Edit Parasphaerichthys ocellatus
You can suggest changes to this profile. A moderator will review each change.
Name
Scientific name
Parasphaerichthys ocellatus
Described by
Authority Prashad & Mukerji, Year 1929
Family
Osphronemidae
Common names
Eyespot Gourami
Photograph credits
All 13 credited
Summary
The eyespot gourami, Parasphaerichthys ocellatus, is a small anabantoid from the upper Ayeyarwady basin in northern Myanmar, including Lake…
Size and aquarium
Maximum size
32mm, standard length
Aquarium size
Minimum length 45 cm, Minimum depth 30 cm, Water movement Low: still or sluggish water
Water
Water conditions
Temperature 15–25°C, pH 6.5–7.5
Hardness
5–10dGH
Conductivity
Not recorded
Behaviour
Temperament
Not recorded
Social needs
A shoal or group
Community suitability
Not for a community
Where it lives
Countries, regions, rivers and lakes
Myanmar, Ayeyarwady, Lake Indawgyi
Writing
Etymology
Parasphaerichthys: from the Latin para, meaning 'beside', and the generic name Osphromenus. ocellatus: from the Latin ocellatus, meaning 'having a small eye', …
Distribution
To date the species is known mostly from the upper Ayeyarwady River basin in northern Myanmar where it's been collected close to the city of Myitkyina in Kachi…
Habitat
The type series was collected from 'small, muddy streams' but little additional information exists. Presumably it spends much of its time among submerged or ma…
Aquarium size
An aquarium with base dimensions of 45 ∗ 30 cm or more is large enough to house a group.
Maintenance
Fares best in a well-planted set-up with a soft substrate although fine-grade gravel is acceptable. Driftwood roots or branches, floating plants and leaf litte…
Water conditions
Temperature: This species is subject to seasonal temperature fluctuations in nature and is comfortable between 15 – 25 °C with even greater extremes being tole…
Diet
Chiefly a micropredator feeding on small aquatic crustaceans, worms, insect larvae and other zooplankton. It can be a little picky in the aquarium and initiall…
Behaviour and compatibility
Given its rarity in the hobby, and possibly nature, the emphasis should be on captive reproduction but if you intend to house it in a community tankmates must …
Sexual dimorphism
Fully-grown females are noticeably larger than males and thicker-bodied when full of eggs.
Reproduction
SF member Frank Strozyk has bred P. ocellatus and may have been the first to do so. He achieved success by maintaining a pair alone in a small aquarium of whic…
Notes
Like its congener P. lineatus this species is sometimes traded under the names 'mini chocolate gourami' or 'Burmese chocolate gourami', these two comprising th…
References
References
4 on this profile