The breed of aquarium fish pearl gourami has been known to the world since 1933. Russian citizens met a flirty creature in the 1950s. Not requiring special care, graceful and beautiful, pearls soon became the favorites of almost every owner of the aquarium. And it is no coincidence: a luminous miracle will adorn any home aquarium.
Breed features
The homeland of the pearl goury is considered to be the reservoirs of Borneo and Sumatra. Lagoons with dense thickets were an excellent habitat for fish and their reliable refuge. In them, gouramas hid in the seasons of capture by poachers with the goal of gaining profit. Since the peculiarity of these labyrinth fish is their ability to breathe air for some time, they could sit out in the coastal thickets.
Frequent capture and death of aquatic inhabitants due to natural disasters have become the reason that today pearl gourami - aquarium fish. There are whole breed breeding farms. The fish themselves are listed in the Red Book.
What does a pearl look like?
The fish, like its other relatives, has an elongated oval and pressed against the sides of the body structure. The pectoral fins are round and transparent. On the abdomen of the gourami there are long filiform processes - organs of touch. Caudal fin wide and lush.
The color of the pearl is varied. The basic tone varies from terracotta to purple. A characteristic feature of the mother-of-pearl gourami is a dark strip stretching along the body from the mouth to the tail.
Adult individuals reach about ten centimeters. Fish live quite a long time - about eight years.
How to distinguish a female from a male
Identical at first glance, the fish still have sexual differences.
Firstly, the male pearl gourami is much larger than the lady. The fins in the area of the back and tail are elongated and have pointed tips. The color of the female is somewhat muffled and ranges from pale pink to orange. The fish boys are bright red.
During the spawning period, males attract a pair of burning pearl dots throughout the body.
How to supply an aquarium
The home environment for mother of pearl fish is a spacious vessel with a capacity of at least 50-60 liters. The aquarium must have a lid, as the gourami are quite frisky and jumping. In addition, a loose cover protects the housing from cold air.
As soil, you can use large river sand, sprinkled in layers. Thick and voluminous algae will create an atmosphere of comfort and safety for fish. Great for Elodea and Cirrus. However, the vegetation should not clutter up the space for swimming.
The temperature should be at least 24 degrees. To maintain a comfortable environment, it is advisable to install a water heater in the aquarium .
The lighting of the vessel should be bright and almost around the clock.
Neighbors gourami
Aquarium pearls have a calm, balanced and delicate character. Therefore, creating a common home pond, you should carefully select neighbors who are similar in nature.
The perfect compatibility of pearl gourami is manifested with the following species of aquatic relatives:
- Neon fish.
- Ornatus.
- Girinoheylus fish.
- Rysbor.
- Molliesia.
- Minorams.
- Rhodostomus fish.
Conflicts are possible with:
- Cockerels.
- Shrimp.
- Barbs.
- Swordsmen.
Rules for caring for aquarium fish
The content of the pearl gourami is quite simple. The fish are omnivorous, but since the mouth of the creatures is small in size, the feed must be carefully chopped.
In vivo, the fish diet consists of small midges, larvae and zooplankton. At home, both frozen and dry food are suitable. You can feed your pets with bloodworms, small crustaceans, and corvette. If necessary, the gourami can endure a week-long hunger strike.
You need to clean the aquarium at least once every two weeks. To prevent the occurrence of improper microflora in the tank at the first start-up, you can treat the future fish dwelling with special preparations that provide quick colonization of beneficial bacteria. Such products can be purchased at specialized pet stores.
The smaller the aquarium, the more often it will have to be cleaned. Miniature vessels of 10-15 liters are treated about 1 time per week.
In the process of cleaning the dwelling, all decorations are bleached, artificial plants are washed, walls are removed from plaque.
If the aquarium filter does not cope with the number of inhabitants, it is recommended to replace it or strengthen the filtration system with an additional cleaning device.
The frequency of cleaning the aquarium also depends on the number of inhabitants. The more fish inhabit a dwelling, the more often it is necessary to wash it.
All kinds of devices are often used to clean huge vessels (with a volume of at least 100 liters): magnetic sponges to remove plaque from the walls, hoses with a bulb at the end to clean the bottom, special filters, etc.
If a large aquarium has to be washed too often (more than once a month), this may indicate an incorrect content. The causes of contamination will help identify specialist consultants. It should be remembered: healthy microflora - healthy inhabitants.
Gurami breeding
Particular attention should be paid to mating fish at home.
At first glance, breeding pearls by gourami is similar to a similar process of other breeds. And yet there are a number of features that need to be considered.
Firstly, during spawning, it is recommended that a couple of gourami resettle in another, slightly smaller aquarium, away from neighbors. Otherwise, breeding may end up eating fry of other fish species.
The temperature regime of the medium should not exceed 28 degrees. Otherwise, spawning may occur prematurely, and the offspring may die.
Planning the breeding of fish of this breed is recommended in late spring and early summer. Such conditions are dictated by the possibility of complementary foods.
At least three females should be placed in an aquarium with pearl gourami and one male. But a week before spawning, the ladies need to be isolated from the gentlemen. During the pre-spawning period, fish is recommended to be fed live feeds. The bottom of the “maternity hospital” should be sandy with the inclusion of secluded shelters made of stones or artificial decorations. Live plants are also needed.
In this breed, a male builds a nest. To do this, place several bunches of a special floating plant - richcia in the aquarium. In order not to frighten future parents, glass must be hung with paper.
After the male builds a cozy nest, the gentleman by courtship invites the lady to spawn. After long efforts, the female begins to spawn eggs, which the future dad puts in the cells of the created dwelling. During spawning of the male, it is recommended to isolate the lady in a separate container.
After some time, larvae hatch from the eggs, and after 2-3 days, fry grow from them. After this, the male, who always cared for the offspring, must be resettled. Otherwise, the fry can excite dad to such an extent that he will eat them.
Pearl gourami disease
No matter how ideal the content of pearls by the gourami is, they, like all living things, get sick from time to time.
The causes of fish diseases can be improper conditions, a contaminated aquarium or diseased neighbors.
The most common diseases of pearly gourami are:
- Microscopic candida (fungi).
- Pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
- Worms, worms.
- Infusoria parasites.
Having infected one individual, pathogens can spread to other fish. As a result, the diseased gourami should be relocated to another container until complete recovery. It is necessary to treat fish ailments under the supervision of veterinarians.
As a preventive measure, it is necessary to quarantine the acquired fish by placing it for a while (approximately one week) in a separate aquarium. In order to rid the beginner of possible infections, he is immersed in an antiseptic solution every day. As an antiseptic, it is recommended to take solutions of methylene blue, rivanol, low concentration green, antibiotic solution (biomycin or oxytetracycline). After sanitization, the gourami should be immediately released into clean water. Only in this way can the development of diseases in a common aquarium be avoided.