| The dwarf gourami is a native of Northern India and Bangladesh, where it lives in freshwater ponds, ditches, streams, paddy fields, etc. It is a hardy fish and can breathe air from the surface with the aid of an accessory air-breathing organ, the labyrinth (AbuBakar 1972).
The mature male is brightly coloured with red and blue bands. The mature female is less colourful but has an attractive silvery body. Its bright colour and the ease with which the dwarf gourami adapts to captivity make it a popular aquarium fish.
Although the dwarf gourami takes 8 to 12 months to mature in temperate areas like northern India, while in Singapore it can breed all year round with newly hatched fry reaching sexual maturity in as little as four months (at 27°C to 30°C in mean).
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