How Long Are Gourami Fish Pregnant For? 7 Facts to Know

Gourami fish can be pregnant and carry their young for a period of up to fourteen weeks. This is approximately six months. It all depends on the size of the fish, as to how long they are pregnant. In general gourami fish breed in shallow waters where they live.

What Do I Need To Make A Pond For Gourami Fish?

To make a pond suitable to breed gourami fish you must have little vegetation as they produce lots of oxygen. Planting floating plants such as lilies and frogbit will help with the oxygen levels by providing shade for your fish, so they can stay cool and comfortable, as well as keeping them fed. You must also have a filter in order to keep the water clean.

What Temperature Should The Water Be For Breeding?

The water temperature should be around seventy degrees Fahrenheit. It is important not to vary too much in the temperature of the water, for this will make your fish pregnant for longer than expected. You can help prevent this from happening by adding a small aquarium heater to your pond, which will help you regulate the water temperature.

What Should I Feed My Gourami Fish?

In order to produce large healthy fry, you must feed the female gourami fish plenty of protein and good quality food such as bloodworms and brine shrimp at least four times a day. This will give them plenty of energy to build up the eggs and carry the fry and will also help prevent any infections in your fish.

What Must I Do After My Gourami Fish Has Given Birth?

After your gourami fish has given birth, you must remove her from the pond for between two weeks and a month. This is because the fry will be very small and not able to feed upon their own, so they are reliant upon their mother for food. If you keep the mother in the pond with her young then she may stop feeding herself, which will result in death for both fish.

What Happens To The Fry?

After the female gourami fish has given birth, she will look after her fry for roughly four weeks. She will continue to feed them small amounts of food that she finds in the pond. At this stage they are not able to eat anything else and can be easily killed by other fish or predators in your pond. 

Once they are about two to three weeks old they will be able to eat food on their own and you must provide them with frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp at least twice a day. They will continue to grow rapidly during their first month, but slow down after this point. After four months of age they are fully grown, which is about six inches long.

Do Gourami Fish Need To Be Separated From Other Fish?

Yes, if you want to breed gourami fish then they must be separated from other types of fish. It is said that the more species of fish in the pond, the less likely it will result in any successful breeding. This can be for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that the fish are not encouraged to breed when there are other fish in the same area.

How Can Gourami Fish Be Kept Together?

When gourami fish are kept together it’s important to make sure they can all fit in a breeding hole. The female will need enough room to get in and out of the hole, but it cannot be too large or there is a chance that the male will go in with her and this can cause problems.

How Many Females Can Be Kept With One Male? (Gourami Fish)

You should only keep one female gourami fish with one male. Keeping more than one female with the same male will result in infighting and stress for all of them.

How Much Space Is Necessary To Breed (Gourami Fish)?

You need to make sure that gourami fish have plenty of room in their breeding hole, as this will allow the eggs to fall down into the plants from the water above. Each hole must have several plants so that they can go in and out without being too stressed.

In Conclusion

Finally, when you are breeding your gourami fish it is important to remember that the brighter the light in your pond, the less likely they are to breed. You must also keep them away from predatory fish and predators such as herons, otters and raccoons. This will help ensure both successful breeding and healthy Gourami fish.