Breeding pearl gourami help

[TomCarter13]

Ive set up a 15 gallon breeding tank with a 6" water level, heated up to 28.4 degrees Celsius, tank has no substrate, i have floating plants and hiding places for the female and im conditioning the pair with live mosquito larvae, freeze dried bloodworm, and frozen brine shrimp. Ive already conditioned them aswell in my main tank for about a week and it must have worked well for the male because he started building a bubble nest in the first 24 hours! But i want some help with knowing if im doing everything right for breeding? And is it only a matter of time before my pair spawn, is it also natural behaviour for the male to be quite aggressive toward the female? The male has made a smaller nest than what i expected, can they still breed if its small? He does try to get her attention ALOT by flaring up but other wise he works in his bubble nest! Oh and ive left my filter off for now (corner sponge filter) so nothing disturbs anything in the breeding tank. But i really want them to breed and they haven't yet so can it take a while sometimes? What should i expect to happen while i wait? She is quite plumpy and podgey but it is there first time! Please can i have advise and sorry about my long long topic
Cheers!

 

[venymae]

I don't know, bumping it up though

 

[Kittykat364]

I don't know either, but I hope you have good luck with the fry. If they are anything like what I have heard of betta spawns, the broods are humongous!

 

[Andy Sager]

Ive set up a 15 gallon breeding tank with a 6" water level, heated up to 28.4 degrees Celsius, tank has no substrate, i have floating plants and hiding places for the female and im conditioning the pair with live mosquito larvae, freeze dried bloodworm, and frozen brine shrimp. Ive already conditioned them aswell in my main tank for about a week and it must have worked well for the male because he started building a bubble nest in the first 24 hours! But i want some help with knowing if im doing everything right for breeding? And is it only a matter of time before my pair spawn, is it also natural behaviour for the male to be quite aggressive toward the female? The male has made a smaller nest than what i expected, can they still breed if its small? He does try to get her attention ALOT by flaring up but other wise he works in his bubble nest! Oh and ive left my filter off for now (corner sponge filter) so nothing disturbs anything in the breeding tank. But i really want them to breed and they haven't yet so can it take a while sometimes? What should i expect to happen while i wait? She is quite plumpy and podgey but it is there first time! Please can i have advise and sorry about my long long topic
Cheers!

It's not too uncommon for Gouramis to start with a small nest then build on to it as they spawn. (It happens with Bettas this way as well.) The size of the nest should not be a concern but the actions of the pair should. If the male does not have that pretty orangey gold color in his breast area, he is not ready to spawn. ( He may be ready to start getting ready to spawn which is why he has a small nest. You want to keep conditioning the pair if this is the case.) Make sure you have plenty of hiding places for the female because once the spawning is over, the female is usually driven from the nest area. Pearls are not usually as aggressive post spawn but not every fish reads the book Pre spawning is 50-50. Some males are overly aggressive and some not. If he doesn't have the orange and is being aggressive, remove her or put her in a clear container in the tank so the male can see her but can't get to her until he is orange.
Once the spawning is over and the female is removed, you won;t need to feed the male as he most likely won't eat while guarding the eggs. Once the eggs hatch, he needs to be removed as well.
As for how long until they spawn? It all depends on the fish and the tank conditions. I suggest that if they don't spawn within a week of being in the spawning tank, try a different male that is in color already or wait for your male to get a little older. Your female sounds like she's ready.

Also, make sure your tank is covered with the filter off. You don't want any disturbance to the nest and you need humidity for the nest to stay in tact.

Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you need more help