Male Pearl Gourami Behavior?

[gaz gun man]

I have noticed tonight my male pearl taking air from the surface and spitting it into one corner of the tank.

he has picked the corner furthest from the filter output.

I guess he is making (or trying anyway) a bubblenest?

Just wanted to make sure as I havent witnessed this behaviour before.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

I have noticed tonight my male pearl taking air from the surface and spitting it into one corner of the tank.

he has picked the corner furthest from the filter output.

I guess he is making (or trying anyway) a bubblenest?

Just wanted to make sure as I havent witnessed this behaviour before.

His readiness to start building a nest is usually accompanied by a red breasted coulor change....(I see nowadays with the new coulour straints developed this may also appear to be a heavy yellow) if this is also the case, then definitely and like dwarf gouramis, I've also seen them "strengthen" their nests by inserting pieces of plant amounst the bubbles.

 

[gaz gun man]

yeh he is definately nice and red

 

[Ludwig Venter]

yeh he is definately nice and red

Got any females in there with him??..... The peaceful ol pearl can get pretty persistant when he gets... uhm.....aroused...... ensure plenty hiding place for her.

 

[gaz gun man]

yep 1 female, the tank is pretty heavily planted to give her some rest

 

[Ludwig Venter]

yep 1 female, the tank is pretty heavily planted to give her some rest

The Pearl bubble nest ( in my experience) is a lot wider and the bubbles a lot finer than your average Bubble nest builder... be sure to have a little Cabomba in there as these are the type of vegetation that he likes to "support" his building with and if they're in there with other predatory fish, nothing will come of it, but (in my experience), once they're ready to breed, they can be moved to a single quarters & will just continue operations from there.

Do what ye have to do & good luck. (don't forget to move the female back to community after they've spawned, which you would recognize when the male exersts the bubbles from his gills rather than his mouth below the nest).

 

[gaz gun man]

I dont intend on breeding them, i'll leave him to his own devices, just wanted to make sure he actually was trying to build a nest as i am a fish newbie and havent witnessed this before