# gourami breeding question



## James_stace (Oct 30, 2010)

my male dwarf gourami has made his nest and my question is can you see the eggs ounce they are in the nest? the male is being aggressive towards my female when she goes near the nest but she has plenty of places to hide  is he being aggressive becasue he wants the female to lay the eggs or because he is guarding them? i cant see anything in there other than bubbles and pieces of my plants he has destroyed to add to it

cheers james


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## Bill Pape (Oct 1, 2010)

James,
Very exciting! I can't get mine to build a bubble nest. 

The eggs should be opaque white about the same size as the bubbles. The eggs will all be exactly the same size and you should be able to see them, whereas the bubbles are all slightly different sizes. After mating, the female should be removed. Once the eggs are hatched and they start swimming out of the nest, you should take the male out, too.

If they have not mated, I think the male chases either because he is showing off or because he is frustrated that the female is not receptive. If she shows any signs of injury or she is afraid of the male, don't try to breed them. If the female won't even come out to eat, separate them immediately. 

Hope this helps.


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

my DGs were quick to build bubble nests when I put them in the tank at first, but after about a week they haven't shown any interest since...

are you 100% positive the other is a female and not another male?


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

You are lucky to have found a female Dwarf! Remove the female, the male is just protecting the nest. Gouramis and Bettas get very agresive tword their mate when spawning. Once the fry become free swimming you can remove the male if you want to. Get ready for lots of small babies. I have had sucess raising egg laying babies with lots of plants. Lots of protozoa and algae grow on plants that the babies like to feed on. There is also some dry food you can get, designed for small fry.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I would look at his behavior to see if they have spawned.Does he chase the female off,then dart back to the nest?Does he stick his nose in the nest and seem to be moving things about or is he just under it?When the female comes near does he flare out any and strut before he strikes?If hes nosing the nest theres eggs in it and i would remove the female.Also,you need to start hatching baby brine shrimp as in my experience the fry of egg layers will not eat anything thats not moving.You can try and fool them by sprinkling some of the powdery fry food (Just a very small amount,when you see them swimming)and spray the surface with a water bottle with dechlored water,set to mist.I have done this,with mixed results.

If possible get some pics of the male and female so we can all be sure it is a male and a female and not two males.


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## Bill Pape (Oct 1, 2010)

The fry will eat hard boiled egg yolk. You take small amt and force it through a wet handkerchief to break up the particles. But you should move to the baby brine shrimp soon. I read that the egg yolk can constipate them (reference Herbet Axelrod.)


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

NeonShark666 said:


> You are lucky to have found a female Dwarf!


agreed... I've been looking all around here for one. my LFS got a shipment in yesterday, Dwarf Gouramis included; not a single female...


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## James_stace (Oct 30, 2010)

no eggs . i ordered her from a local fish shop after i got the male because they ordered in 30 males and no female . they said noone wants them which i find suprising. she did cost me a lot but i think she was worth it  (or if they wont breed then she wasnt).when i turned the tank light on this morning the nest was a lot smaller and he wasnt acting like he had yesterday so i think he gave up. he isnt showing any sign of aggression now and as im watching them they are both swimming together (so cute). i do have a separate tank that has been cycling for 3 weeks now so i hope that is ready if he tries again. i have to say watching him built that nest was better than any tv program .
cheers for all of your help, james


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## automatic-hydromatic (Oct 18, 2010)

not many people want them because they're said to be not as attractive looking as the males (less colorful), but they're definitely sought after by breeders


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## Skybox (Nov 13, 2010)

If possible get some pics of the male and female so we can all be sure it is a male and a female and not two males. I've have been looking for a Female as well.


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