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fishing forecast

giant gourami

Osphronemus goramy · Osphronemidae · omnivore

FreshwaterEstuaryessential profile

Giant gourami from Asia, which breathes air and reaches 70 cm. It is widely farmed for food. In Colombia it was introduced and is exotic.

Also called: gurami-gigante, gurami gigante, giant gourami

Scientific illustration of Giant gourami
maximum
70 cm
location

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period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the giant gourami

overview

who is the giant gourami

Fish of the family Osphronemidae, freshwater and slightly brackish, reaching 70 cm. It lives in swamps, lakes and rivers, among vegetation, and also in flooded forests. It must breathe air: it rises to the surface to breathe and can stay out of the water for long periods if the air is humid. It eats aquatic plants, fish, frogs, earthworms and even dead animals. It occurs in Asia, from Sumatra and Borneo to Thailand and the Mekong. It is farmed for food and widely traded. In Colombia it was introduced, where it is exotic.

Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the giant gourami; in the meantime, see the similar species.

fun facts

  • Adults build nests of plant fibers, not bubble nests like other gouramis.
how to recognize it

identification

Gourami with a deep, laterally compressed body, a large anal fin with its edge parallel to the caudal fin, which is rounded. The pelvic fins have a long, thread-like filament. Young fish have dark vertical bars, but adults lose the bars and both sexes have dull colors. To tell it apart from the snakeskin gourami, remember that this one has oblique dark stripes and a dark band from the eye to the tail.

distribution

where found

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Native to Asia, from Sumatra and Borneo to Thailand and the Mekong, and introduced to Colombia, where it is exotic. Not recorded in Brazil.

Habitat: Swamps, lakes and rivers with still water, among vegetation, and flooded forests.

what the law says

rules for the giant gourami

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

Not dangerous to anglers. It should not be released in waters where it is exotic, such as in Colombia.

in the kitchen

It is eaten fresh, steamed, fried and baked.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01698, b = 3.01; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Osphronemus goramy (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Osphronemus goramyNames by country and language.
don't confuse

similar species