silly ?how old do they have to be

[jackie]

well i have now got my female gourami to go with my 2+ male i got the biggest i could find on this sites advice[thanks] but she is still half the size,they got on well from the start but how old will she have to be before being ready to breed ,i think she must be about 6 months old.i have checked a few sites, they give me breeding info but no maturity times.would be pleased with any input thanks jackie

 

[catfish1102]

I've looked up various types of gourami in my books and I can't find the info you're after. I thought this was interesting though - according to one book gouramis are mouthbrooders. The female incubates eggs in her mouth for 14 days and during this time does not eat, so its important to condition the fish well with plenty of live food before attempting to spawn. Other references talk about the male building a bubble nest.

What kind of gourami is it/are they?

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

i thought all gourami were bubble nesters, i have never heard of a gourami that was a mouth brooder, anybody??

 

[jackie]

thanks for replying, yes the gourami are certainly bubblenesters, the pair in question are pearl gouramis..the reason i'm thinking on this venture is that i'just moved up to a bigger tank and finding the gouramis are my favorite fish would take it one stage further. he is about 3 inches nose to start of tail but she is only about 1.75 inches , they get along great in the community tank but i don,t want to move them on their own untill i'm sure she can cope with his attentions.