bubble nest?

[lornajane89]

Hi just noticed my dwarf gourami lurking under some floating plants that were stuck behind a breeding net and spotted this


View attachment 70999

It seems a bit slimey looking with loads of bubbles. Hope the picture is good enough. I have 3 gouramis they were all sold as males but one isnt very colourful so i suspect she is the female.

I was hoping to remove the net but will leave it and rinse it off if im gonna have fry on the way... Also today is my pwc day should i leave it? How long does this all take?

 

[lornajane89]

Oops picture hasnt worked

 

[Fisherjoe]

Hello,

It does not look too much like a bubble nest to me. When my gouramis would make their nests the bubbles seemed to be alot smaller and more foam-like. I have never witnessed a "slime" that you have mentioned either. Thats just my opinion

 

[Andy Sager]

Bubble nests

Oops picture hasnt worked

View attachment 71002

I see 2 issues with your picture. 1) it looks like there is some slime algae growing which is what may be making the thing look slimey. This also could be why you have multiple sizes of bubbles. Algaes do produce bubbles of gases. 2) If your gourami is hanging out there, he may be trying to build a nest but the existing bubbles are joining in and making the nest unusable.
My suggestion, if you see your male coming to the surface for air then going under the plant and releasing bubbles, he's preparing a nest to spawn. If you disturb the nest, he will just rebuild it. Also, you should see him getting darker in color and have a nice blue throat patch if he is courting the female.
Do you water change, try to get rid of the slimy algae and place what's left of the floating plant in another spot in the tank regardless of whether the fish are getting ready to spawn.
The bubble nest is usually a collection of similar sized bubbles not much bigger than an egg. Your picture doesn't show that.
Hope this helps...

 

[lornajane89]

Thanks i went ahead with the regular pwc and threw out the slimey plant. He hasnt tried again, I took the breeder net out and there is too much surface movement for him to build a nest without it. Maybe one day he will try again.

 

[Andy Sager]

Breeding Gouramis

Thanks i went ahead with the regular pwc and threw out the slimey plant. He hasnt tried again, I took the breeder net out and there is too much surface movement for him to build a nest without it. Maybe one day he will try again.

You will find that Gouramis won't breed when there is too much aggitation in the water.
I use a seperate tank with a heater set to 78-80 degrees, a piece of lettuce or floating plant and a couple of pieces of PVC fittings on the bottom for the female to hide in. No bright light, no filter, no airstones, no gravel, no water movement.
I place the male loose in the tank and the female in a seperate glass container inside the tank. The male should try courting her through the glass and try to build his nest close to her. Once he builds his nest, let her loose and watch for spawning.
Gouramis and othe Anabantids don't usually breed in a community tank setting or with water movement. Dwarf Gourami fry are very small so using substrate on the bottom is a no-no too.
Commercial breeders have used all kinds of containers ranging from plastic shoe boxes to Styrofoam boxes so what you breed them in doesn't really matter. How you breed them does.
Hope this helps...

 

[TWEDM1]

Oops picture hasnt worked

Wow, where can I buy floating plants like that

 

[Andy Sager]

Floating plants

Wow, where can I buy floating plants like that

Check out your local Mom & Pop Pet shops for items the box/ chain pet shops don't carry.
If you can't get any floating plants like Duck weed or water lettuce, you can use plants like Anacharis, Foxtail for example and let them float. I've also used large Banana plants when the stalks are long enough for the leaves to reach the surface.

Hope this helps...

 

[lornajane89]

I wouldnt know tbh my lfs only ever have this one and i couldnt tell you what it is. Im in the uk but would happily post some if u will pay shipping costs. I have lots lol. it grows quite well in my "predator" tank so i put some in my community tank, they all seem to enjoy grazing on it.

Oh just to note its a bit of a pain sometimes cause if dead or loose plants float up and get tangled up it can be a pain picking all the bits out.

 

[lornajane89]

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/plants/FernsMosses/Crystalwort.php

Thats the stuff. Works wonders for my nitrates