PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
I just had a big panic.... this time I thought my honey gourami was hovering at the surface..... he is making a bubble nest!!! Ok... so my honey gourami research didn't read to the mating activities. LOL
A Bubble Nest!
- Thread starter PrairieSunflower
- Start date
The next sign is the male swimming vertically in front of a female with his nose in the air (as it were). That can be a bit alarming the first time you see it too.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
Oh! He was doing that too but no one was paying attention to him but me... that's how I saw his really badly done bubble nest. LOL His black coloring has come out a lot... do you think that is permanent not? (He is a gold colored honey gourami).
Mine are yellow coloured, the male is gold as you describe. Yes, mine does have black on his throat all the time, but there is more of it and it's more intense when he's 'in the mood'. Though the black isn't as extensive as in the wild coloured males I've had in the past.
In my experience, breeding goes - male displays to female, she ignores him; then she follows him a short way and turns away; then she follows him to the bubble nest and swims off; finally they spawn. This can take a few days. The male does get a bit exasperated when the female turns away and he gives chase, but apart from a few nips in the tail which heal quickly, no damage has been caused to the females.
My current male builds his nest behind the spray bar, all clumps of bubbles spread out with bits of salvinia between the clumps. I had one honey male years ago who never made a bubble nest, he just put them round the heater cable and surface tension held them in place.
In my experience, breeding goes - male displays to female, she ignores him; then she follows him a short way and turns away; then she follows him to the bubble nest and swims off; finally they spawn. This can take a few days. The male does get a bit exasperated when the female turns away and he gives chase, but apart from a few nips in the tail which heal quickly, no damage has been caused to the females.
My current male builds his nest behind the spray bar, all clumps of bubbles spread out with bits of salvinia between the clumps. I had one honey male years ago who never made a bubble nest, he just put them round the heater cable and surface tension held them in place.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
Ah! I think he will attempt to mate with my shy girl then. My two females have issues with each other and have finally settled each on one side of the tank and shy girl is on the male's side.
My male didn't even have a hint of black when I got him a few weeks ago... I keep thinking he looks dirty like he did a belly dunk in ink! LOL
I think I will get a few more floating plants... been debating whether to wait on the few I bought (unsure if I'd like them at the time) or to buy more. But he is rather fond of the corner they settle in.
My male didn't even have a hint of black when I got him a few weeks ago... I keep thinking he looks dirty like he did a belly dunk in ink! LOL
I think I will get a few more floating plants... been debating whether to wait on the few I bought (unsure if I'd like them at the time) or to buy more. But he is rather fond of the corner they settle in.
I've always had more trouble with trios than pairs with this species. The girls squabble more than a male harrasses a single female.
Males tend not to have as much black in shop tanks. When I bought a trio about 12 years ago, one female suddenly developed male colours overnight 3 weeks later. This fish was completely beige in the shop tank, no hint of any colour. This is why I now suggest getting a female from those with a stripe as you can't be sure with those females that don't have a stripe.
My male does like his corner. I have an internal filter with a mini spray bar. It's on the back of the tank about 2 inches from the corner with the spray bar pointing towards the front to the tank. The male has claimed the 2 inch wide strip of still water between the bar and the side of the tank. I always know when he's getting ready as he spends all his time there.
Males tend not to have as much black in shop tanks. When I bought a trio about 12 years ago, one female suddenly developed male colours overnight 3 weeks later. This fish was completely beige in the shop tank, no hint of any colour. This is why I now suggest getting a female from those with a stripe as you can't be sure with those females that don't have a stripe.
My male does like his corner. I have an internal filter with a mini spray bar. It's on the back of the tank about 2 inches from the corner with the spray bar pointing towards the front to the tank. The male has claimed the 2 inch wide strip of still water between the bar and the side of the tank. I always know when he's getting ready as he spends all his time there.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
Mine sleeps in his corner. I have one of those slightly taller anubias plants there and he likes to sleep on the leaves under the amazon frogbits.
I hope my females have calmed now... as it has been several days since they have worked out their issues with no further issues at all. I was going to add a few more females this week but since they seem so much better behaved I've decided not to... might add some more shrimp though.
I hope my females have calmed now... as it has been several days since they have worked out their issues with no further issues at all. I was going to add a few more females this week but since they seem so much better behaved I've decided not to... might add some more shrimp though.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
Now I'm wondering something... how likely are my honeys to successfully mate and raise babies? I'm not looking to add more fish... but they are the only 3 in there so it isn't the end of the world... but should they not successfully raise any... that is good too.
My gouramis have spawned many times over the years but as they have always been in a community tank the eggs have never survived to hatch. But a few months ago I found babies. How they lasted long to enough to hatch I don't know, with tetras, apistos and loaches in the tank (and yes my loaches do feed from the surface
). With just the three gouramis in there you probably stand more chance than me. But I think the fry are harder to raise than some fry because gourami fry have to grow their labyrinth organ and I'm sure I read somewhere that the air above the water must be moist and warm all the time or the fry can die during labyrinth development.
The babies didn't last long though once they started wandering off on their own.
The babies didn't last long though once they started wandering off on their own.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
I have quite a lot of surface agitation so maybe babies wouldn't manage to get to the surface anyway.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
Well lookie what I've found, wasn't there earlier today. He is doing a good job on guard duty as well.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
Bad news on the eggs front... two hours after I shut off the tank lights this happened:
But, that's ok... I don't want to be overrun with babies anyways.
But, that's ok... I don't want to be overrun with babies anyways.
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PrairieSunflower
Fish Gatherer
I wonder how they knew... my assassins aren't exactly known for bothering to climb the glass.
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