Blue Gouramis are one of the bubble nest breeders. This archive forum discussion provides some insights for how to successfully breed Blue Gouramis and raise the young fry. Visit the forum for other fish and aquarium topics.

4/11/04   From: enaveen  To: All
Hi, I need info on breeding Blue Gourami. I have 29 gallons tank and good pair of gourami (guess, but male chases female all the time), 4 platies with couple of plants.

Now the male is trying to build bubble nest for 2 days near heater and it is not successful. I read some article and everybody recommends breeding tank with 6inches of water. Can I breed gourami at 29 gallons? (I can't afford for another tank now.) will it be successful. what is your recommendation? How long it will take to build bubble nest by male? Does male often chase female? is it okay for female to survive? Any info is highly appreciated? Also I see some algae in my tank. trying to clean with scraper. does it cause any problem to nest or egg? How about other fish is it good to have them in the tank?

4/11/04   From: Naiyaga  To: enaveen
I dunno if this will help.... Gourami are abantoids, which puts you in my power (I love bettas). Well, since we're both doing the same thing at this point (I'm getting mine "conditioned"), I'll try to give some advice....

I don't think that the water level really matters that much, unless you really want to raise a few thousand fry alive. A shallower water depth means the male can pick them up without problem, and get most of the eggs into his nest.

You need to get some floating plants, or at least cut a Styrofoam cup in half and place it in the water so if forms a cave. Wedge it there, or tape it, so it can't float off and stress poor dad.

You need to separate the two (Is the F bulgy with roe?), or get some more plants. Java moss is good for fry ^.^ Well, the MG will be aggressive toward the FG and chase her around when they spawn, and you want to make sure that she can hide after they spawn. She can be allowed to survive, but isolate the male or move the other fish away if you want the fry to live...and let dad keep off stress from chasing everyone away. Algae is good, provided it's not blue/green algae (Slime algae...bacteria and toxic). The fry can eat off it, and you might need to move dad.

All in all, I say just get a large (in width) bowl/pail/jar, and put some plants in along with some gravel. The fry need daily water changes, and they don't have the L-organ. Feed with liquid food (powdered hard boiled egg yolk in water or fry food in water) or pond water. The plants should provide enough oxygen for the fry, and dad needs to be removed after about one and a half days.

Good Luck  -Nai
 
4/11/04   From: Patrick  To: enaveen
You can get a 5 gallon container made by rubbermade or sterilite for less than $5 around here.  That should be shallow enough to be fine for the fish.  That would be the best place to breed because you will need to remove the female after breeding, and the male a few days later.  Then you will need to start doing 50% water changes every day.  The male may kill the female and other fish if they stay in the 29g tank after breeding, so you really do need a seperate tank.  On the other hand, if it is building a nest, they might take care of this and breed without doing any work.  I wouldn't do any algae scraping and just see what happens.  If you do manage to get babies, move them to a cheap 5 gallon container with plastic wrap on it.
4/11/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
Hi Enaveen,
The 29 is really too deep, and if it has a power filter, chances are it will scatter the bubble nest as he constructs it. Gravel will make things even more difficult. The eggs are going to be teeny. They will drop into the gravel, and he will not be able to put them in the nest. The other tank mates will be a problem too, as they will eat the eggs as they fall, and any fry that hatch. I have a couple of punch bowls that I use as "extra" breeding tanks. The plastic wrap is just about the most important thing, as a draft can wipe out an entire spawn. If you have a large plastic box, like Mrfishguy suggested, or can spare $5 to pick one up at the dollar store, that would be your best bet. The pair also needs to be separated for a while and conditioned prior to spawning.

