tails and bright colors, presenting competition for impressing a female gourami. Female gourami sometimes bother other fish, but usually keep to themselves. Though aquarists are typically told not to house multiple gouramis together, three spot gouramis that have been brought up together in pairs (usually females, especially if they are siblings) and that have stable personalities, can successfully cohabit with each other, provided there is enough room to swim. This varies based on individual personalities, but it has been accomplished by aquarists. In such situations, typically one may assume a more dominant role and grow larger, while occasionally teasing or playfully chasing around the smaller submissive fish, but both will generally be tolerant and cooperative toward each other. Feeding The three spot gourami is an omnivore and requires both algae-based and meaty foods. An algae-based flake food, along with freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex worms, and brine shrimp provide these fish with the proper nutrition. Live foods such as mosquito larvae and daphnia are also beneficial. Breeding Differentiating between the male and female three spot gourami is by the dorsal fin. In the male, the dorsal fin is long and pointed and the anal fin is pointed, while the female's are shorter and rounded. However, some females may have a dorsal fin as long as the male's. When ready to breed, the male builds a bubble nest and then begins to entice the female by swimming back and forth, flaring his fins and raising his tail. The female may lay up to 800 eggs. After spawning, the females often are removed to a separate aquarium as the male may become aggressive toward her. The male protects the eggs and fry, but normally is removed after they become free-swimming. After hatching, frequent water changes, especially during the third week, are used to ensure the health of the fry, as this is when the labyrinth organ is developing. Color Three spot gourami are known to change color (their black spots will fade) when under high stress or when they are not kept under good conditions. Healthy fish have two vivid black spots on each side of their bodies, but these fade with age. Selectively bred varieties most commonly available in the aquarium trade are opaline (or opal) (with a marbled pattern), platinum (or silver) (whitish), blue, golden (or gold) (xanthochromistic), and lavender (or amethyst) (the result of crossing a blue and golden, having a