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Licorice Gourami
Parosphromenus linkei
A tiny, shy labyrinth fish with subtle brown and orange banding. Requires very soft, acidic water and dense planting. A specialist species for experienced keepers.
Care Parameters
Adult size
3.5 cm
Min tank
30 L
Temperature
24–28°C
pH
3.5–5.5
GH
0–3 dGH
Diet
Carnivore
Temperament
Peaceful
Water zone
Middle
Difficulty
Expert
Schooling
Groups of 6 or more.
Suitable Plants
5Cryptocoryne balansae
Care profile for Cryptocoryne balansae: medium light, low CO₂, intermediate difficulty.
Rotala sp. h'ra
A stunning stem plant that develops intense orange-red coloration under high light and CO2. Narrow leaves arranged in whorls create a striking background accent in aquascapes.
Red Rotala
Red stem plant. Turns red under high light with CO₂.
Cabomba caroliniana
Care profile for Cabomba caroliniana: medium light, medium CO₂, beginner difficulty.
Anubias barteri
Care profile for Anubias barteri: low light, none CO₂, beginner difficulty.
Compatible Invertebrates
4Assassin Snail
The striped predator of the aquarium world, kept to hunt down pest snails and worms. It burrows by day and hunts by night, and will happily share a tank with fish and plants - it ignores shrimp and fish entirely. Also known as Clea helena; both names are accepted.
Great Ramshorn Snail
The large, coiled ramshorn that doubles as a cleanup crew and a living water-quality alarm. Every individual is hermaphroditic, so any pair can breed - populations explode only when overfeeding creates a feast, and they shrink right back once feeding is cut back.
Amano Shrimp
The classic algae-eating workhorse shrimp, unmatched for clearing hair algae from planted tanks. Hardy at 3-15 dGH, but never breeds in freshwater: its larvae need brackish water, so all reports of 'Amano babies' in freshwater tanks are actually other shrimp species.
Cherry Shrimp
The most popular freshwater shrimp — bright red coloration, extremely hardy, and prolific breeder. The gateway species for shrimp keeping. Tolerates a wide range of conditions.
Suitable Equipment
5
Common Problems
5F
Filter Crash
The biological filter fails after aggressive cleaning, media replacement or a long outage.
equipmentW
White Spot Disease (Ich)
Tiny white salt-like grains on the body and fins of fish.
fishF
Fish Gasping at Surface
Fish hover at the surface, breathing rapidly. A possible oxygen emergency.
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Cloudy Water
Milky or hazy water that never fully clears.
waterF
Fin Rot
Fins look frayed, ragged or are visibly shrinking with white or red edges.
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