Adult giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy), a deep-bodied grey fish with large scales, thick lips and long thread-like pelvic fins
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Giant Gourami Care and What a 70 cm Pet Fish Really Needs

Osphronemus goramy

Updated October 30, 2026 · FishCare AI Editorial Team · 6 sources

Quick answer: The giant gourami is a farmed food fish, not a community fish. It commonly reaches 45 cm, can grow to 70 cm (28 in) and lives more than 20 years.[1][2] One adult needs a tank of at least 183 × 61 × 61 cm (72 × 24 × 24 in), about 180 gallons, at 68–86 °F and pH 6.5–8.0.[2] Plan for that before buying a small juvenile.

The giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy) is the largest gourami and one of the most widely farmed freshwater food fish in Southeast Asia, sold in the aquarium trade as small, striped juveniles.[1][2]

Seriously Fish notes that juveniles are often sold with no mention of their adult size.[2] This profile starts with that size, then covers the tank, water and food an adult needs, how it breathes air, how it builds nests, and what to do if yours is outgrowing its tank.

Adult giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy), a deep-bodied grey fish with large scales, thick lips and long thread-like pelvic fins
An adult in a public aquarium, showing the heavy head, thick lips and thread-like pelvic fins. Shop juveniles are a few centimetres long and barred. Photo: Joshua Sherurcij, attribution licence, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo via Wikimedia Commons — image credits.

How Big Does a Giant Gourami Get?

FishBase gives a common length of 45 cm and a maximum of 70 cm (28 in) standard length, measured without the tail.[1] Seriously Fish gives the same 70 cm maximum and says the species grows very quickly and lives more than 20 years in captivity.[2]

Farm data show how fast that growth is. In a 2020 Indonesian trial, juveniles of about 14 cm and 54 g reached 150–180 g within 90 days in ponds and floating cages.[3] Broodstock in a related study weighed about 2.1 kg (females) and 3.1 kg (males).[4]

Young fish have attractive vertical barring that fades as they grow.[2] Adults turn plain grey to brownish, with a heavy head and thick lips like the fish in the photo above.

A palm-sized juvenile from a shop is the same animal as the 70 cm fish in public aquariums. Buying one is a commitment to a 6 ft tank, a large filter and two decades of care.

Giant Gourami Tank Size and Setup

Seriously Fish's minimum for an adult is 183 × 61 × 61 cm (72 × 24 × 24 in), about 681 litres or 180 US gallons, and it adds that bigger is better.[2] A juvenile can start smaller, but at this growth rate the upgrades come within a year or two, so most keepers do better buying the final tank first.

Filtration and heating: A fish this size produces a lot of waste. Seriously Fish suggests two filters rated about 1,360–1,705 litres per hour each, turning the tank volume over four to five times an hour, plus 150–225 W of heating split across three heaters so that one failure does not crash the temperature.[2]

Choose decor that a large, strong fish cannot wreck:

  • Large, smooth rocks and heavy driftwood that cannot be pushed over.
  • Hardy or artificial plants. It eats floating plants and many soft plants.[2]
  • A gap of several centimetres between the water and the lid, since it must reach the surface to breathe.
Giant gourami care chart: 180-gallon tank for one adult, 68–86 °F, pH 6.5–8.0, adult size up to 27.6 inches
Giant gourami needs at a glance. The tank figure is the 183 × 61 × 61 cm (72 × 24 × 24 in), roughly 681-litre minimum Seriously Fish gives for an adult.

Gourami Water Needs and Air Breathing

Its native range is probably limited to Sumatra, Borneo, Java, the Malay Peninsula, Thailand and the Mekong basin, but it has been introduced to many countries for aquaculture.[1] In the wild it lives in swamps, lakes and slow rivers, usually among vegetation, and moves into flooded forest.[1] FishBase records fossils of the species from Miocene deposits in central Sumatra.[1]

Both FishBase and Seriously Fish give 20–30 °C (68–86 °F), pH 6.5–8.0 and hardness up to 25 dGH.[1][2] FishBase also records the species from brackish water, so it tolerates a little salt, though it is kept in fresh water.[1]

The giant gourami is an obligate air-breather. Like other gouramis it gulps air at the surface, and it cannot survive on oxygen from the water alone.[1] FishBase notes that it can breathe moist air and stay alive for long periods out of water.[1] In a tank this means a fish going to the surface is normal behaviour, and the surface must never be sealed off.

Large, warm fish kept at a pH of 7 or more need close watching for ammonia. The toxic un-ionised form makes up a larger share of total ammonia as pH and temperature rise.[6] Test weekly, change 30–50% of the water every week, and never overfeed.

Feeding a Giant Gourami

In the wild it is an omnivore that eats aquatic plants, fish, frogs, earthworms and sometimes carrion.[1] In the aquarium it is unfussy and takes good-quality pellets, frozen foods and vegetable matter.[2]

  • Staple: a large floating or sinking pellet sized to the fish's mouth, plus algae wafers.[2]
  • Vegetables: blanched peas, courgette, lettuce or spinach a few times a week.
  • Protein treats: earthworms or prawns occasionally, not live feeder fish, which carry disease.

Feed juveniles daily and grown adults every day or two. An adult that eats everything in sight will still foul the water quickly, so feed what it finishes in a few minutes.

