• Scientific name: Helostoma temminkii
• Common name: Kissing gourami
• Group: Labyrinth fishes
• Habitat: Asia; Java
• Size: 20 cm
• Biotope: Mostly still, murky and heavily vegatated waterways of Southeast Asia.
• Social behavior: Best combined with other medium to large labyrinth fish. Occasionally this species may be aggressivetowards smaller fish. If hungry, it may suck at the scales of large, slow-moving fish.
• Diet: Live, insects, insect larvae, worms, crustaceans, flakes, pellets, tablets, vegetables, plant matter
• Breeding: This prolific species is difficult to breed.
• Tank: Minimum 300 litres
• Population: 4-5 fish for 300 litres
• Decoration: The tank should have a cover of floating plants. Use plastic or tough-leaved plants,as this gourami has a tendency to eat most live plants.Allow algae growth in the back of the tank and provide rocks and woodas retreats.
• Temperature: 25-30°C
• pH: 5-9.
• Hardness: 2,8-16,8NK°
• Lifespan: 5-8 years

Description: The Basic background color of the the Pink kisser is a pale pink. There are no other distinguishing color variations that can easily be seen. The Pink kisser is just a variety of the Green Kissing gourami. The green kissers' basic ground coloration is a shinny green interlaced with dark reddish horizontal stripes. Two short up and down bars run across the gill covers. In well maintained specimens there is a dark bar that runs from the tail fin along the dorsal and anal fins soft rays that forms a border to the fish. Looks like a picture frame. The fins themselves are a pale green to gray in color.

Kissing gouramis need to be kept large aquariums, I would say a 55 gallon minimum. They should be densely planted to mimic their home waters. You can use Java fern and Java moss as well as some floating plants. Artificial plants are better, as the kissers are basically vegetarian in nature and will consider your live plants food. The use of driftwood and rockwork will be beneficial as these tend to promote an area for algae growth, one of the kissers favorite foods. The kissing gourami accepts a wide range of easily available foods, including small live foods, Tubifex worms, earthworms,and brine shrimp. They also will accept flake, frozen and freeze-dried foods. Supplement with vegetable matter in the form of Spirulina-based foods. You can also add romaine lettuce, zucchini or peas as a treat.
Water conditions are not overly critical and they will adapt to most aquariums, what does seem to matter is temperature and they do best when this is not allowed to drop below 75°F.

Not much is known of the sexing or breeding of the kissing fish. It has been said that the female is plumper than the male. Because of the sexing difficulty it is best to purchase a group of at least six young and let them choose their mates. Unlike other members of the Anabantoidei family they do not construct a bubble nest. They are open water breeders and can lay large amounts of eggs (1000+) They float to the surface and some add a lettuce leaf for the eggs to adhere to. You should remove the parents after spawning. The eggs hatch in a couple of days and should be fed the smallest of live foods.