A literal little sensation has reached us from Vietnam: a new miniature gourami that does not belong to any previously described genus or species. And these tiny fish, which grow to only 1–2 cm in length, are also exceptionally pretty!
The little fish were discovered by Vietnamese nature enthusiasts, who first found them in September 2025. The area where they are found is in central Vietnam, not far from the famous imperial city of Hue. The habitat is depicted in the English hobbyist magazine “Labyrinth,” the publication of the Anabantoid Association of Great Britain (AAGB) (Issue 216, Spring 2026: 7–8). It is a fairly open habitat at the foot of a mountain range. The water chemistry: 22–26°C, TDS 40 (which is about 2° dGH), pH 5.5.
The new species is certainly most closely related to Parosphromenus (licorice gouramis). Like these and their close cousins, the spiketail gouramis (Pseudosphromenus and Malpulutta), the new “Minis” are cave breeders—as breeding has already been successful! Unfortunately, we cannot yet say anything definitive about sexual dimorphism. In their neutral coloration, the new minis have two longitudinal bands on a beige background. When they get in the mood, the dark dorsal band disappears and is replaced by a brick-red band. Along the central longitudinal band, the presumed males have blue iridescent scales; during brood care, the belly turns bright blue. But we have not yet found a characteristic that would allow us to reliably distinguish the sexes, especially not when trying to catch them, because then they suddenly lose all color.
We classify this new dwarf, for which the apt but scientifically invalid name “Microsphromenus sp. Vietnam” (or “M. sp. XD 11” or “Pho Xua Gourami”) is used, as a specialist fish. In the aquarium, these tiny fish are probably most comparable to the equally tiny Parosphromenus ornaticauda. The number of fry per clutch is low; in one photo, we counted 12 larvae. The good news: these new dwarf gouramis will most likely live quite a long time; several years can be expected if their ecological conditions are similar to those of the Paros.
As with the Paros, Artemia nauplii serve as the primary food source.
Setting everything else aside: the fact that a dwarf labyrinth fish from this lineage was discovered more than 1,200 kilometers east of the nearest known Paro location in Thailand, in a region that is otherwise quite well-studied from an ichthyological perspective, is simply sensational. Let’s hope that the few specimens now available on the ornamental fish market find their way to good breeders who can establish an aquarium strain of the new mini gourami.
For our customers: these little creatures have code 430203 on our stock list. Please note that we supply exclusively to wholesalers.
Literature:
Minh Thu, Wentian Shi, Le Duy Thinh & Bui Manh (2026): A new micro-osphromenoid from Vietnam. AAGB Labyrinth #216: 7-8.
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
