How to Breed Gouramis

Gouramis are attractive egg-laying tropical fish, a number of which build bubble-nests in which they lay their eggs and keep their young. The various species of gouramis all have similar requirements, but bubble-nest species must be placed in breeding tanks with very mild water movement, to prevent destroying their nests. The dwarf gourami is a popular species to breed.

Things You'll Need

  • Adult male and female gouramis
  • 10-gallon breeding aquarium
  • Aquarium gravel
  • Filter sponge
  • 2-foot piece of 0.75-inch-diameter air line tubing
  • Vibrator pump
  • Plastic aquarium clamp
  • Aquarium heater
  • Six tall aquatic plants
  • Low-watt florescent tube
  • Main aquarium
  • Newly hatched brine shrimp
  • Liquid fry food for egg layers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill a 10-gallon breeding aquarium with water from your main Gourami aquarium. A depth of 6 inches is adequate for this breeding tank.

    • 2

      Place a thin layer of aquarium gravel on the bottom of the tank.

    • 3

      Remove the transparent top of a small internal filter and insert the filter sponge. Replace the top and attach a 0.72-diameter piece of air line tubing to the hard plastic stem on this filter. Push the opposite end of the air line tubing over the exhaust nipple of a vibrator pump. Position the filter in a back corner of the breeding aquarium.

    • 4

      Place a plastic aquarium clamp onto the air line and adjust it to prevent the filter from producing a powerful current.

    • 5

      Set an aquarium heater to 80 degrees F. Use the adhesive suction cups on the holder to attach the heater to the inside glass pane.

    • 6

      Place six tall aquatic plants into the breeding tank, and position a clay pot on its side on the gravel. Gourami males typically harass their mates, and it is important to provide females with hiding and resting places.

    • 7

      Use a low-watt fluorescent tube in the breeding aquarium canopy to create subdued lighting.

    • 8

      Place the female Gourami into the breeding aquarium approximately two weeks before introducing the male, and wait for signs that she is gravid before the actual introduction. Your female will develop a rounded abdomen as the eggs develop within her body. Condition the female by feeding a high-quality commercial diet, which is supplemented with live foods, such as blood worms and brine shrimp.

    • 9

      Place the male into the breeding tank and observe the female building her bubble-nest, which she will do very soon after the male has been introduced.

    • 10

      Observe the mating, during which the male will curl his body around the female. The male will release his milt or sperm as the female releases her eggs, which are fertilized in the water.

    • 11

      Watch the female as she collects and places her eggs into the bubble-nest.

    • 12

      Remove both parents once all the eggs have been placed into the nest.

    • 13

      Turn off the sponge filter and siphon approximately half of the water from the breeding tank.

    • 14

      Look out for hatchlings one day after the eggs were laid.

    • 15

      Wait for the fry to leave the nest and become free swimming in the aquarium, which will happen three to five days after hatching. Feed the fry newly hatched brine shrimp and liquid fry food for egg layers. Feed three times a day, but only the amount that the fry can eat within a five- to ten-minute period

    • 16

      Transfer the young gouramis to your main, display aquarium once they reach ½-inch in length.