Are you thinking about breeding gourami fish? It’s a great way to increase the population of this beautiful fish in your tank, and it’s not as difficult as you may think. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of breeding gourami fish so you can get started right away..
How to Breed Gourami Fish – What You’ll Need
You’ll need to have a male and female gourami fish, of course. Breeding gourami takes patience, but it isn’t difficult once you get the hang of it.
Breeding Gourami Requires Patience
Keep in mind that breeding takes time – at least several weeks, and usually longer. Getting your male fish to breed with the female fish can take some time.
What is Spawning?
Spawning is what happens when you introduce a male gourami fish to a female gourami fish in an attempt to get them to breed. The male will wrap his body around the female, and he will release his sperm into her.
In most cases, the female will be able to lay between 200 and 500 eggs on a surface of choice (i.e., leaves). She’ll then protect the eggs until they hatch, which usually takes about 10 days.
How to Breed Gourami Fish – Getting Ready for Spawning
To prepare for spawning, you should know that your gourami fish will be happier if the water temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You should also make sure that there are floating plants in the tank to provide a suitable location for the eggs. The male will build a nest before he starts to spawn, so it’s important to provide something safe for him to use.
How to Breed Gourami Fish – Introducing the Male & Female
Now that you have your breeding tank set up, it’s time to introduce the female gourami fish into the water first. You should leave her in there for about an hour before adding the male. This will give her time to get used to the tank and the available space.
It’s time to introduce your male gourami fish next. You need to make sure that they are in the same tank together for at least 24 hours before spawning will occur. This is when you’ll begin to see some “courting” behavior, but don’t be too alarmed if the fish swim away from each other after a while.
How to Breed Gourami Fish – Spawning
Spawning could happen as soon as the male and female gourami fish are introduced to one another, but it’s more likely to happen a few days later. Watch for the male wrapping himself around the female, which is a sign that she is ready to spawn.
Once they begin spawning, you need to make sure that your tank is safe for the eggs. Breeding gourami requires some patience, so monitor the tank closely and remove any dead leaves from the bottom of the tank since they can breed bacteria. Eggs should hatch in about 10 days, after which time you can remove the parents.
How to Breed Gourami Fish – Raising the Fry
The eggs should hatch within eight to 10 days, and you can usually tell when they’re ready because of their size (they’ll be about as big as a grain of sand). The fry will feed off of microscopic organisms in your tank, but if that’s not enough you can feed them infusoria or brine shrimp.
You’ll need to keep a close eye on the fry at this point, too, especially because they are so tiny and delicate. Keep water changes to a minimum since these can throw off the pH balance of your tank and may kill all the fry. Use an ammonia monitor to make sure the water quality stays up.
After about a week, you can add microworms or baby brine shrimp to the fish’s diet.
How to Breed Gourami Fish – Tips for Successful Breeding
There are a few things that can increase your chances of successful breeding when it comes to gourami fish. The first is to make sure that you use a pair of gourami fish that are the same size and weight.
Spawning will also be successful if your tank is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, has enough space for the fish to swim in, and is well-planted with floating plants. You should add floating plants before introducing the male into the tank, because this will help him build a suitable nest.
Lastly, you must keep the water in your breeding tank clean at all times since it can affect how successful spawning is.
I hope this article was able to answer your questions about breeding gourami fish. If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comments section below.