Giant Gourami Tank Mates

It is generally peaceful with other large fish but eats smaller ones.[2] Some adults become very aggressive, and Seriously Fish links this mostly to tanks that are too small.[2] Many keepers keep a single giant gourami, which can become a real pet: it develops a clear personality and can learn to recognise its owner.[2]

Given enough space, suitable tank mates are knifefish, large catfish and large suckermouth catfish (loricariids).[2] Other large, calm fish of similar size can work in a very large tank. Avoid anything small enough to fit in its mouth, and avoid fin-nippers that harass its long pelvic threads.

Gourami Nests, Sexing and Breeding

Males develop pointed dorsal and anal fins.[2] Unlike the bubble-nesting smaller gouramis, the giant gourami builds a nest from plant fibres. FishBase notes that older reports of bubble nests came from a misidentification.[1]

The two sources disagree on age at maturity. Seriously Fish says fish can mature from about six months, which makes young fish the practical choice for breeding.[2] In a 2021 Indonesian hatchery study, however, broodstock were reared for about five years before spawning.[4]

That study also records what a spawning looks like in a pond:[4]

  • The male spent five to seven days building a nest from palm fibres placed on a bamboo frame.
  • Females laid an average of about 2,200 eggs.
  • The eggs were about 2.4 mm across and floated because of a large oil droplet.

In aquaria, surface vegetation for the nest is essential. Remove the female after spawning, because the male chases her away. Eggs hatch in 24–36 hours, and the fry swim freely three to five days later. They take brine shrimp nauplii and powdered flake from the first day. In the wild the male guards the fry for two to three weeks.[2]

Red-Tail Giant Gourami and Colour Forms

The red-tail giant gourami is usually Osphronemus laticlavius, a separate species. It is slightly smaller, has red fins and is rare in the trade, but its care is identical.[2]

Golden and pink, albino-type forms of O. goramy are also sold.[2] Avoid any fish that has been artificially dyed or injected with colour, because the process is stressful and may shorten its life.[2]

Health and Rehoming a Grown Giant Gourami

Most problems in captivity come from a tank that is too small for the waste the fish produces. If yours looks swollen, work through our guide to a bloated giant gourami. Quarantine new fish for several weeks: a megalocytivirus, giant gourami iridovirus, has caused outbreaks in farmed stock.[5]

If a fish is already outgrowing its tank:

  1. Measure it and compare it with the 45–70 cm it is likely to reach.[1]
  2. Contact local fish clubs, specialist large-fish keepers and public aquariums early, since space for large fish is limited.
  3. Until it is rehomed, cut other stocking, add filtration and keep water changes frequent to limit stress.

Never release a giant gourami into local waterways. It has already been introduced well outside its native range.[1]

Giant Gourami FAQ

How big do giant gouramis get?
Usually about 45 cm, with a recorded maximum of 70 cm (28 in) standard length.[1]
What size tank does a giant gourami need?
At least 183 × 61 × 61 cm (72 × 24 × 24 in), about 180 gallons, for one adult.[2]
How long do giant gouramis live?
More than 20 years in captivity, according to Seriously Fish.[2]
Are giant gouramis aggressive?
They are generally peaceful with large fish but eat small ones. Some adults turn aggressive, mostly in tanks that are too small.[2]
Do giant gouramis build bubble nests?
No. They build nests from plant fibres. FishBase says older bubble-nest reports came from a misidentification.[1]
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How this profile was checked

Housing, water, diet and breeding advice follows Seriously Fish, and size, range, biology and conservation status follow FishBase.[1][2] Growth and spawning figures come from two Indonesian aquaculture studies, the iridovirus note from a peer-reviewed outbreak report, and the ammonia guidance from the University of Florida extension service.[3][4][5][6] An earlier version of this profile called the species a beginner's community fish with a 53-gallon tank and a 30–40 cm adult size, which those sources do not support.

References

  1. Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.). Osphronemus goramy Lacepède, 1801. Giant gourami. FishBase, version 2025. fishbase.se
  2. Seriously Fish. Osphronemus goramy (Giant Gourami). Species profile. seriouslyfish.com
  3. Azrita, A., Aryani, N., Mardiah, A. & Syandri, H. (2020). Growth, production and feed conversion performance of the gurami sago (Osphronemus goramy Lacepède, 1801) strain in different aquaculture systems. F1000Research 9: 161. doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.22201.3
  4. Azrita, A., Syandri, H. & Aryani, N. (2021). Reproductive characteristics of the giant gurami sago strain (Osphronemus goramy Lacepède, 1801): basic knowledge for a future hatchery development strategy. F1000Research 10: 922. doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.53760.2
  5. Sukenda, Gardenia, L., Zairin, M., Lusiastuti, A. & Alimuddin (2020). Identification of giant gourami iridovirus (GGIV): a new infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) from natural outbreak in cultured Osphronemus goramy. Aquaculture International 28(3): 1069–1082. doi.org/10.1007/s10499-020-00513-4
  6. Francis-Floyd, R., Watson, C., Petty, D. & Pouder, D. B. Ammonia in Aquatic Systems. UF/IFAS Extension, FA16. ask.ifas.ufl.edu