Dwarf Gourami make a great addition to any fish tank. They are an easily-breedable fish that can provide hours of entertainment for you and your family.
In this blog post, we will discuss how to breed Dwarf Gourami in your own home aquarium. This is a process that is easier than you might think, so read on for instructions on how to get started!
How to Breed Dwarf Gourami at Home?
If you have a breeding pair of Dwarf Gourami in your tank, they will eventually lay eggs. If you want to increase the number of fish you have, you can let them hatch and grow into fry. However, this will take time and patience on your part!
In order to successfully breed Dwarf Gourami in home aquariums, you will need:
- A breeding pair of Dwarf Gourami
- Aspen or gravel substrate, depending on your preference. Alternatively, you can use a spawning mop (like this one ).
- An air stone and air pump to provide oxygen to the fry as they free-swim and an egg crate to place on top of the tank.
- A 5-gallon tank with a mesh lid (to provide aeration) and an air stone/pump, filter, and heater.
- A water testing kit (like this one ). You will need to test the ammonia levels frequently throughout the process!
- One or two small, shallow dishes for the larvae to feed in.
- Fish flakes (like these ) and liquid fry food (like this one ). If you can’t find these locally, order online on sites like PetCo.
- Live plants, if desired (they will provide shade and shelter for the young fish). You can also use Java Moss, though it’s not as pretty.
- Optional: A net breeder (like this one ) to help transfer the fry from tank to tank without them getting eaten!
Now that you have everything set up and ready to go, it’s time to perform a water change on your main aquarium. This will remove any excess ammonia, which could be fatal for your young fish.
After the water change is complete, catch the female and move her to your 5-gallon breeding tank. The male can stay in the main aquarium for now!
At this point, you should add a substrate to your breeding tank. Choose Aspen or gravel or a spawning mop, depending on your preference. The Aspen provides a surface for the female to lay her eggs on, while the gravel or mop does not. If you use a spawning mop, you can move it back and forth between tanks as needed.
Once the substrate is in place, add an air stone and pump so that the fry have plenty of oxygen as they free-swim. You should also add an egg crate to the breeding tank, which will provide shelter for your pupfish.
Next, you can look forward to watching the spawning process! The female will deposit her eggs on the substrate (or mop). In a few hours, she may lay another batch of eggs on the same spot that the first batch was laid. The male will then fertilize the eggs, and they should hatch after about 24 hours.
The fry will stay on top of the substrate until their yolk sacs are used up (usually around 48-72 hours). At this point, you can feed them liquid fry food or microscopic baby brine shrimp.
However, the fry are still very small at this point. They will need to eat several times per day for the next few weeks so that they can grow! At about 3-4 weeks of age, you should be able to feed them regular fish flake food. At this time, it is also a good idea to move them into another aquarium that has plenty of plants for them to grow and hide in.
And that’s it! If you follow these steps, you should have successfully bred Dwarf Gourami. Keep in mind that the entire process can take up to four weeks, depending on your tank size and how many fish are being bred. If you have any questions about Dwarf Gourami breeding, feel free to ask away in the comments!
