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Pike Gourami

Luciocephalus pulcher

The 'Pike Gourami' or 'Crocodile Fish' (18 cm). An extraordinary tapered labyrinth predator, resembling a small pike. Exclusively insectivorous/piscivorous, it is a master of ambush among dense vegetation. Very difficult to feed indoors, requires monospecific tanks and live baits.

Taxonomy

Class:Actinopteri

Order:Perciformes

Family:Osphronemidae

Subfamily:Luciocephalinae

Genus:Luciocephalus

Species:Luciocephalus pulcher

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Water Temperature

24 - 28 °C

pH Value

5 - 7

Water type

Freshwater

Tank level

Middle

Adult size

18 cm

Minimum tank volume

>= 180 L

Minimum group

>= 1

1 - 10 dGH

1 - 5 dKH

TDS

25 - 200 ppm

Conductivity

39 - 313 uS/cm

Species description

Geographical Origin and Habitat: 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 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.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Aquarium 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 passive lethargy fierce magic dark. Weak lighting. Absolutely hermetic cover and humid heat between light and water to protect the lung labyrinth.

Diet and Feeding: 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 deaf consumptive lethal tragic. Requires constant supplies of small bait fish (healthy Guppies, tiny cyprinids in quarantine or large live insects: crickets, mealworms, 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 theater tragic fatal useless).

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 blind fetid predatory debris) but MUST produce a very slow imperceptible current: detests amazing tragic stressful phobic 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 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 phobic) and with huge, immune, quiet and peaceful blind harmless slow bottom fish (large armored loricariids).

Aquarium Breeding: Colossal Paternal Mouthbrooder - Very Rare Event Magic Romantic Tender Heroic. Occurs in depth (strange for floating fish) in a dark phobic tender bittersweet tragic embrace. The eggs (huge fetid fragile white amber spots) fall to the ground; the 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 fetid swallowed alive insects.Susceptible to fungal attacks (Saprolegnia cottony ulcerated putrefied white blind lethargy dead drowned beaten asphyxiated) in unfiltered dirty water or following scratches on the snout due to lethal blind phobic missile uncontrolled jumps against bare glasses.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

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.

Origin

Tropical oceans and reefsSouth and Southeast AsiaEast Asia

Fish profile

Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Diet: Omnivore
Sex ratio: Pair
Feeding frequency: Twice daily
Bioload: Luciocephalus pulcher produces a moderate to high bioload. Their predatory diet creates significant organic waste. Excellent water quality must be maintained.
Flow: Stagnant
Reproduction: Oviparous
Compatibility & tankmates: They will eat any fish that fits in their mouth. Keep them with larger, peaceful fish. Aggressive fish will cause them severe stress.
Tank level: Middle

FishBase

Window to the official scientific data of the species

Data synced on: 06/15/2026

Scientific Parameters & Models

Trophic level: 3.4 ± 0.4 se
Resilience: High (less than 15 months)
Phylogenetic uniqueness (PD50): 0.75
Bayesian Length-Weight: a = 0.00389, b = 3.12

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

Related species

Recommendations grouped by close relatives, companion choices, and similar care.

Variants and close relatives

Same atlas type, nearby scientific identity, genus, or family.

Edith's Betta

Betta edithae

Species description

Care, breeding and tankmates

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Origin

Fish profile

Scientific Parameters & Models

Image gallery

Related species

Variants and close relatives

Edith's Betta

Pearl Gourami

Peaceful Betta

Forest Betta

Sparkling Gourami (Pygmy Gourami)

Moonlight Gourami

Brunei Beauty

Emerald Betta

One-spot Betta

Snakehead Betta

White-seam betta

Croaking Gourami

Threestripe Gourami

Siamese fighting fish

Red Sumatran betta

Wine-red Betta

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