In order to rear the young (as they will be teeny also) You will need to start them off on green water or infusoria. There are commercially available fry foods, but they really foul the water. To get around the infusoria thing, have plenty of live plants in the "tank" (or what ever you breed them in). The fry will feed off the micro organisms from the plants, and any algae that might build up. The babies will need to stay in the tank they are bred in for at least 8 weeks, until the labyrinth develops. Moving them before them is really risky. After 8 weeks, you can move them using a hose (a net can cause finnage damage) you can also remove the plastic wrap then. Once they are about a week old, you can start them on freshly hatched brine shrimp, micro worms, or vinegar eels, as they will be too small still to feed off frozen brine shrimp.

Make sure to check out the sites Mr.fish guy suggested. Take care, Jedi

PS. usually it takes a couple hours to construct the nest. Yes it is common for him to chase the female. (she should be removed right after spawning) And algae is good for baby fish.
 
4/11/04   From: enaveen  To: IJEDIC
Thanks all !

Reading all these posts, I am thinking of buying a 10 gallon tank($7)  which I can use later also.   I am wondering, no one mentioned the cycling of water. If I am setting up a new tank for breeding, do I have to wait till it gets cycled? For creating the bubble nest, do I need to put live plant in the tank or is plastic plant enough for this?

Thanks.

4/11/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
The beauty of breeding tanks is that they don't have to be cycled. You will be doing daily water changes once they hatch. When not in use, my breeding tanks are left empty. (or I get a fish buying urge LOL) They also don't need a power filter. Sponge filters (the kind that hook up to the air pump) are best for such small fry. Plastic plants are ok, but they won't provide the infusoria or micro organisms needed. You can make "green water" which is basically the same thing by setting a glass or jar of water in a window sill with plant cuttings (I root pothos "ivy" in jars, the water turns green, and you can use a medicine dropper to squirt it into the tank)
Have a good one, Shannon
 
4/11/04   From: Naiyaga  To: enaveen
You just need *something* for him to build it on. If the water isn't moving, then you *could* let him just build it. Well, a plant leaf or something is better.
  -Nai

4/11/04   From: IJEDIC  To: Naiyaga
Actually a Styrofoam cup cut in half would do the trick. As long as the water is still they will build it in a corner of the tank, without anything. Too much surface agitation will destroy it plant or not. Have fun, Shannon
 
4/14/04   From: Guest  To: enaveen
My gouramis bred successfully in my 25 gal tank, when they were alone in there with just a pleco.  It was a surprise... I was away for the weekend, I come back, and there are all these little tiny specks all over.... babies!  Luckily, I had an extra tank in the basement and moved the parents immediately.  I had to shut off the filter (so the babies didn't get all sucked up) and I changed some of the water every day, and every couple of hours I scooped up some of the water in a jug and poured it back in, to keep the water moving until I got a little tiny filter that attaches to an air pump...

Anyways, these fish were my first fish, and I knew NOTHING about fry, but I did have 14 babies that survived.  Also, these gouramis bred when they were only 3" long!  Anyways, good luck.... and I think your male will have an easier time building the nest if you have a floating plant, but I'm NOT an expert.
 
4/17/04   From: enaveen  To: IJEDIC
Wow! Nice to hear your Gouramis successfully breed on a 25 gallon tank.

Finally mine laid the eggs sometime today and they are all scattered. Male is working hard to arrange them. But I see all these yolk are moving around (i see tiny tail and yolk on the head). Is it hatched?. How it will look after hatch? still I haven't moved my female, I don't know when it spawn... planning to keep couple of hrs in the tank and then move to my bigger tank. Where can I get infusoria?

Thanks in advance!
 
4/17/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
Oops, wrong person.

They had to have been laid yesterday or the day before as they don't hatch in the same day. As long as they have the yolk (egg sac) they are fine, they will probably need infusoria by two days from now. If you have live plants in the tank, they will provide it. If not, get some floaty plants like anacharis or cambomba.

When moving them, make sure to use an air hose or turkey baster, as netting them this young can cause defects. It would also be a good idea to get ready for hatching brine shrimp or a vinegar eel or micro worm culture. Take care, Shannon
 
4/18/04   From: Naiyaga  To: IJEDIC
Hey, don't forget the Java Moss, Shannon.

