Breeding Gourami ????

[Fastfossil]

I bought a female gourami (She is around 6 inches long) from the LPS and really liked it so after another trip I got a male only to find out months later ( he is about 4 inches long) he is a dwarf gourami I think and now have questions as the female is fat I think with eggs and the male has had a bout of velvet but his color has gone dark as if he has matured now that I got rid of the velvet

Will they breed ?
Should I let them breed ?
What do you think I am to expect from this ?
How do I tell if a bubble nester is ready to nest?

I have baby fry mollies and baby guppy fry and they are my first batch and growing well but do not have much experience with bubble nest builders.

 

[Acer]

I would let them breed just for the experiance, just make sure u never distribute these hybrids... just let nature take its course if ur game. In the end i doubt u'll have any survivors anyway, Darwin always prevails!!

 

[Smelz]

Will they breed ? Yes, AFAIK all Gouramis are the same except 1 moonlight
Should I let them breed ? Up to you, but they will be "hybrids" in the industry.
What do you think I am to expect from this ? I think it will be an exciting experience for you. air breathers/bubble nesters can be addictive!
How do I tell if a bubble nester is ready to nest? Please see below...


As you can see I answered above (in green) Im going off personal memory from years ago when I bred gouramis myself. I encourage you to research for you benefit as well.

Male Gouramis will darken in color when they are ready to breed. Females will get bigger.

Bubble nesters need only this. Calm water to build thier nests. thats it. A corner seems to work well as they have 2 surfaces to attach the nest.

here is some things to look for ( its really cool!)
Once the nest is built ( both may help on this but the male with do most of th work) (it will be a few bubbles thick kinda like froth in your still spot thicker in the middle and where it attaches) the male will entice the female below the nest, when she is ready he will "embrace her" (this is cool) the wraps himself in a "c" around her body from below ( youll know it when you see it!!) and squeezes the eggs out of her, and fertilizes them. She will become immobile for a bit. The eggs will fall to the bottom of the tank. DO NOT PANIC The male will then gather the eggs from the bottom in his mouth and spit them into the nest. rinse and repeat till its all over. Then the male will spend his time gathering eggs that fall from the nest, rebuilding/reinforcing the nest, and if I remember, fanning from below ( dont qoute me on that). eventually them eggs will be wigglers and then bada bing you got fry.

Things to note, i never seperated my males and female, but I *think* there is some data to support removing the female i encourage you to check into that.
eggs are light colored, and small, do him a favor and put a flat surface above the gravel to make it easier for him to find them ( you get more chances at fry this way) thats not needed but hey every little bit helps right?
I bred mine in a 55gal, so depth can me a challenge for the male, but not a huge hurdle.

Sorry bout the wall of text. Enjoy and good luck! keep me posted? and PICS PLEASE!

ps. Bettas work the same way. all antnatbannanananoids do
-smelz