Fish profile · Osphronemidae

Giant gourami

Osphronemus goramy

Food · AquariumFreshwaterNative to MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

Also called Giant gouramy

The giant gourami is a large freshwater fish used for food and as an ornamental fish. The modern Kenyir checklist treats O. goramy as native and records specimens from the Saok River.

Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 10 sources

Photo of Giant gourami — (c) Zakqary Roy, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Max length: 80 cm; without the tail; usually 40 cm
IUCN: LC; Least Concern
In Malaysia: Native
Family: Osphronemidae; order Perciformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

How big?

Linear scale · person 170 cm

Up to 80 cm without the tail.

The person is 170 cm tall.

Where in Malaysia

36 open-licence records · GBIF

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Recorded (open records)

Recorded in Sarawak, Sabah, Perak, Melaka, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, and Selangor. Based on 36 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

Habitat

Forest rivers Reservoirs

Freshwater river and reservoir habitats; recorded in the Kenyir catchment.

Diet: Plants and algae, plus fish, frogs, worms and dead animals.

Aquarium care

Minimum tank: 757 L
Temperature: 23–28°C
pH: 6.5–7.5
Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Sources

Last reviewed 26 October 2026