What Is This?

[The-Wolf]

looks very much like a Trichogaster labiosus
Thick-lip gourami to me

 

[fishwatcher]

Ah, ok then. Either way, he's very pretty to me, and I can't wait for him to get all better so I can put him in the main tank.

 

[gettotank110]

sweet never seen one like that before

 

[sylvia]

He's very pretty The color changing happens according to mood mainly. They'll go darker when breeding, eating or are generaly 'excited' for whatever reason.

I actually think it is a banded rather than a thick-lipped but it's not that easy to see from that small a pic. One thing you can use to tell the two species apart is the shape of the caudal fin that tends to be a lot more forked in thick-lipped gouramies (Colisa labiosa) rather than sort of fan-shaped. Bandeds also usually have little blue and red dots on their fins though these are difficult to see on some fish and I can't tell whether yours has them. Here's a pic of what I mean: http/fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary...mp;what=species Look carefuly at the dorsal and caudal (though this one's very pale - top one, BTW, the bottom one's female). Some thick-lipped gouramies also have this little black line where their mouth is but, again, it's impossible for me to see whether yours has it. Finaly, size - thick-lipped gouramies stay about 1" smaller than bandeds. How large is he? If he's over 3-3.5", he can't be a thick-lipped.

 

[fishwatcher]

He definitely gets darker when he's eating. He's about 3 1/2" now, including his tail which is fanned... not any forking at all that I can tell. His tail is mainly red with some blue dots on it. He doesn't have any kind of line where his mouth is, but there is a dark line a little below his mouth.
The picture I posted is about the palest he ever gets... I'll try to get one of him darker.

 

[fishwatcher]

Here's another couple of pictures, though I don't know that they'll be of any more help.

The top one really shows his tail shape, and the bottom one shows the silver line under his mouth with the black line under the silver one.
So, anymore guesses?

 

[sylvia]

I'm still going for banded personaly

I mean, look at these: http/jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/po...s_fasciatus.htm
And then look at the thick-lipped pics on the same site: http/jjphoto.dk/fish_archive/aquarium/tr...er_labiosus.htm

Search google, perhaps, and see what you think. It'll be easier for you because you've got the fish there to compare with.

 

[fishwatcher]

I'm thinking he in a banded, too, based on all the pix I've seen of that kind and the thick-lipped.
He's pretty cute I think, and he seems to be nice and healthy now.