Gouramis Breeding

[halfbloodprincess]

Yesterday I bought a golden gourami for my fisht tank along with a couple of platys. And I already have a honey gourami. And the second the golden gourami was in the tank and the honey gourami had spotted him the honey gourami started to court the golden gourami. I think they are breeding! What shall I do?

 

[sylvia]

They aren't breeding - and they can't for that matter. The honey is probably displaying because he/she is annoyed at having this intruder put into the tank. What sexes are they (post pics if you're not sure)? BTW, if they were breeding, you'd see a bubblenest being built and they'd then go into an 'embrace' where the male raps his body round the female under the nest.

 

[halfbloodprincess]

I know they are not breeding at this very moment. I know everything that happens in the breeding process. The honey is a male, and the golden is a female. Couldnt it be possible since they are both gouramis? They would just be hybrids. And I wanted to know what to do about it.

 

[sylvia]

That they are both gouramies is entirely irrelevant - bettas are gouramies too and so are Osphronemus species. Most Betta species can't even hybridize with each other! 'Gourami' includes a huge number of species as well as a multitude of genera. Usually, only fish within the same genus can interbreed and, even then, not all (as demonstrated by the Betta genus). This is one case where they cannot interbreed (even though Colisa chuna/sota has been classified as a Trichogaster species as well). Even if they were geneticaly compatible, a male honey could never manage to rap his body around a golden due to the size difference so he couldn't fertilise her eggs.

Anyway, what should you do? Well I'd say they shouldn't really be in the same tank together at all because, once settled in, your golden could potentialy become aggressive towards the honey and even kill it which I don't personaly feel is worth the risk. However, as long as they are not attacking one another, they are fine to be left alone. You needn't do anything.

 

[halfbloodprincess]

Yes I have realized all this. I know he is not capable of even feritlizing her. I think he just likes her or just needs a friend. You see my other gourami has recently died and he has been very depressed. I think he is just glad to have a new friend. So far the new gourami is not the slightest bit aggressive. I believe it is a female. He has calmed down alot since yesterday. I think he just got a little excited at the sight of a new friend! I will show u a pic of them together, it is quite cute.