Pearls they scoffed!

[coralbandit]

So I have long loved fish.
I have always thought how important it is to put back more then I take.
I have bred fish for many years in a row now(over 5) and explored since I was 15.
I bred livebearers ,bettas, and other gouramis(blue/gold/ PEARLS).
With my long journey of breeding/raising GBR I decided last spring to 'do something' a little easier.
I surveyed and purchased a trio of pearl gouramis.
They are the 'champagne of gouramis' IMO.
Well I am now breeding my own first and second fry as adults ,and have two fantastic looking spawns right now , besides my 'secret breeding stock'.

I am more drawn to SA/CA cichlids everyday, but really love this Asian fish.
I dream of a GBR/Pearl species tank!

I am not ready or lookng to sell yet.(haven't even told my LFS!!)
Nor do I think these are fish that NEED to be purchased from a breeder.
Stock from almost any LFS is going to yield a good looking decent community member IMO.
I just wanted to share my passion with pearls with you.
And document some of the breeding techniques for reference.
This means I will add pics and breeding set up info soon.
They're not GBR,they are way easier!!
And BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[ImACoolguy]

I'll be waiting for those pics! Sounds awesome!


Caleb

 

[sinibotia]

Pics! Not a gourami fan, but of course if you're breedin' them they're probably something special!

 

[Andy Sager]

I think a good male Pearl in breeding colors even beats out many of the newer colors of dwarf Gouramis as well as many of the Gourami family. They were fun to breed for me ( way back when )but also got a bit overloaded as well. Keep the fry as spread out as possible so you can get them grown and sold as quickly as possible. You just need to keep a few to keep the line going. I was also contemplating doing them in the new hatchery until I saw how many tanks I needed for the Angels. I just don't have room.

Have fun with them. They are a delight for the eyes for sure.

 

[TheresaM]

I kept pearls years ago, beautiful fish. Would definitely love to see some pics!

 

[absolutangel04]

I would love some pictures as well. I have a single pearl, but have been toying with the idea of attempting a breeeding trio.

 

[coralbandit]

Quick pics of the group in 30 long.

Oldest male used in breeding,but not father to any of my fry.
The females killed the original male after the spawn I got fry from!
He is one of the new fathers this time.

Him again with my own !

 

[TheresaM]

Wow, gorgeous colors!

 

[ImACoolguy]

Wowzers!


Caleb

 

[coralbandit]

Wow, gorgeous colors!

Thank you Theresa!
This is the second male I used( 2 sets of fry again) on this spawn(s).

He is mine from first largest spawn and was an excellent father!

As of now all the first spawn besides him^^ are in my 180 g hanging out and loving it.
12 of them!(I come close to 12 for most stockings of fish I like).
They are over my head in http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f23/put-a-face-to-the-screen-name-post-your-selfie-340753.html

 

[coralbandit]

So most of first set of fry have passed.
There may be a few but it is hard to see any in the tank.
They were from one of the moms of my stock and male from my stock(?).

The second set is swimming now.

I had forgot about a cover for them (on tank due to developing labarynth)until I read a post from brennae.
So I partially covered this set of fry and have fingers crossed.

I breed them in 20t tanks with only 4-6 inches of water,with heater and sponge filter(on low).
I always have moss and algae in tank.
Water is my tap prepped until proper temp at least if not 24 hours with safe as dechlorinator.
Ph 7.6/ kH 3/Gh 9
I do nothing special and feed the breeding pair flakes(a lot) and frozen brine shrimp and blood worms.
The fry get vinegar eels/microworms/dry mix and frozen/live BBS.
It helps having a variety for the GBR on hand!
If I had to guess honestly how many fry there are I would say between 300-600!!
It is so hard to imagine how many there are just from pic as it is only 1 corner of tank!!

