Breeding Dwarf Gourami can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s important to avoid making common mistakes. In this article, we will discuss the top 10 mistakes people make when breeding these fish.
10 Dwarf Gourami Breeding Mistakes You Should Avoid
Dwarf Gourami is a popular choice for a first-time fish breeder. They are relatively easy to breed and care for, and they typically produce a large number of flies. However, there are some common mistakes that people make when breeding these fish. Here they are:
#1: Inappropriate Conditions for Breeding
A mistake that can lead to all the other mistakes on this list is breeding Dwarf Gouramis in the wrong conditions. This means keeping them under inappropriate water parameters, such as high temperatures and strong currents.
In fact, this is one of the biggest mistakes people make when breeding these fish – they actually keep them in conditions that are too good.
The whole idea behind breeding Dwarf Gouramis is to mimic their natural habitat, where they live in rice paddies and other slow-moving waters of Southeast Asia.
For this reason, it’s important to provide them with very calm water conditions, preferably without any filtration (although regular weekly water changes are always recommended).
High temperatures and strong currents can stress the fish out, causing them to fail in their attempts at spawning.
Another reason why it’s important to use appropriate conditions for breeding Dwarf Gouramis is that they get easily agitated when kept in difficult conditions. This will make them less likely to spawn or even eat their own fry.
#2: Not enough space for fry
While it’s generally not a good idea to overcrowd the tank, Dwarf Gourami babies grow extremely quickly and need lots of room to be comfortable and develop properly. You will need at least 10 gallons (40L) per breeding pair if you want them to spawn successfully.
If you don’t provide them with enough space, they will become stressed out and the fry won’t develop properly.
#3: Inappropriate Diet
Dwarf Gouramis are omnivorous fish, which means that their diet should consist of both meaty and plant-based foods. However, when breeding Dwarf Gouramis, it’s best to feed them only meaty foods.
The reason for this is that the fry needs lots of protein in order to develop properly; plant-based foods lack nutrients that are vital for proper development.
For example, when feeding flake food or pellets, choose the kind with high amounts of animal proteins (such as beef or chicken).
If you want to feed them live food, make sure it’s only newly-molted brine shrimp and perhaps some other meaty foods such as bloodworms or mosquito larvae.
#4: Not removing dead fry from the tank
Dead Dwarf Gourami fry can pose a serious health risk to the entire colony. If left in the tank, they can contaminate the water and make your fish sick.
The best way to prevent this is by carefully checking the entire tank every day and removing any dead fry as soon as you see them. Check all of the plants and decorations too; it’s very easy for the fry to get trapped in those places.
#5: Not moving fry into a separate tank
Once the fry reaches about 1 inch in size, it must be moved into a separate tank. The reason for this is because Dwarf Gourami fry is extremely aggressive towards each other.
When kept together, the more dominant ones will constantly harass and bully the weaker ones, often leading to their death.
To avoid this, provide them with a separate tank in which they can grow up in peace.
#6: Inappropriate water temperature for the tank
Another common mistake that people make when breeding Dwarf Gouramis is keeping the temperature of the entire tank at very high levels. The reason behind this is that most aquarium heaters have inaccurate temperature displays and can give false readings.
In fact, it’s best to keep the entire tank at a temperature that is roughly 1-2 degrees warmer than the room temperature. In other words, if you have an aquarium heater, don’t use it!
This is another reason why it’s important to provide them with very calm water conditions – it keeps the temperature of the water at a steadier level.
#7: Inappropriate tank mates for breeding Dwarf Gouramis
Dwarf Gouramis are very peaceful fish with slow and steady movements, which is why they should be kept alone or in small groups composed only of their own species.
In most cases, they can also be kept with other peaceful species such as tetras (like Glowlight Tetra and Cardinal Tetra ), Danios, Corydoras catfish, and some bottom-dwelling fish such as loaches.
The only exception is the False Honey Gourami, which sometimes gets aggressive when spawning or if food is scarce. It can even prey on the fry!
#8: Not using a breeding trap (if breeding in a community tank)
If you’re planning to breed Dwarf Gouramis in a community tank, it’s advised that you use a special breeding trap designed for this purpose. These small containers will protect your female and her young from any predators or other fish that might eat them.
Just make sure the breeding trap is big enough for your adult female to fit inside – some of them are a bit small and can cause problems if they’re too tight for your fish. You should also allow some extra space around the trap so that it doesn’t get stuck on either side of the tank after being pushed through the openings.
The most important thing is to watch out for your female when she’s laying her eggs – make sure she doesn’t get trapped inside or stuck on one side of the tank! You should also check to see if the trap moves freely from one place to another.
You can use a normal container instead, but it can be very difficult to find the eggs afterward.
#9: Incorrect water condition for the fry
Another common mistake that people make is to provide their fry with conditions that are too peaceful. When this happens, the fry will often become extremely slow and weak because they don’t get enough food or exercise. As a result, they may be unable to feed themselves, which can cause them to die.
The reason behind this is that the water in most tanks has a very high surface tension due to the constant exposure to air, which makes it difficult for young fry to move around. They might be able to survive for some time if they find enough food on their own, but it’s best to get them into a separate tank with faster water movement sooner rather than later.
#10: Weak fry that is slow to swim
If you start noticing that your Dwarf Gourami fry is taking a long time before they start swimming around and looking for food, there’s a good chance that their fins and tails have become too weak to propel them through the water.
It’s normal for this to happen from time to time because Dwarf Gouramis have very delicate fins and tails, but you can solve this problem by adding a bit of salt to your tank. This will increase the density of the water so it has a harder surface tension, which means that fry should be able to swim around more easily.
It’s also a good idea to provide them with a strong water current that can help stimulate their fins and tails so they fatten up and become stronger.
Final Thoughts…
I hope this article has helped you learn what not to do when keeping Dwarf Gouramis. If you follow the advice found in this post, it should make your fish much happier and healthier!
If you want to read similar articles, we recommend you visit our Blog page.
Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. And don’t forget to share this post with your friends if you found it helpful! 🙂
