prego blue gourami

[aquascapist]

I think my fish is pregnant. she is very plump and is acting wierd. I think she is trying to find a spot to lay her eggs how do I tell?

 

[Andy Sager]

Just for the record....

I think my fish is pregnant. she is very plump and is acting wierd. I think she is trying to find a spot to lay her eggs how do I tell?

I see a common mistake on a number of threads so I thought I would correct something. The only fish that can be "Pregnant" are the livebearers: Guppies, Mollies, Platys, Swordtails, etc. The other fish can only be holding eggs as they do not get fertilized until AFTER they have spawned with a male and they are outside the body. So your blue gourami is not pregnant and she's not looking for a place to lay her eggs unless there is a male in the tank with her however, it's the MALE who usually decides where to lay the eggs (just for the record )

So now that we've got that clear ,Blue gouramis are bubble nest breeders. If there is no male present, something else is going on with your fish. The first thing I would do is check your water parameters while you are studying your tank to make sure no other fish is harrassing her.
If neither thing is a problem, you'll need to be a bit more specific as to what you are calling "acting weird."

Hope this helps...

 

[aquascapist]

I know that gourami are egg layers, I was just trying to make things easier cuz I use my phone. lol. I have two males and two females in my tank. the more I read about this I don't believe she is pregnant but constipated out sick although she looks healthy. I don't know whats going on tho

 

[Andy Sager]

I know that gourami are egg layers, I was just trying to make things easier cuz I use my phone. lol. I have two males and two females in my tank. the more I read about this I don't believe she is pregnant but constipated out sick although she looks healthy. I don't know whats going on tho

Okay, I can tell you that Blue Gouramis do get quite large when they are GRAVID (meaning: holding eggs ) so if she is swimming normally and eating normally, she is probably okay.
To breed Blue Gouramis, the best thing is to have a pair alone in a tank with very low to no water movement, some floating plants for the male to build his nest around and a willing partner. I've seen these bred in everything from styrofoam boxes to plastic coolers. They are not particular other then the temp. It should be in the lower 80s for them to breed.
If you have some bigger tanks for the fry to grow out in (they do have a lot of fry), try to spawn them. If you don't, don't panic, they can carry eggs for a long time with no harm

PM me if you need more specialized breeding tips