How Do Gouramis Breed? A Detailed Guide to Breeding Methods and Steps
Gouramis are small tropical ornamental fish that can be kept in captivity. They are omnivorous and fairly aggressive in temperament, and can be kept together with other tropical fish of mild temperament and similar size. So, how do gouramis breed?
1. How do gouramis breed?
Gouramis reproduce by laying eggs. Several strands of floating aquatic plants can be placed in an aquarium of 60X40X40cm or larger. A sexually mature male will blow bubbles to build a nest, then chase the female to spawn. The male takes the fertilized eggs into his mouth and spits them into the bubbles to incubate. The female lays 500 to 1000 eggs each time. After spawning is finished, remove the female, leaving the male to care for the eggs. After 2 days, once the fry hatch, remove the male.
2. Physical Characteristics of Gouramis
1. Blue gourami
The body is oval and laterally compressed, with a medium-sized head and large eyes located at the center of the sides of the head. The chest and belly form a long arc extending to the end of the caudal peduncle. The pelvic fins are thoracic in position and have degenerated into filaments reaching the tail, serving as tactile organs.
Adults are about 10 to 15 cm long. The whole body is blue-gray, the belly is pale yellow, and under dim light the body gives off a gorgeous, colorful violet hue. There are 3 black spots on the sides of the body. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins are gray, and each fin bears white pearl-like spots.
2. Yellow gourami
The dorsal fin is short and tall, slightly yellow, and when spread it flutters like a small flag. The anal fin is very long, extending from the chest all the way back to the base of the caudal fin; it is pale yellow with a bright orange-red wide margin, and when swimming it looks just like a soft skirt fluttering in the wind. It is suitable for living in water at 22-27°C and has low requirements for water quality. When oxygen in the water is low, it can directly surface to breathe air.
Gouramis are relatively easy to breed, and during the breeding process of a pair of gouramis, most of the work is led and completed by the male.