Kissing gourami

Typical of gourami, the body is deep and strongly compressed laterally.

Picture of the Kissing gourami has been licensed under a GFDL
Original source: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.
Author: Matthew1968 at en.wikipedia
Permission: GNU Free Documentation License

The Kissing gourami lives in the benthopelagic, potamodromous, freshwater, pH range: 6.0 - 8.0, dH range: 5 - 19, depth range 2 - m environment.

The most distinctive feature of the kissing gourami is its mouth. Other than being terminal rather than superior (as in other gourami families), the kissing gourami's mouth is highly protrusible; as its family name suggests, the lips are lined with horny teeth. More

The traditional pink Kissing Gourami is now classified as Helostoma rudolfi. Their common name is derived from what appears to be kissing; however scientists still aren’t sure of the true purpose of the behavior. More

Kissing gourami reach a maximum size of 30 centimetres (12 in) TL. There is no outward sexual dimorphism and is difficult to almost impossible to distinguish the sexes. More

The Kissing Gourami is one of the most popular gouramis. More

* Kissing Gourami - get their name from large lips which they pucker and then lock with another Kissing Gourami. They have a long oval shaped body with a rose colouring and broad colourless dorsal and anal fins. More

In any case, the kissing gourami is a decidedly unglamorous, unassuming fish that often goes overlooked for its interesting behaviors, and is often misrepresented as a docile community fish. More

The Kissing Gourami is also known as the Kisser Fish, Pink Kisser, or Green Kisser. The wild strain of the Kissing Gourami is green and the bred strain is silvery-peach. The Kissing Gourami has thick lips that can be extended or pursed, as if kissing. More

While photographing a pair of kissing gourami (Helostoma temmincki) at the DesMoines Public Aquarium in Iowa, an inquisitive thought teased my mind as to the reasons for this strange little ritual that I was observing. More

The Kissing Gourami is peaceful, these fish lock mouths and look similar to what a kissing fish would look like. In reality, the males are locking jaws to prove domination and territoriality. More

I was given a kissing gourami by someone who had no idea what it was. It looked like a fish in her father's tank that had died while he was away and she was asked to look after the tank. More

Kissing Gouramis can become quite quarrelsome and most of them are masters at bullying. Watch for signs of aggression, especially with other species. More

Kissing GouramiThe kissing gourami is a peaceful species that should be housed with fishes of similar size and temperament. Males will occasionally fight by "pressing" their mouths together — hence the common name. Kissing gouramis should be housed in large aquariums (i.e. More

One of the widely available aquarium fish, the kissing gourami has been around for many years. Although often sold as a community fish they can be quite aggressive and get very large they should not be kept with smaller fish. More

* The balloon kissing gourami – a hybrid of the kissing gourami. More

The Balloon Pink Kissing Gourami is a mutated strain of the "Pink" Kissing Gourami. The "form" of this gourami is rounder and not quite as laterally compressed. It is this 'balloon' type shape from which it derives its name. It is also smaller than the Kissing Gourami. More

The most distinctive feature of the kissing gourami is its mouth. More

The Kissing Gourami is a popular aquarium species, but it is also utilized as food. In Asia, it is fished and grown in aquacultures. The wild form is green, but the form most commonly offered in pet shops is pink. More

Common names

Bawan in Iban
Beijador in Portuguese (Português)
Biawan in Malay (bahasa Melayu)
Gourami embrasseur in French (français)
Green kisser in English
Green kissing gourami in English
Gurami besador in Spanish (español)
Gurami calujacy a. calusek in Polish (polski)
Gurami-beijador in Portuguese (Português)
Helostomatidae in Spanish (español)
Ikan samarinda in Malay (bahasa Melayu)
Ikan tambakan in Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)
Kissing gourami in English
Küssender Gurami in German (Deutsch)
Kyssegurami in Danish (dansk)
Kyssegurami in Norwegian (Norsk)
Kyssgurami in Swedish (Svenska)
Liepsnotieji guramiai in Lithuanian (lietuvių kalba)
Pink kisser in English
Pla bai tan in Thai (ไทย)
Pla e - go in Thai (ไทย)
Pla e - tan in Thai (ไทย)
Pla mhor tan in Thai (ไทย)
Pla mor tan in Thai (ไทย)
Pla vee in Thai (ไทย)
Pusukala in Finnish (suomen kieli)
Tambakan in Javanese (basa Jawa)
Tambakan in Malay (bahasa Melayu)
Tebakang in Malay (bahasa Melayu)
Temakang in Malay (bahasa Melayu)
Trey kantrawb in Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ)
Zoenvis in Dutch (Nederlands)
ปลาวี in Thai (ไทย)
ปลาหมอตาล in Thai (ไทย)
ปลาอีตาล in Thai (ไทย)
ปลาอีโก in Thai (ไทย)
ปลาใบตาล in Thai (ไทย)
キッシンググラミー in Japanese (日本語)
吻鱸 in Mandarin Chinese
吻鲈 in Mandarin Chinese

Order : Perciformes
Family : Helostomatidae
Genus : Helostoma
Species : Helostoma temminkii
Authority : Cuvier, 1829