This rather unfamiliar member of the 
LABYRINTHICI is a native of Southeast- 
ern Asia, and has been collected in Ran- 
goon, Burma, Siam and Malacca. Speci- 
mens bred in the aquarium rarely exceed 
a length of two and one-half inches ; wild 
individuals may measure an additional 
inch. I have two pairs at the present 
time and al! are husky, plump, lively crea- 
tures with abundant vitality. 
The coloring of the Thick-lipped 
Gourami is somewhat between that of the 
Striped Gourami (7. fasciatus) and the 
Dwarf Gourami (7. lalius). The back 
is olive-brown, while diagonal blue-green 
stripes cover the pinkish-red ground of 
the sides, merging into the silvery abdo- 
men. On the cheeks of the male, as in 
the other species mentioned, appears a 
blue-green patch, which is hardly if ever 
present on the female. The iris of the 
eye is red. Both sexes have a sharply- 
defined orange-red to the anal fin. At 
times the vertical bars of blue green give 
place to a broken horizontal lateral 
stripe, just as the Fighting Fish will 
show ordinarily a double dark lateral 
stripe, which at times completely van- 
ishes, particularly when the brilliant col- 
The male 
generally 
ors are assumed while mating. 
Thick-lipped Gourami 1s 
brighter in color than the female, and has 
the characteristic pointed dorsal fin. 
Like other members of the genus it is 
quite shy, so care should be used not to 
frighten it by sudden movements or other 
isturbances. A shallow aquarium and 
healthy plants in old standing water is 
essential to its well-being. For breeding 
purposes a heated tank is advisable, as it 
| Trichogaster Labiosus 
| WALTER LANNOY BRIND, E. Z. S. 
es ome of 
es a SS Oa & 
is necessary to maintain a uniform high 
temperature for at least three months. 
One “cold snap” will frequently extermi- 
nate an entire brood, and all labor and 
prospects will be lost. Under favorable 
conditions a pair will spawn four or five 
times during the summer, but too fre- 
quent broods are inadvisable. 
are placed by the male in the usual nest 
The eggs 
Trichogaster labiosus 
Thick-lipped Gourami 
of bubbles. Here with abundant oxygen, 
in a uniform temperature of 75 degrees 
or more, the eggs will hatch in about 
three days. The fry hang tail down among 
the bubbles, and are zealously nursed by 
male. In about three days the young wil! 
outgrow control and_ scatter 
from the nest. It is now wise to remove 
the parent. The limit of his patience, 
and love, has been reached, and in his ex- 
asperation he will proceed to devour 
them. ‘The female should have been re- 
moved as soon as the eggs were observed 
in the nest. Inasmuch as fragments of 
floating plants will be built into the nest, 
it 1s not always easy to discern the eggs, 
but when the female is observed in a 
parental 