 

[Andy Sager]

300-600 is not that far off. They spawn quite large broads. I used to do mine in 30 gal long tanks just for that reason. I didn't like to move the fry until they absolutely had to be thinned out.
As for the top, you can just use saran wrap if you don't have a good sealed lid. Just tape spots to the tank to keep it from moving. I use the wrap so that it is easy to open just a small area to feed and add water from without letting too much of the humidity get out. You'll have this option for the next time.

 

[TheresaM]

Holy moley fry, that's awesome!

 

[brennae]

So most of first set of fry have passed.
There may be a few but it is hard to see any in the tank.
They were from one of the moms of my stock and male from my stock(?).

The second set is swimming now.

I had forgot about a cover for them (on tank due to developing labarynth)until I read a post from brennae.
So I partially covered this set of fry and have fingers crossed.

I breed them in 20t tanks with only 4-6 inches of water,with heater and sponge filter(on low).
I always have moss and algae in tank.
Water is my tap prepped until proper temp at least if not 24 hours with safe as dechlorinator.
Ph 7.6/ kH 3/Gh 9
I do nothing special and feed the breeding pair flakes(a lot) and frozen brine shrimp and blood worms.
The fry get vinegar eels/microworms/dry mix and frozen/live BBS.
It helps having a variety for the GBR on hand!
If I had to guess honestly how many fry there are I would say between 300-600!!
It is so hard to imagine how many there are just from pic as it is only 1 corner of tank!!

I'm glad I actually said something useful!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[coralbandit]

I'm glad I actually said something useful!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Your advice may have helped tremendously!
The fry in covered tank are all still swimming about the surface,
I really didn't see more then 2 fry in other 20 tall so changed water 100%, added oldest male(not of my own) with one of the females who looked large again already!
Bubble nest formed today with both very close to it.
She still looks plump!

 

[coralbandit]

Latest pics of fry!

And the bubble nest of the next generation possibly?

I know they are still young but these guys are lasting in large numbers longer...
Adding prime every other day instead of water changes(going to try this GBR next time also) for first couple of weeks(hopefully).

 

[brennae]

I just read that you are going to try leaves with the rams. Have you tried leaves with the gourami? I don't know much about them but I know my bettas and some of my other fish really enjoy the tannins. Also no scientific evidence here but supposedly IAL have antibacterial properties. I have had good luck with using them if I have a betta with fin damage. It doesn't get worse at least but whether the clean water or the IAL helped who knows.

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[coralbandit]

I have never tried leaves on purpose in any tank before!
I am almost certain with the exclusion of some 'hard' water fish that almost all others may benefit from leaves and what comes from them!

I am going to try them with rams because I have so much trouble with them!
Time will tell on the pearls but your simple cover the top suggestion has yielded me a seemingly 100% hatch and survival as of today!!
I got the pearls in the beginning as something easy to make me feel better because of the rams!!
If I lose some of the gouramis I will certainly give leaves a try if I have them ,but for now these guys are on 'auto pilot' and I really dig it!

 

[TheresaM]

Got this from a blog:

Benefits of using IAL:

Creates a natural water environment
Enhances the natural color
Provides biofilm grazing
Aids the molting process, helping reduce mortality rate during this stage
Contains acids and tannins which have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, preventing bacteria and diseases
Stimulates breeding
Relieves stress
Mildly reduces pH
Indian Almond Leaves have also long been used in home remedies as well as in aquariums. They are used to treat a variety of ailments in a number of countries around the world, included scabies and leprosy in India, internal parasites in the Philippines and colic in South America. So they are widely recognized as possessing excellent medicinal properties.

 

[brennae]

I have a large IAL in a 10g with guppies. It's sitting in the water surface basically and the tiny fry lay on top the leaf to avoid the adults and to have easier access to food. I'll have to get a pic. I order my IAL from a very nice lady in Asia. They are top notch and don't take long to get here. She uses the money from collecting leaves to help support her family. I don't like to name names on here but if you ever want her info pm me. I've ordered from her several times and have always been very pleased with the quality.

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