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Under normal circumstances, I would link to the article in question here when discussing this new species, but Practical Fishkeeping magazine requires people to subscribe to the website, so for those who do not wish to bother with this, I shall introduce this fish in my own inimitable style.

Sphaerichthys vaillanti was actually described way back in 1893 by Monsieur Leon Vaillant, who incorrectly thought that the fish was actually Ctenops nobilis. Pellegrin in 1930 correctly determined that this fish was in fact a member of the Genus Sphaerichthys, and named it in honour of M. Vaillant.

However, its habitat in western Borneo is, to put it mildly, difficult to reach, which is why the fish has only recently come to the attention of the aquarium hobby. This link to Google Maps shows a satellite rendition of Western Borneo where it is found - it hails from the Kapuas River drainage in Western Kalimantan, with Pontianak being the only major human settlement within reach of the river, situated near the coastline - it has the distinction of being almost exactly ON the Equator! The Kapuas River is Borneo's largest river, at 1,143 Km long, but many of its tributaries are accessible only with considerable difficulty by fish collectors. However, small numbers have been filtering through to specialist collectors since 1990, and now, there is the real possibility of the species becoming available in modest, but more regular, quantity.

Now the sixty-four dollar question - why is this fish so special? Well, a look at a picture of it - the fourth picture on this site should give an indication of why this fish is now one of the most sought after fishes among specialist Labyrinth Fish keepers! Known variously as Vaillant's Chocolate Courami (despite the fact that it isn't brown!) or the Samurai Gourami (a MUCH more apt common name given its flamboyance!), this is a truly stunning fish, and one that would make any Labyrinth Fish keeper's eyes pop out on stalks at first sight!

Now the astute reader at this point will be asking "Aha, but it's related to the Chocolate gourami! Doesn't that mean it'll be a delicate fish for the specialist?"

Well, it's certainly a 'hothouse' fish. Like its better known cousin, it likes its water warm - when collected, it was found in water stained by humic acids, at 29°C, at a pH of 5.3. Apparently specimens have been kept in harder and more neutral water, but the fish will fare MUCH better if soft, acidic water (filtered over peat or with Blackwater Tonic added) is provided.

As the fish only reaches 7 cm in length, it's one of the smaller Labyrinth Fishes, and is reputed to show little conspecific aggression. It DOES, however, require cover - heavy planting and some floating plant cover are highly advisable for this fish. Hailing as it does from sheltered rainforest streams with slow-flowing water, care and attention both to décor (it would probably appreciate a nice forest of Cryptocoryne species to swim amongst) and to the filtration used (currents should be modest, while still providing excellent water quality management) are vital.

The BIG handicap that less seasoned fishkeepers will face is the refusal of this lovely fish to eat anything other than live foods. Certainly for breeding, which is reputedly possible in the aquarium (it is a mouthbrooder like its familiar cousin the Chocolate Gourami) it will need live food in quantity to be present, ideally mosquito larvae and similar fare, though it will also take Daphnia and possibly Brine Shrimp. Live Bloodworm is also worth a try, though the fish is preferentially a surface feeder if given the choice, and may at first not notice that there are live foods to be eaten at the substrate until it has been properly acclimatised and learns to be less shy.

One feature of this fish that also makes it stand out is that when breeding, the female is somewhat the more brightly coloured!

The female apparently initiates spawning, while the male broods the young for up to 24 days after spawning, depending upon ambient temperature and growth rate (at higher temperatures, the young develop more quickly). As the fry will need live foods, infusoria cultures followed by brine shrimp hatching is a MUST if this considerable challenge is to be undertaken.

Given all of the above, it should come as no surprise to learn that for the moment, until more information is available about its compatibility with other fishes, it should be given a species aquarium, and treated with much the same diligence of care and attention as prize Discus. A pity that the fish is likely to prove such a challenge, because it is a real beauty, its red and green colouration being very showy, and when maintained in sensitively planned quarters, loses its shyness and begins displaying its colours to the aquarist.

If they do become available, expect them to be expensive. Practical Fishkeeping is quoting £15 to £25 per fish in the UK, which translates to around $40 per fish in the US. Given its specialised requirements, it is NOT a fish for the casual keeper by any stretch of the imagination, but dedicated Labyrinth Fish fans with easy access to live foods on a daily basis will discover that this little gem has much to offer in return for the effort of caring for it.

Enjoy ...


Last edited by Calilasseia at 01-Jan-2006 18:48

Last edited by Calilasseia at 01-Jan-2006 18:49

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Cool! Thanks for posting this information...I hadn't seen anything on it in TFH.

Eric

Very stunning fish! Thanks for sharing.

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

It seems that in the meanwhile the price of this fish dropped, as i bought a few of them in Belgium with 17.50 euro a piece and even with 12.50 euro, on discount.
The problem is that the fish was kept in the lfs on a PH of 8 and in my fishtank they had quite similar conditions for a while considering that i didnt know this sort of fish when i bought them so i had to wait until i could make a setup for them, and at the shop they seemed not to know neither or just to not care.
In the meanwhile they have been housed together with my kryptopterus glass catfish.
Because the high PH thay had and other improper conditions, the fish has a low imunity.
It also seems they are infected with hexamita.
I lost 2 of them, and before they died I went with one of the to a local fish doctor and he found hexamita and a secondary infection with columnaris.
So be very careful when you buy them, it is advisable to buy them directly from somebody who breeds this kind of fish.
In the shop they have been also feed exclusively with flakes, again totally unadvisable.
Now i have 4 of them left, and i treated them agains the diseases, i hope it worked.
They live in a 100X30X30 cm fishtank, with a PH of 6.5 (still have to drop it even more but i am doing it slowly).
If within one month none of them will get sick, they are going to be housed with 4 betta coccinas.
This is the fistank where they live in for the moment:
http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u73/gaia_93/gurami/?action=view&current=IMG_2613.jpg
Sorry for the bad quality of the image, the light shines in the glasswindow no matter what i do.

Later edit: I have no clue why it won't show my picture