Well, is it hanging down by its head in the bubble nest? Usually their tails will hang down from the nest, and when they start swimming around, you know to have the infusoria ready. Which is, as Shannon said, in about two days. Get ready to get the next foods, and get daddy away when they start swimming around. He'll try to keep them home in the nest as his parental instinct wanes, but soon he'll think of them as bite-sized snacks. Which is not a very good thing.

Well, good luck.   -Nai

PS: By the by, my bettas don't seem to want to breed. The female is bulgy and roe-filled, and the male has been on the conditioning diet. But he still flares and attacks, and when she's in the glass, he doesn't even try to build a bubblenest. The other one is so meek the female bullies him. We have problems. Definitely. Any suggestions?
 
4/18/04   From: IJEDIC  To: Naiyaga
LOL I don't have java moss, yet.On the bettas, did you wait until day 14 for breeding them? How large is the breeding tank? Is there a nest?

If no on the nest and 14 days they aren't ready. If yes, then try introducing her in the evening after sunset. They will breed with the sun rising. Do a big water change on the breeding tank the day before you take her out of the hurricane. You can also try waiting until a day they are calling for rain. Take care, Shannon
 
4/18/04   From: enaveen  To: Naiyaga
I have some live plants that look like anacharis,Baby Tears and Amazon Sword in the breeding tank. Is this enough for feeding the fry for first week? Or do I still need to have green water? I moved the Dad from breeding tank today and frys seemed to be swimming. I can see the eyes and tail in them, but still with the yolk.  I want to remove couple of plastic plants from the tank but looks like it will be very hard to separate the frys.

Good Luck with your betta!
 
4/19/04   From: Naiyaga  To: enaveen
Green water sounds like it'll do.  Get the bbs ready now, or get the frozen kind soon. The plastic stuff is fine. Leave it be.

Thanks.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Fourteen days? Agh. Well, I dunno. I did a water change, and he's blowing bubbles now. I'll go check on them.............(female's in a glass) Darn him. I have no patience, sry. Methinks I'll go back to working with them and waiting for the bbs to mature... Oh, what's the diff btw brewers yeast and dry yeast? Can I feed either to the bbs? and when do I start?

Thanks,   -Nai
 
4/19/04   From: enaveen  To: Naiyaga
Thanks! Here is my fry photo. http://home.comcast.net/~enaveen/fry.JPG

More questions...LOL  I see lot of fry sticked on the glass corners are dead (white like tiny fungus ). Any suggestion on removing them? When do I start the first water change? I guess from day 5 onwards I should start feeding them brine shrimp. I see some oilly stuff on the water surface, Is it from the eggs?

4/20/04   From: Naiyaga  To: enaveen
Hmm.  Okay. Well....maybe a cory or two...

I dunno if corydoras eat dead fish, but I'll hazard the guess. They usually leave babies alone, too. So they may help with that. Water change...hmm...not sure when, but know how. Take a coffee filter, tie it tightly over the tube, and start changing. Be careful about putting new water in. Temp and water pressure as it rushes onto their little fragile heads.... Try a little bbs on day five. If they can eat them, they'll eat them. If they're over .5 cm long, they should eat them.

Oil? No problem, leave it be. I changed my water, didn't touch it, and lo and behold! The next day the whole surface was oil. Stupid fish. It's probably from the fry...or the eggs....well, don't worry about it.

Good Luck!  -Nai
 
4/20/04   From: Patrick  To: enaveen
Only thing about oil is that gouramis need to ge to the surface to breath, and the oil will build up and get too thick to get through.  Use a low-power or adjustable air stone and pump to keep the surface moving, and it will go away.
 
