Breeding Dwarf Gouramis - A Love/hate Relationship?!

[Joolz]

Hi there,

I recently removed a female fully grown dwarf gourami into a heavily planted breeding tank for 2 days before adding the male who is also fully grown (following all advice about breeding them that I could find on various websites). I have slowly raised the temp to 27 degrees and have minimised surface water movement. In the community tank the male used to boss the female around a little and he had begun to 'blow bubbles' which I thought could be an attempt to make his first bubble nest. Over the last few days he has not made any attempt to start a bubble nest but he is becoming increasingly aggressive towards the female - even seeking her out when she is hiding in plants - purely to chase her around the tank. Should I abandon the breeding attempt or is there anything I can do to encourage breeding? I have other female dwarf gouramis in the community tank (powder blues and reds) would it be helpful to add another female?

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Joolz

 

[sylvia]

Was the breeding tank cycled? The female is not going to want to spawn if she has to deal with high ammonia or nitrite levels. Similarly, you can't expect the male to build a nest under such circumstances.

Did you condition them? The female would have been better prepaired for breeding if you'd kept her in the breeding tank for about a week and spent this time feeding her live and frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia etc.

Does the female look gravid? It's not enough for her to be fully grown.

What I suggest is that you put the male back in the main tank (this is assuming the breeding tank is cycled) but keep the female in there, with the high temp. and gentle current etc and spend some time making sure she is in breeding condition (and give her a chnce to recover from the stress). Then try again. Next time, also, use a bag or breeding net when you introduce the male so that he can see the female and she can see him but the male cannot chase her.

If she shows interest or he starts building a nest, you'll know things are more likely to turn out well Lowering the water level can also help sometimes - as can providing a few floating plants. A water change a day before you add the male is also a good idea so that you don't need to worry about water quality immediately once/if they spawn.

 

[Joolz]

The breeding tank was cycled thoroughly and both male and female gouramis were fed well on live and frozen foods and looked in peak condition. The female looks gravid and I have checked the water quality and all is well.

The male started to build a bubble nest yesterday but then he chased the female around the tank and, in the process, the nest was destroyed. The tank has plenty of places for the female to shelter and hide but she insists on swimming near him which always results in a chase. He has now built a new nest that is about 2 x 2 inches. It is mostly plant based material with a small quantity of bubbles.

Is it worth leaving her in there a little longer? I would hate to lose her because of his bullying but they do seem close to spawning.

Argh - why did I think it would be a great experience to try to breed them??!! It is more stressful than my own children being born!

Julianne

 

[sylvia]

Just how serious is the aggression? If he isn't actualy harming her, you can afford to leave them in the tank a little longer but, if she is particularly stressed, it may be best to seperate them. Do you happen to have some sort of divider? If you could seperate them after a day or two but still allow them to see each other, you may have better luck later on. It does sound like the male is ready to breed so you just have to hope the female is in the mood to spawn as well and that the male reaslises he needs to be a little more gentle with her