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| April 10th. My cousin joined me to search for licorice gourami in Lundu area. This time, we have some confidence that we would find that gourami. Searching for the whole morning, we could not find any gourami. We gave up our hope after spending more than one hour inside that dark swamp. After that, I brought my cousin to see those blackwater streams near the Sempadi area. In one of the streams, we found a species of gourami swimming near the submerged grass."Its the chocolate gourami!!!", Methos shouted. To us, this is our first time to see chocolate gourami. (Sphaerichthys osphromenoides) There is no such fish selling in the local fish shop. We only know this species through the book. We managed to catch a few chocolate gourami and then moved to another blackwater stream. We found a small swamp and the water is running very slow. About 15 minutes later, I caught a giant sized (around 12 - 13cm)betta fish. At first I thought its the snakehead, but looking carefully, it is another species of betta which I never seen before in my life!!! Its Betta cf waseri!!!! Inside the swamp, I also found Rasbora argyrotaenia. This rasbora species is only found in the blackwater swamp.Then, we found another unknown species of catfish....looks like a tadpole, about 4cm, chocolate brownish colored; probably a Parakysis species. Even though we failed to find the licorice gourami, we're still happy to bring home the chocolate gourami for the very first time. |
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Another blackwater stream. I found Betta cf waseri here! |
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Betta cf waseri.. |
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Black edged rasbora....mostly found in blackwater swamp. |
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Unknown species of dwarf catfish. |
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| Few days later, I found a Japanese girl's homepage which mentioned about this licorice gourami in Lundu area. I told my cousin about this and he went to "hunt " for this species on the following day. He sent an email to me that he found the licorice gourami. I couldn't believe it, so I came to his house to see the real fish. Yes!! He found the fish we're looking for! |
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| On April 17th, I finally caught a pair of Allans licorice gourami!!! They were hiding under the crytocoryne plant! |
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| Few months later, I revisited the same place. The whole area became a smelly place. Due to the dry season, the water become not suitable for fish to live. Only a small amount of fish still survive in that area. The small pool where I found those licorice gourami became a milk colored pool....with nothing inside. Its a dead water! I was leaving that place with hard feeling.....praying that all the fish will come back to occupy the swamp in the next coming raining season. |
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licorice gourami. |
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My "hunting ground" for licorice gourami! |
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A lot of dead fish found in a pool....could be due to the changes in water PH or something else. Few month later, the fish population in the swamp decrease to almost 10 %!!! |
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