(Pictured to left: Calliope, one of my two female p. phoenicirus, approximately 1 year old.)

Parosphromenus, colloquially called “licorice gourami,” are a genus of small freshwater gourami species native to the blackwater environments of Southeast Asia. Due to their specialized needs (very low pH, almost no KH or GH, unwilling to accept dried foods), they aren’t often encountered in commercial fish stores. There are currently 21 recognized species within this genus, with some described as recently as 2020.