Pucker Up: Kisser Fish

From thesprucepets.com:

The name kissing gourami (or kisser fish) is derived from what appears to be kissing between fish; however, scientists still are not sure of the true purpose of the behavior. It is believed to be a harmless territory-challenging behavior that generally occurs between two males. This conjecture is supported by the fact that aging seems to diminish the need to challenge one another. Also with age, the desire for mating territories diminishes.

The popular kissing gourami, commonly called a kisser, originates from the Indonesian island of Java and is also found in Borneo, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is commonly cultivated in the southern Indochina region as a food fish. Today, virtually all specimens sold in the United States are commercially bred in Florida. Additionally, Thailand and Singapore commercially breed this species for the aquarium trade as well as for food consumption.

In nature, kissers are usually found in slow-moving, heavily vegetated ponds or marshes. They are a hardy fish that will tolerate a range of water conditions. These fish have a hidden structure called the labyrinth organ. It enables them to take oxygen from the air, allowing them to survive in waters with low oxygen levels.

In fact, the gills of labyrinth fish are usually not even capable of obtaining enough oxygen from the water to survive. Therefore, they must satisfy most of their oxygen requirements by gulping air at the surface of the water. For this reason, it’s essential to provide them with access to the water surface in all tank zones.

Kissers need warm water, and they need to consume plenty of plant matter. As a habitat, use artificial plants or sturdy live plants such as Java fern or Java moss. Tender live plants are likely to be eaten down to the stem.

In nature, kissers grow to a size of a foot or more, but in captivity, they generally remain about half that size. However, even a small kisser will grow too large for an aquarium smaller than 30 gallons, so this species should not be kept in mini-tanks. With proper care, it is not unusual for these fish to live well over a decade.

Kissing gouramis are omnivorous fish. On the inside surface of the kisser’s obvious lips are rows of fine teeth which are used to graze on algae and vegetable matter. Periodically provide fresh romaine lettuce, cooked zucchini, or peas to keep your kissers in optimal health. But take care when providing fresh vegetables, as uneaten portions will quickly foul the water.

They should be provided with plenty of spirulina-based foods as well as fresh vegetables when possible. Kissers also accept a variety of protein foods, including flake, frozen, freeze-dried, and small live foods, such as tubifex and brine shrimp.

Gender Differences

Both sexes of kissing gourami look almost identical, from their oval shape to their thick fleshy lips. It is almost impossible to determine the sex of these fish until they spawn. At the mating period, the body of the female becomes round as it fills with eggs.  

SOURCE: THESPRUCEPETS.COM