Why do gouramis make bubbles

Usually, it is best to spawn these fish in special tanks, set up as smaller versions of the recommended maintenance tank. Removing the parent fish is always easier than trying to catch the tiny, delicate fry. Hidden bubble nests can meet their oxygen needs through the use of their gills, and can, therefore, stay almost permanently submerged. Their bubble nests are constructed under overhanging leaves or on the roofs of caves.

They tend to be small and shy. Examples are the Croaking and Licorice Gouramis. These Gouramis and Bettas tend to come from moving water that would destroy bubble nests.

They are difficult to breed, as the male who cares for the eggs and larvae tends to swallow his charges when stressed. These species can be bred in lightly and carefully stocked community setups. It is unwise to remove the male, as this often provokes immediate swallowing of the eggs or larvae. A good strategy is to remove all other fish and watch closely for fry. You will not find many, as, compared to often-elaborate bubble nests, mouths hold very few eggs.

Many Bettas, plus the Chocolate Gourami group, are the best known of the mouthbrooding species. Many Anabantoid fry are too small to eat the standard fare for newborns in the fish hobby, freshly hatched brine shrimp.

They must be supplied with microorganisms. The inability of hobbyists to provide adequate quantities of food is the single greatest killer of Gourami and Betta fry.

Solutions involve some work. Starter cultures for microorganisms can be purchased online. Older aquarium sources have a variety of recipes based on turnips, boiled grass, and other vegetable matter combined with pond water that are just as useful, but more work.

If you are near an aquarium club, you can learn what is available locally. Otherwise, try the Internet. As a spin-off from the aquaculture industry, there are now some very small powdered foods. Combined with water and shaken vigorously, they provide a good start. ReignsAngel AC Members. Nov 17, 0 0 Ft. Walton Beach, FL. So, we were planning on doing a partial water change today when we noticed Bullrock was carrying a leaf up to the top back corner of the tank.

I had noticed the past few days that the top big leaves on our Temple plant were looking really "soft", and now I know why. Bullrock was softening them up to tear them apart and use them in his nest. On one hand we have a really nice little bubble nest in the corner, on the other, we have a ravaged poor little Temple plant, lol. So gourami parents, what should we expect next? There are two females in there with Bullrock: Shynee and Powderpuff.

Will he court them? Or will they find the nest themselves? Also, would it be ok to do a water change? Should I leave the Temple plant in there? Should I keep my lighting cycles the same, or should I leave the bulb off more to give them some "quiet" time? We are pretty excited! After losing our two powder blue dwarfs, we are excited to see if these guys will give us some babies. It is really quite impressive watching this "big" tough Bullrock toiling away making his little nest for the girls.

I hope he gets lucky. Thank you for your input. FeatherDuster AC Members. Mar 24, 1, 0 0. Sadly I don't have any advice. I just couldn't resist commenting. It sounds like you are in for one amazing experience. I haven't heard many people talk about breeding gouramis so this is a first for me.

You could try bringing in male betta to try mating the fish. Well, if you have learned the reason for betta fish creation of bubble nests, the next important thing is to know how often they make them. Most often, male betas can create bubble nests for no other reason that a natural urge to do so.

If the betta fish are provided with enough food, warm and clean water, they can build nests occasionally. However, there is no set time frame for a mature betta fish to make a bubble nest, and each betta could portray a different pattern. There could be instances where you destroy the bubble nest, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

On other occasions, one could be having a filter that is creating too much water current. Too much water current will probably destroy the bubble nests even without your knowledge. Again you could destroy the bubble nest out of curiosity of what would happen. The truth is that the male betta will not be intimidated by the destruction of a bubble nest. The male betta will create a new bubble nest immediately, especially when there is the presence of a female betta fish. The male will repeat the process of creating the bubble nest until it is successful in finding a suitable female partner to spawn with.

Apart from the male betta fish, other species that build bubble nests include the Gouramis. The Gouramis have a labyrinth organ that allows them to blow the air bubble on the surface of the water for breeding purposes. After mating the Gourami, the male tends to the eggs, and the female does not have any other task.

Other fish such as the Siamese fighting fish also build bubble nests for breeding purposes. This type of fish is tropical and relates to the same fish family as the betta fish.

One thing to note is that only male fish build the bubble nests and tend to the eggs after spawning with the female fish. In some cases, your betta will never make a bubble nest, and this is something you should worry about if the fish is not female. One of the reasons a betta male will avoid making a nest is poor health.

It may be that it is not getting enough food, or the water is cold below recommended levels. Another reason is that your tank does not have floating debris. My male halfmoon betta wont make a bubble nest i conitioned him for 2 weeks Help please!!! Bubble eye has popped bubble When cleaning my tank yesterday Betta won't make a bubble nest!! By entering this site you declare you read and agreed to the Site Terms , acknowledged our Privacy Policy and you understand that your use of the site's content is made at your own risk and responsibility.