Sex, size, and the arrival portrait
A pearl gourami record opens with who this individual is. Males develop a deeper orange-red throat and longer, more flowing fins than females, so note the sex as best you can judge it, the body length, and the source on day one. Photograph the fish in soft tank light to capture the lace-like pearly spotting and the dark line running from snout through the eye, because fading of that pattern is an early, subtle sign of stress or poor water. Record any torn fin edges, spots, or unusually heavy breathing on arrival, so later changes are measured against an honest starting point.
Warm water, calm surface, and cover to document
Write down the heater setting and the actual temperature, since pearl gouramis favour warm water and sulk in a cool tank, plus pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at setup. Note surface access and flow strength: this labyrinth fish breathes air at the surface, so the record should state that the surface is reachable, the lid keeps the air above it warm and humid, and the filter outflow is gentle rather than pushing the fish around. List floating and tall plants and any quiet corners, because a gourami without cover records very different behaviour from one that can retreat.
Tank mates and temperament lines that matter
Log every tank mate by species and number, and add a short temperament line in the first fortnight: does the pearl gourami hold mid-water calmly, hide behind plants at feeding, or get chased by a faster fish? Record interactions with any other gouramis or labyrinth fish especially carefully, since males can turn territorial as they mature. Note where the fish spends the day and whether it uses the whole tank or one corner. These dated behaviour entries are what let you tell a personality settling in from a fish being quietly bullied out of food and space.
Feeding, breathing, and health observations
Write what the pearl gourami eats — floating staple, frozen or live treats — and whether it feeds confidently at the surface or waits for sinking scraps, which is out of character for this species. Log trips to the surface for air that become noticeably frequent, long trailing droppings, loss of pearly sheen, or a male's throat colour fading, each beside that day's temperature and test results. A gourami that stops rising to feed, breathes rapidly at the surface for extended periods, or sits motionless on the bottom needs prompt water testing and aquatic veterinary advice, with this log brought along.
A gourami packet that covers moves and sitters
Pearl gouramis are long-lived enough to see tank upgrades, house moves, and several holiday sitters, so keep identity, water history, temperament, and feeding notes in one backed-up file. Add a sitter note describing normal behaviour — unhurried, surface-oriented, shy at first with strangers — so a quiet day is not mistaken for illness or the reverse. Update the file when tank mates change, because the social picture is part of the record. Keeping the whole history in KinsLe as a Pet Passport places your gourami's records together in one portable packet, ready for vet visits, boarding decisions, and careful handovers.