearl gourami. My personal feeling is that of the Trichogaster
 species, T. leeri is the most enjoyable to keep. 
T. leeri is untouched in beauty by any other Trichogaster species. 
The males, when in breeding condition take on a bright orange breast.
 The orange breast glows with a richness that rivals many marine 
species.
Keeping T. leeri is not a real problem, and it does well in a
 community setting with other peaceful species. They do enjoy plants
 in which to take refuge, and, as with most anabantoids, they prefer
 plants on the surface to dim their hiding places and provide security.
 Feeding can be with flake food, and many authors suggest soft, acidic
water. However, my experience shows that they adapt quite well to hard
 water and will breed in hard water when conditioned and mature.

Breeding T. leeri is not difficult, and they produce several hundred 
fry at each spawning. To breed the pearl gourami, begin by conditioning
 the pair for a couple of weeks with live or frozen brine shrimp and/or
 various types of small worms. I usually separate the sexes for a few
 days before transferring them to the spawning tank. For spawning them
 I have used both ten and fifteen gallon tanks and have had good
 results with both. I have spawned them with a gravel substrata and 
also in bare-bottomed tanks. I believe the fry count was a little
 better in spawns with no substrata, but unless you wish to raise a
 few hundred of these fish, I don't think the slight reduction will 
be of much concern. I lower the water level to about seven or eight
 inches and cover the surface with water sprite. I try to set up the
 breeding tank at least one week before breeding to establish some 
small micro-foods on which the fry will feed for the first week to ten
 days. Temperature should be adjusted to 79-82 degrees and the tank 
should be well covered, as with all surface bubble-nesters. 

If your fish are well conditioned, the male's breast should be 
glowing fire orange and iridescent blue spots will shine on the body.
 This I would guess suggests a happy and willing fish. After the male
 courts the female for awhile, he begins to construct a bubble nest
 at the surface. I have seen males construct nests anywhere from three
 to eight inches in diameter and rising at least one-half inch above
 the surface if not more. The actual courtship and spawning are not at 
all violent or rough compared to some other labyrinth fish. The spawning
 act is of the type typical of labyrinth fish, that is, the male wraps 
the female and fertilizes the eggs as they are squeezed from her vent.
 The male then delivers the free-floating eggs to the nest. After the 
spawning act is completed, the male guards the nest, and the female
 takes refuge from the male. At this time I remove the female from the
 breeding tank. The male continues to guard the nest and at 80 degrees,
 hatching begins in 24 hours.

Two days after hatching, fry become free-swimming, and I remove the
 male at this time. The fry are very small and initial feedings must
 be with infusorian. If you have not set up the breeding tank in
 advance, and no infusorian are at your disposal, you can use sponge 
filter squeezings or a few drops of concentrated baby formula.

When the fry have reached about ten days, I begin to offer 
fresh-hatched baby brine shrimp and micro worms. The fry will begin 
to accept finely crushed flake food at about four to six weeks. I do 
25% water changes every two days and keep the water level the same 
until about the third or fourth week, at which time I begin to raise 
the water level approximately one inch per week. When adding water for
 water changes, it is best to siphon the fresh water slowly through an
 air line tube as not to create too much turbulence in the fry tank.

At this point, if all has gone well, the only dilemma is what to do 
with all the fry. I don't have a heated farm pond in my back yard, so
 I usually get out the trusty, old turkey baster, and my angels, gobies
, and dwarf cichlids are treated to 'gourami-gourmet' for a meal or
 two. Mature pearl gouramis spawn well over 500 fry, and it is 
impossible to raise them all to maturity, as they are slow maturing 
and grow at very different rates.

In summary I believe the pearl gourami is one of the most highly 
recommended labyrinth fish for the beginner to advanced hobbyist.
 It is peaceful, easily fed on ordinary foods, easily spawned, and its
 beauty is obvious from the first glance. I have kept them for years
 and often observe them, yet I am still taken by their true beauty and
 grace.