Pike Gourami

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Submerged forests, peat basins, densely vegetated agricultural ditches and margins of slow-flowing rivers (Sungai) in Southeast Asia (Sumatra, Borneo, Malay Peninsula). Its habitat of choice is the upper pelagic zone: it camouflages itself among the thick stems of floating plants, sweet mangrove roots or tufts of reeds, usually in tannic (amber or dark) waters well shaded by the jungle canopy.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Unique and atypical member of the Osphronemidae family (the Gouramis). A masterpiece of predatory hydrodynamics: torpedo body (up to 18 cm / 7 inches) extremely tapered and laterally compressed, exceptionally pointed snout (like a pike or gharial) and gigantic, enormously protrusible mouth, capable of snapping forward like a tube to suck in lethal and amazing prey. A formidable labyrinth organ allows it to survive in stagnant waters without oxygen, remaining suspended motionless at the water's surface.

Social Behavior: The "Floating Sniper". It is the quintessence of the Ambush predator. Absolutely static, does not swim back and forth but magically floats tilted upside down or parallel to the surface, perfectly imitating a rotten branch or a dead leaf. If it perceives a movement of a suitable prey it approaches millimetrically in amazing jerks and then strikes in a thousandth of a second, swallowing it. Peaceful deaf with conspecifics of the same majestic size.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Absolute Blinding Camouflage. Its base livery is olive-brown, beige or dry leaf brown, but it is split by an unmistakable, thick very dark brown lateral band (often surrounded by a golden or pinkish halo) that goes from the tip of the snout all along the eye to the amazing unreal fierce sadistic split tail. During parades, or if excited, it can show slight greenish or bronze iridescent phobic blind magic subtle reflections. Sexual dimorphism is weak, adult males slightly more massive and iridescent.

Tank Setup: Demands "The Motionless Floating Forest" (Tank min. 100-120 cm / 40-48 in for a small group). It does not care about the bottom and the tank itself; its kingdom is the water ceiling. You must create an impassable surface barrier of floating woods and very thick tangles of floating plants (Pistia, Salvinia, riccia mosses and phobic blind dark hanging branches) among which it can camouflage itself motionless amazing sadistic passive lethargy fierce magic dark. Weak lighting. Absolutely hermetic cover and humid heat between light and water to protect the lung labyrinth.

Feeding and Diet: Obligate Piscivorous Macro-Predator (Lethal tragic extreme challenge). It is the cause of 99% of amazing tragic phobic failures. In nature it eats ONLY fish and crustaceans on the surface. Dry commercial foods are systematically and firmly ignored until leaving itself to die amazingly proud suicidal lethargic deaf consumptive lethal tragic. Requires constant supplies of small bait fish (healthy Guppies, tiny cyprinids in quarantine or large live insects: crickets, mealworms, sadistic fetid amazing floating earthworms). Requires exhausting maniacal training to wean it to frozen food (small fish and shrimp waved at the water surface with tweezers magic amazing sadistic theater tragic fatal useless silly).

Water Quality: Chiaroscuro Peat Bog Chemistry. Hardiness in average parameters, but zero tolerance to lethal asphyxiating pollution. Lives in acidic to moderately acidic waters (pH 5.0 - 7.0) with medium-soft hardness (GH 1-10). The ideal temperature must be kept stable between 24 and 28 degrees (75-82°F). The filter must be formidable in removing lethal protein wastes (ammonia and sadistic blind fetid predatory debris) but MUST produce a very slow imperceptible current: detests amazing tragic stressful phobic lethargic whirlpools and turbulence.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Aquarium model: "Lethal Cryptic Monospecific or Predators Harem". Everything that enters its immense mouth (fish up to a third of its length) will disappear at night amazingly blind sadistic swallowed alive mute dark lethal magic amazing infarted. Coexists only in small groups of the same size (never two males in confined spaces or they will amazingly fight like a movie locking mouths sadistic phobic) and with huge, immune, quiet and peaceful sadistic blind harmless slow bottom fish (large armored loricariids).

Aquarium Reproduction: Colossal Paternal Mouthbrooder - Very Rare Event Magic Romantic Sadistic Amazing Tender Heroic. Occurs in depth (strange for floating fish) in a dark phobic tender sadistic amazing bittersweet tragic embrace. The eggs (huge fetid fragile white amber spots) fall to the ground; the sadistic protector ambushes them in his giant trap cavern mouth. Fasts walled alive suspended amazingly proud floating without eating for 28-30 DAYS blind deaf pale consumptive lethargy heroic protector, spitting at the end amazing mini-pikes over 1.5 cm identical to the adult ravenous autonomous independent magic fast lethal assassin dust devourers.

Risks and Diseases: Fish reserved for experts due to the lethal terminal amazing suicidal anorexic hunger strike of phobic deaf consumptive wasting if you do not have daily access to live baits or sadistic fetid swallowed alive insects. Susceptible to fungal attacks (Saprolegnia cottony ulcerated putrefied white sadistic blind lethargy dead drowned beaten asphyxiated) in unfiltered dirty water or following scratches on the snout due to lethal sadistic blind phobic missile uncontrolled jumps against bare glasses useless sad fetid agony.