4/20/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
and don't forget the plastic wrap. If they surface while the labyrinth is forming, a draft will kill them. As for the oil, you can take a regular paper towel, lay it on the water surface, and that will get a bunch of it. For water changes in fry tanks, air hose is the way to go...Have a good one, and keep them photos coming! Shannon
 
4/21/04   From: enaveen  To: IJEDIC
Thanks all!  This is getting interesting day by day.... AS I told you, frys are now in 10 gallon tank, closed with a hood with light on all the time.  Is the hood enough or do I still have to find a way to cover with a wrap???

Can I give the frys ' liquid fry food' ? I bought one from petstore that says ' Wardley Liquid Fry food'... Also what is a draft??? Please explain.

Thanks.

4/21/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
Yeah, you still need the wrap. The air above the water needs to be warmer than the water. You can tell it's right, when there is condensation on the glass. A draft is when cooler air comes into the tank, if the air is colder than the water it will cause the forming labyrinth to expand and burst. Personally I wouldn't go with the liquid fry food. It fouled my tanks something awful. You could try it, but be prepared for extra water changes. I'd stick with bbs, microworms, or vinegar eels. Take care, Shannon
 
4/22/04   From: Naiyaga  To: IJEDIC
-shudders-

Same here. Liquid fry food...ugh.  Well, this is fun...^.^  I'm learning too. I'll be breeding my bettas soon, so we can both figure this out. Consider the last question most.... ...What day is it for the fry? Oh, how is mommy and daddy doing? ....When they grow up, what are you gonna do with them?

Good luck!  -Nai
 
4/22/04   From: IJEDIC  To: Naiyaga
....What day is it for the fry? If you are referring to bettas, I'd start them on bbs or micro worms on day 4. ....When they grow up, what are you gonna do with them? Sell them of course. Or you could always buy more tanks...
 
4/26/04   From: enaveen  To: IJEDIC
Hi,
Here is the latest update... Frys started dying (almost 20-40), I changed the water and found small worms on the water (tiny white). I think the worms are from dead leaf. Also the frys are not eating the live bbs, runs away from bbs. It's really hard to remove the waste left out by its parents. Tried using hose and filter bag but couldn't remove all the wastes. Planning to clean the whole tank. Any suggestion? Every time you feed or change water, you may need to remove the wrapper. How you guys manage? Doesn't that afect the fry (DRAFT) ?? .

Thanks in advance!

4/26/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
For feeding, I only remove a corner. For water changes, I pull back the wrap, and make sure the air conditioner is off. It is normal with your first spawn to lose at least half. Try using a length of air hose for removing gunk off the bottom. The shrimp only will live in the freshwater for a few to several hours, and once dead, they will foul the water. I use an air hose to siphon any left overs. Keep adding green water (unless you have plants). Maybe they are too small yet for the bbs. My bettas run away from it the first couple feedings, but then figure it is food. Are the parents still with the fry? Are you seeing dead bodies, or missing fry? If they are "missing" the parents may be eating them. I would move the parents. Take care, Shannon
 
4/26/04   From: enaveen  To: IJEDIC
Thanks!
I moved the parents long back. Do you think it may be dying bcz of not enough food? I haven't added green water at all. I guess the plants are not providing enough food. I am planning to try Hikari product "First Bites" , I don't know how much it will help.
 
4/26/04   From: IJEDIC  To: enaveen
Is it a powdered food? If so, then go ahead and try it. Just make sure to remove leftovers. Take care, Shannon
 
4/30/04   From: Naiyaga  To: IJEDIC
Meep. Sorry for not talking sooner. Yeah, add some green water. I think it's best if you did. Hikari First Bites....well, it looks like it's too big for guppy fry (52-3,1 stillborn). If you do, well, do they eat off the surface? If they won't eat it off, soak it in a little water, or sprinkle it in water and stir then feed. It's been two weeks. Queenie is meeting King. Both are bettas, no duh, and I'm praying the babies survive. Some, anyway. Plenty of green water; we have a pond.

Good luck with them!  ~Nai