Linke’s Licorice Gourami

1) Where they come from (the quick story)

Linke’s Licorice Gourami (Parosphromenus linkei) comes from blackwater forest streams and peat swamps in Borneo. Think tea-colored water, leaf litter everywhere, tangled roots, and barely any current. They’re built for quiet, shady little puddles—so if you try to run them like a bright community tank, they’ll let you know.

2) Setting up their tank

Give them a small, calm tank you can control. I’ve had the best luck in 10–20 gallons with a tight lid (they’re labyrinth fish and like warm, humid air above the water). Keep the layout messy: leaf litter, little caves, and lots of cover so they can vanish whenever they feel like it.

• Tank size: 10+ gallons for a pair; bigger if you want multiple fish and sight breaks
• Lighting: dim; floaters help a ton (Salvinia, frogbit)
• Hardscape: wood, root tangles, botanicals (catappa/oak leaves, alder cones)
• Hiding spots: film canisters, small coconut caves, tight rock/wood crevices (they love cramped caves)
• Substrate: dark sand or just leaf litter over bare bottom (bare bottom is easier for hygiene)
• Flow: very gentle—sponge filter is your friend

Water is the whole game with these guys. In my tanks they color up and actually act confident when the water is soft and acidic, with tannins. I run them in blackwater with a sponge filter and botanicals, and I don’t chase numbers daily—consistency beats obsessing.

• Temperature: mid-to-high 70s°F (around 24–27°C)
• pH: usually on the acidic side for best results (many keepers aim ~4.5–6.5)
• Hardness/TDS: low—RO/DI mixed with a bit of remineralization (or none, depending on your source) is common
• Nitrates: keep them low; these fish sulk fast in “old” water

3) What to feed them

They’re micropredators. Most Linkei I’ve kept would rather hunt than eat flakes, especially at first. The good news: once they associate you with food, they get bold. The bad news: you’ll probably be culturing or buying live/frozen foods if you want them in breeding shape.

• Best staples: live baby brine shrimp, grindal worms, microworms, daphnia, moina (if you can get it)
• Frozen that usually works: cyclops, baby brine shrimp, small bloodworms (sparingly), daphnia
• Dry foods: sometimes accepted later (tiny granules), but don’t rely on it early on

4) Behavior and tankmates

Linkei are shy, but they’ve got personality once they settle. Males posture and flash color around a cave, and a bonded pair will do these little face-offs that look dramatic but usually aren’t dangerous—assuming the tank has enough hiding spots.

I’ll be blunt: I like them best in a species tank. Community setups tend to turn them into ghost fish, and the water they want isn’t what most community species want anyway.

• Best setup: species-only pair or small group with lots of sight breaks
• If you must do tankmates: tiny, calm blackwater fish that won’t outcompete them (and still, watch feeding closely)
• Avoid: fast feeders, fin nippers, anything boisterous, most shrimp you want to keep (they may snack on shrimplets)

5) Breeding tips (this is the fun part)

They’re cave spawners. A male picks a cave, courts the female, and the eggs end up on the cave ceiling. Then he becomes a grumpy little bouncer and guards the clutch. The first time you see the male peeking out of a film canister like he’s guarding treasure, you’ll get it.

• Caves that work: film canisters on their side, small clay tubes, coconut caves with a tight entrance
• Triggering spawns: heavy live food + stable soft/acidic blackwater + feeling “hidden”
• Keep the tank quiet: low light, no big rearranges, minimal disturbance near the cave

Fry are tiny, so plan ahead. Infusoria happens naturally in leafy blackwater tanks, but I still like to have microworms and baby brine shrimp ready. If you’re not seeing fry survive past the first week, it’s usually food size/timing or the water getting “dirty” in a way you can’t see.

6) Common problems to watch for

Most losses with Linkei come from slow stress, not dramatic disease. They stop eating, hide constantly, lose weight, and then one day they’re gone. That’s why watching their daily behavior matters more than chasing a perfect aquascape.

• Not eating: often new-fish stress, too much light, or tankmates; start with live foods and add cover
• Wasting/skinny fish: internal parasites are common in wild fish—quarantine and consider targeted deworming if needed
• Bacterial issues (fin rot, sores): usually water going stale or too much leftover food in very soft water
• Sudden deaths after water changes: big swings in TDS/temperature; match new water closely and change smaller amounts
• Constant hiding and faded color: tank too bright, too bare, or too much activity around the tank

If you set them up like they came from—dim, soft, tannin-stained, and calm—they’re honestly addictive. You’ll spend more time watching tiny cave dramas than you ever expected.