Generally peaceful though it may predate on smaller fishes and is somewhat timid so does not compete well with much larger, robust or otherwise boisterous species.

Peaceful, comparably-sized cyprinids, loaches and other catfishes perhaps constitute the best options but be sure to research your choices thoroughly prior to purchase.

Type locality is ‘Central Sumatra, Indonesia’, with additional records existing from Cambodia (Mekong drainage), Peninsular Malaysia (Perak River), Sumatra (from the Siak River, Riau province to the Musi River, South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) province) and Borneo (south and westwards from the Belait river basin in Brunei Darussalam to the Sambas drainage in West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat) province, Indonesia and probably in Sarawak, Malaysia).

This species has occasionally been traded on a commercial basis and was known as P. sp. ‘Manis Mata’ prior to description, with the latter apparently referring to a location some 100 km away from the type locality where the fish do not occur.

It’s said to be slightly easier to maintain than the majority of congeners and is therefore a recommended choice for those ne…

This species has occasionally appears in the aquarium trade in substantial quantities but is not an easy species to maintain in captivity and often susceptible to disease post-import.

It’s sometimes sold as ‘ornate licorice gourami’.

It’s among the smallest members of the gen…

Endemic to Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah) province, Borneo, Indonesia although the full extent of its range remains somewhat unclear.

Initial collections were from the southwestern tip of the province, in the Jelai Bila river basin near Sukamara and Lamand basin close to Pangkalan Bun, both of which are tributaries within the Arut drainage, while it’s subsequently been recorded in the Benipah river system further east.

This species is said to be slightly easier to maintain than the majority of congeners and is therefore a recommended choice for those new to maintaining Parosphromenus spp. in the aquarium.

It’s occasionally available on a commercial basis and we’ve seen it traded as ‘moonspot licorice gourami’ in the past.

There exist at least three colour forms on…

It’s care requirements, disposition, and especially conservation status dictate that it should be maintained alone or alongside a group of small, peaceful cyprinids such as Boraras or Sundadanio spp.

Likewise, different Parosphromenus spp. should not be kept together since the females of many are very difficult to tell apart and some are undoubtedly capable of hybridising.

Type locality is given only as ‘Sarawak state, Borneo, East Malaysia’, with the material deriving from Sibu Division in western Sarawak.

It’s since been recorded at other localities within Sarawak, to which it appears endemic, but it remains unclear whether all represent a single species or not with those from the area around Lundu in northwestern Kuching Division in par…

This species is relatively uncommon in the aquarium hobby but is available on occasion, sometimes mixed in among shipments of the congener C. salivator.

These two can be told apart by the fact that C. salivator possesses a series of distinct dark bars on the head and body in both sexes, a colour pattern unique within the genus.

It is also similar t…

This species is not often seen in the aquarium hobby but occasionally exported as bycatch among shipments of other fishes. It was described as a subspecies of the closely-related ‘P.‘ binotatus but is currently considered distinct on a tentative basis as per Ng and Tan (1999) who stated it is ‘likely’ that the two represent extreme colour forms of a single, variably-patterned species.