Trichogaster trichopterus: aquarium forms of the Three-Spot Gourami

Trichogaster trichopterus. Three-Spot, Blue, Gold or Opaline Gourami. We rarely see the wild type of T. trichopterus, which is the plain silvery "Three-Spot Gourami." The blue variant, which originally came from Sumatra, took its place in aquaria long ago.
 
Of T. trichopterus' numerous domesticated color variants, the "Opaline" is the handsomest, I feel, for in the golden form the gold is never unalloyed, but always dirtied with black that doesn't complement the ground color. The "Opaline" variant of T. trichopterus was first bred for the market by a Mr. Cosby, of Texas, I remember hearing. The pleasure I get from a good example of an Opaline Gourami lies in its quite natural air; it doesn't look like a "bred-up" fish to me. 
 
Opaline Gouramis are too carelessly bred in the fish mills. A private hobbyist with a good eye (that's you) could make improvements in just a few generations. What are the "points" of a good Opaline Gourami? In my own opinion, a good Opaline Gourami shouldn't reveal either of the flank spots that inspired the name "Three-Spot Gourami" that is given to the natural form of the species. (The "third" spot was the eye, as you are tired of hearing.) Instead, the spots should be completely subordinated to an all-over marbleized patterning of steel blue and dark ink blue. There are well-placed clear turquoise spots in the fins.
 
 There are pix of "poor" Opaline Gouramis all over the web; a rare good one that displays the "points" I mean is illustrated at SeriouslyFish.
 
Threadfins. Crimped or clipped pectoral fins aren't just less picturesque; the "feelers" are dotted with taste buds, and they feature importantly in inquisitive, aggressive and courting behavior for all the "threadfin" gouramis. When males' chemoreceptive "nares" at the end of the "feelers" were experimentally cauterized or clipped, the fish seldom built nests or spawned successfully. Make sure the threadfins are uncompromised when you buy your fish.
 
In preparation for spawning, the male stimulates the female by his courting and nest-building behavior. The aquarium water contains his steroid glucuronides, which promote the maturing of her eggs. Females also produce pheromones. In U. of Hawaii tests, male T. trichopterus distinguished among water containing a ripe female, an unripe female and empty water. The upshot is, that if you are ripening a male and a female, it helps to have them in the same aquarium, separated by a divider. If they are in adjacent tanks, you might hasten the ripening process by exchanging a cup of water between the tanks.
 
What is the "right" temperature for T. trichopterus Gouramis? Tests at Windward College HI showed that nest-building and egg production occur at temperatures between 73°  and 84°F, with no "optimal" temperature within that range. (No egg production occurs at 68°F.) With temperatures under 75° for extended periods, however, you may find these fish are troubled with fungus.
 
T. trichopterus has a highly developed repertory of threat displays that are played out like poker hands in establishing a dominance structure. I'd like to describe them, since I've never seen them all described, and I'm curious to hear whether your observations support this vocabulary.
 
Aggression, in increasing order of urgency: 1. Alert stop, with threadfins extended. 2. Thread-fin grope, using one or both pectorals. 3a. Flank display, with fins flared. In a more intense action this display can cut off the other fishes' movement with a T-block, and the flank display can be intensified with a shimmy wave. 3b. Reverse flank display, a kind of broadside 69. It can be intensified with contact, in a slip-motion. If both fishes respond aggressively, slip-motion evolves naturally into a spin chase. 3c. Face-off. This can be intensified with gill flare, a gullet flare becoming a yawning gape. And the effect of a face-off is made more aggressive with tail flexing, in which the tail is flexed to the side in order to show it. 4. Charge feint can evolve into a chase. 5. Butting is more aggressive still. Anal fin butting is more intense when it's in the genital/vent area and most aggressive when the throat is the target. 6. Mouth pull can include a "kissing" rasp. 7. Color changes can accompany all these aggressive actions. Darkening is aggressive; blanching is submissive. 8. Vocalizations.
 
Submission (also in approximate order of intensity) 1. Back-pedal. 2. Sinking, head down, or more intensely, head up. 3. Rising for air: a "time-out" signal. 4. Tilt 5. Body curve. 6. Blanching.
 
For the voyeuristically inclined, this YouTube video has excellent photos of the spawning embrace. A detailed article describing techniques for commercial breeding Trichogaster trichopterus in Hawaii is posted by the Center for Tropical and Sub-Tropical Aquaculture at www.biofilter.com. It has some points that will be interesting to you, too. These breeding techniques apply equally well to the otherTrichogaster species, and to Colisa also.