Breeding Dwarf Gouramis

[Fishkeeper2004]

Well, I have been doing alot of research lately, and it seems as though I am almost ready to start breeding the Dwarf Gourami. I have a 18.5 Gallon tank which im going to use for them to bond, they will the be tranferred to a 15 gallon tank for the breeding process, but I will add the female two days before the male.

Anyway, if I succesfully get the gouramis to spawn and the eggs hatch, I have a few questions that need answering.

1. Is it essential for me to lower the water level so they can develop their laybrinth? (sp)

2. They say about using some kind of glass to keep the tank warm and stop cold air getting in, I am confused about this. Surely I could just raise the temperature of the tank when the fry are born, I do I need to take precautions?

Thats all for now, as I know that they grow well in their first few weeks of live on cooked egg yolk crushes through a clothe into the tank, anyone who has bred these before, or knows how to, please post below.

Thank you.

 

[Ptarmigan]

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[Fishkeeper2004]

1. Is it essential for me to lower the water level so they can develop their laybrinth? (sp)

I dont think so, I did them (a very long time ago) in a 3ft x15x15 tank , with the water at about 12in. I think, if I remember right.
Edit , later, : Thinking more about that, not essential but perhaps may be a good idea . Often a good idea to keep water shallow for fry to be closer to the bottom where some of the food collects ?

2. They say about using some kind of glass to keep the tank warm and stop cold air getting in, I am confused about this.

The tank should have a close fitting glass cover to keep the air warm and moist for when the fry go to the surface and take their first gulp of air. I cant remember at what age that they do this ( it was just toooo ago that I did it !) I think it might also be a good idea even at the bubble nest stage to keep the air calm and warm and moist ?

I know that they grow well in their first few weeks of live on cooked egg yolk crushes through a clothe into the tank,.

Be careful, it is really easy to overfeed and pollute the tank using egg yolk.
The fry are really really small in Dwarfs, best do do green water and infusoria if you can.

Good luck.

Ok thanks, where can I purchase a close fitting glass cover, and how do they work?

 

[Ptarmigan]

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[Fishkeeper2004]

Ok thanks for your help, and also anyone who has bred the dwarfs, or other types of Gouramis feel free to post below and give me tips, this is my first attempt at breeding gouramis.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

There are sites online that sell glass covers. Try doing a google search for them. As for the rest.....never fed egg to my young!! EVER!! But then each to their own I guess. I don't lower the water level. Fer goodness sake ppl, (sorry if I sound abrupt, I have been drinking) think about the situation they live in in the wild. Does the water level decide to go down dramatically so their laberynth organ develops? No. Do they live on egg? No. Treat them as young fish. Food small enough to eat but not something that no one will give them as adults. Never stop feeding spawning parents. They will still develop and grow as they do anyway. There is no one right way to raise any fry anymore then there is of raising any other young.
Oh I'll shut up now. )
Hugs,
P.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Ok thanks for that, what did you feed the fry on when they were new-born then? I heard even finely crushed flake is too large, because the dwarf gourami fry are extremely small.

 

[Ptarmigan]

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[Fishkeeper2004]

Ok thanks for that, what did you feed the fry on when they were new-born then? I heard even finely crushed flake is too large, because the dwarf gourami fry are extremely small.

Like I said in my first post, green water and infusoria

The green water will feed the fry and feed the infusoria.
The infusoria (slightly larger) will feed the fry

Gotta go, time to cook evening meal c u later.

Ok thanks.

Any tips for actually conditioning the pairing, and giving the pair the best chance of having a successful spawn?

 

[sylvia]

Well, I have been doing alot of research lately, and it seems as though I am almost ready to start breeding the Dwarf Gourami. I have a 18.5 Gallon tank which im going to use for them to bond, they will the be tranferred to a 15 gallon tank for the breeding process, but I will add the female two days before the male.

