Rozski Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Hey all, I have a female dwarf gourami, and until recently also had a male. Just the standard boy, red with blue stripes, but had to put him out of his misery 2 weeks ago, as he'd been sickly since christmas and obviously wasn't going to recover. My female is very plain silver/grey, so obviously a girl. Which is why I can't understand why people have trouble telling the difference between the sexes... My boy chased my girl around every now and then, but never even attempted a bubble nest (I think he was gay ). What I would like to know is, do you need two dwarf gourami of the same colour to breed? Like is she possibly a female sunsett dwarf and needs a male of the same? Any thoughts appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Colour has nothing to do with it. If you have 2 dwarf gouramis of opposite sex they will breed no matter what colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozski Posted April 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 I thought so Was just people always saying they couldn't tell whether they had a female or not that confused me. Mine is so obviously female... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Bought 2 sparkling gouramies today....was very difficult to tell the difference in sex because they're so small....pretty sure in the end I got a male and female though.... the females have more rounded anal fin and the males pointy with red fringes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Was just people always saying they couldn't tell whether they had a female or not that confused me. Mine is so obviously female... Quite often this is actually because most people haven't seen a female. Normally the importers only bring in males but the occasional female slips in. I haven't bred them before, so unfortunately I dont know how to encourage the male to build a nest but I'd take a guess at: - Raise temp to 28C ish - Replace 33% of tank water with rain water or aged fresh water. That makes most species get their funk on. Also live foods like Dapnia or mosquito larvae. A trick I read elsewhere was to use a poly cup cut in half and stuck to the side of the aquarium to give him somewhere to build the nest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 i had a male build a bubble nest with no female what i did was feed up on bloodworms then turn off heaters and drain the tank 40% i would leave it maybe an hour then refill it with warmer water (about 29-30) it always set off my 3 males good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 Wilson, thats what someone told me the other day that helps Siamese Fighters as well - drop the tank temp and raise it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 You are on to it. You need to condition them up as well. Oysters and bubbly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 You will need to get some green water going---they have very small fry. The dwarfs are a bit like male fighters---they are pretty mature when imported usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozski Posted April 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 Thanks for all the help and info! Will be keeping it all in mind. My female is in a tank with bristlenose, danios and a pair of young killies, so have to keep my other fish in mind in regards to raising temp etc. Already have green water in the spare tank next to it haha. Not intentionally either But thanks, and will def let you know if they ever breed (or even get as far as a bubble nest) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimNZ Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 My dwarf gourami is an excellent nest builder and he guard them well. Unfortunately I have no female either. I though the plain silver/grey are female too and about to get them. Looks like I need to advertise for a female :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 I have breed the dwarf gourami and didn't adjust the temperature at all. found there was no need. I feed them well, they get flake one night and the alternative night they get bloodworm and mysis shrimp - which they love. I currently have two males competing to build bubble nests in the community tank. they keep stealing bits from the other to build there nests - very funny to watch. they do seem to go through a cycle - build bubble constanly for days - then when I won't let them breed - they get on with life and all's great for a couple of weeks - then they start all over again building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.