This is fine and should work nicely. However, make sure you cycle both tanks first. The easiest method is to use an extra sponge filter in the 18.5 gallon which has the added benefit of not sucking up fry. If you fishless cycle the 18.5 gallon before adding any fish, then, when you've conditioned the adults and they are ready to move out into the 15 gallon, you can simply move the extra sponge filter along with the male to that tank and you'll get an instant cycle. Also, wait until the female is looking quite plump and/or the male is beginning to display and build nests before trying to move them. With dwarf especialy, moving them when they are not completely ready to breed may mean you need to repeat the whole thing all over again. Also, it's easier to get the fish to spawn if they are moved into seperate tanks, conditioned seperately on live/frozen foods and then put in the breeding tank and the temperature raised (to about 80 deg F).

Anyway, if I succesfully get the gouramis to spawn and the eggs hatch, I have a few questions that need answering.

1. Is it essential for me to lower the water level so they can develop their laybrinth? (sp)

This is not to enable the fry to develop their labyrinth. Some people choose to lower the water level in order to make feeding the fry easier or to help the male with his bublenest building if there are no tall plants or so it's easier for him to find fallen eggs or to make it easier for him to catch up with the female. It isn't necessary but may come in useful as lowering water level also sometimes has the effect of triggering them to spawn.

2. They say about using some kind of glass to keep the tank warm and stop cold air getting in, I am confused about this. Surely I could just raise the temperature of the tank when the fry are born, I do I need to take precautions?

All this reffers to is covering the tank in some way so that the AIR above the water doesn't get too cold. Realy, this is somewhat a myth and the fry would be fine as long as you don't have a fan or something blowing across the top of the water. Having said that, it's useful to have a hood/cover that also includes a light fixture as it will help the male pick up fallen eggs/retrieve fry and is also helpful to the fry when they are looking for food. Oh and don't make any alterations to the water temp/pH etc when the fry have just hatched. They tend to be rather sensitive to such fluctuations. Having said that, one thing you SHOULD do is frequent water changes and remember to remove the male (you'll have removed the female already) as soon as the fry are free swimming. You need to reduce pollution as much as possible so, also, if you had lowered the water level, by the end of the first week you should have begun to increase it gradualy again. For water changes, syphon debris out into a white bucket so you can spot fry and return them to the tank.

One more thing - gouramies can and will jump so having a cover on the tank is probably a good idea regardless of whether you are breeding the fish or not.

Thats all for now, as I know that they grow well in their first few weeks of live on cooked egg yolk crushes through a clothe into the tank, anyone who has bred these before, or knows how to, please post below.

Though you can feed young fry with egg yolk, the egg is extremely messy and can become problematic. For one, you only need a very tiny amount but you do need to feed it quite often and it gets the water dirty very quickly. Bad water quality is something fry won't tolerate. A better option - at least for the first few days - is infusoria. Infusoria are tiny organisms that will grow if you place a jar of tank water containing a piece of lettuce somewhere where there is a fair amount of sunlight. The water will first turn cloudy white (bacteria) and then clear up and become greenish. The green stuff is the infusoria that feed on the bacteria. Live snails also tend to support infusoria so having a few in a planted fry tank increases the amount of infusoria around. Alternatively, commercial liquid egg-layer fry foods tend to be made to encourage infusoria to grow rather than directly feeding fry and would work fine as a first food. After about 5 days, fry can take microworms or newly hatched brine shrimp as well. Many will be large enough to eat these foods earlier as well. If you don't have access to these live foods, this is when egg yolk may become a necessary substitute.

One last thing, are you set on dwarf gouramies? Though they are relatively easy to breed and raise, it's much more likely that you'll get a good number surviving if you begin with something easier like three-spots. Dwarfs are ok too though - and smaller and less aggressive.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Just make sure they're both happy and secure in their surroundings. Liquifry for egg layers is an easy one to find and feed the fry too. And yes, they really are tiny when born. You may not even see them to start with. I thought I had an extra large bacteria in the tank for a very short time b4 I realised they were fry.
Conditioning wise, apart from te above mentioned.......some say plenty of live food and extra clean water (If such a thing is possible). Can't say since from my experience, if they're happy they'll breed.
*Note to self* Move larger fry, they are getting too big to be in breeding tank now. Doh.
Hugs,
P.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Thanks for all your help, it looks like I am all set now, I just have to find a suitable pair, do you think I should stock a male and a female, or a male and two females?

Also, I have a hood on my 18.5 and thats cycled, and im getting the 15 gallon tank probably tommorow to start the cycling, and that will also have a hood.