Gurami are extremely popular and easy-to-keep freshwater fish. Their reproduction is simply achieved in captivity. For spawning, gourami fish make small nests. Consider the most popular types of gourami, features of their content, natural habitat, reproduction.
general characteristics
Gurami are freshwater fish belonging to the suborder of the semi-species of the Osfronemov family.
These fish differ from others in the presence of an auxiliary respiratory organ - the labyrinth, therefore they are sometimes called labyrinths. With the help of the maze, fish are able to breathe air. Labyrinth is the transformed first branchial arch. At its widest point are bone plates covered with mucous membranes and blood vessels. By the mechanism of work, the organ resembles the lungs. Thanks to him, fish are able to breathe air in circumstances of low oxygen content in the water, in addition, they can live on land for quite a long time.
The labyrinth develops 2-3 weeks after the fry exit the eggs. During spawning by the gourami, caviar should be provided with water well saturated with oxygen.
The body of a gourami is long and flat. Anal and upper fins are elongated and slightly pointed. On the abdomen there are thin filiform tendrils, with the help of which the fish can "feel" the bottom. In case of damage, the antennae can grow back.
It was noted that under conditions of aquarium keeping, gourami are able to grow up to 12 cm, but more often fish grow from 3 to 8 cm. These are long-living fish. It is recorded that the age of one of the oldest gourami was 88 years.
Types and their description
Consider the most popular types of gourami in home aquariums.
Pearl gourami is one of the most beautiful and widely popular species among aquarists. These fishes gained their fame due to the bright red-orange color, a dark streak runs along their body, and small white dots like pearls flaunt on the scales.
This fish is also known for making unusual sounds during spawning. Pearl gourami does this with fins. It is believed that this species has a good memory and is even able to distinguish its owner from other people. The life span of a pearl gourami is about eight years. The fish is capable of reaching 9 cm in length.
Marble gourami attracts the eye with its coloring. On the blue body is a blue pattern. Light dots are visible on the caudal and anal fins. The body length of the male reaches 10 cm, the female is smaller in size. During spawning by marble gourami, the pattern on the male’s body becomes much darker than that of the female.
The body of blue gourami is almost uniform, but in places on the scales there are dark spots. These fish shine beautifully in the light.
Kissing gourams are famous for their unusual lip shape. When the fish meet and begin to communicate, it may seem that they are kissing. The body of these fish is painted in pink and salad color, the fins are transparent. Kissing gourami grow large in captivity: up to 15 centimeters, and therefore they need a rather large aquarium. In nature, they can reach 30 cm, and therefore quite often eaten. Another feature of this type of fish is its nasty nature, which makes it difficult for them to choose neighbors for living together.
First appearance in aquariums
For a long time, gourami could not be taken out of their habitat for distribution in aquariums. Several times they tried to transport the fish in barrels filled with water to the brim. Not a single fish survived the move. It was long believed that these fish are unsuitable for transportation.
Everything changed at the end of the 19th century. One of the scientists noted that in nature, these fish periodically emerge from the water to swallow a little air. He suggested not to fill the barrel with water to the brim. As a result, they tried to transport the fish in a barrel filled with water by two-thirds. In 1896, the first time was successfully transported by the gourami, while not a single fish died. Soon, gourami as simple in content and breeding fish became widespread in aquariums around the world.
Natural habitats
Gourami gained their distribution from Southeast Asia and the adjacent islands. The first aquarium fish were caught in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Different species of gourami live in different territories.
In nature, they live in standing and flowing bodies of water of various sizes. Brown and spotted gourami live in brackish estuaries and in tidal zones.
Nowadays, some species of gourami are listed in the Red Book, while others are completely bred in aquariums and are not found in nature.
Feeding
Gurami fish are unpretentious in terms of feeding. They can be given dry, live and artificial feed. The basis of the diet should consist of artificial flakes and granules. You can supplement the diet with frozen and live food: bloodworms, crustaceans, insects, dry and live daphnia, tubule.
These fish have a small mouth, therefore it is advisable to grind the food before feeding. Adults with gourami can go on a hunger strike for 7-14 days, so they can be safely left without food for the duration of the vacation.
Content Rules
Gourami - timid fish are happy, because the soil must be densely populated with algae so that the fish can hide in them. The optimum temperature for fish is 24-28 degrees. It is important that the temperature of water and air is the same. If the air temperature is much lower, the fish may freeze their breathing apparatus. The acidity of the pH is from 6.5 to 8.5.
To achieve the brightest color, it is necessary to create bright lighting with relatively dark ground.
Gourami do not need oxygenated water. However, the aerator is still desirable to install. Its power should not be made large so as not to cause a current, because gourams in nature usually live in stagnant water.
Fish should have access to air, and therefore you should not plant an aquarium with a large amount of swimming algae. However, they are necessary so that the male can create a nest during spawning.
Gourami need room for games and swimming. Gourami can be settled in small flocks. There should be three females per male. For six individuals, an aquarium of one hundred liters should be enough.
These fish are able to jump high, because the lid on the aquarium is necessary. However, labyrinth fish breathe air from the surface, which means that there should be good ventilation under the lid. The distance between the cover and water should be at least 5 cm.
Gender differences
The gourami clearly shows sexual dimorphism, therefore even an amateur can distinguish a male from a female. In females, the fins are shorter and have a rounded shape. They have a rounded and wide body. In males, the fins are pointed, and the upper fin can reach the tail. The body of males is larger than that of females. It has an elongated pointed shape. Males are much brighter than females.
During spawning, the males become much brighter with the gourami, in order to attract the attention of the opposite sex, and the females remain dull and inconspicuous.
Setting spawning
Gourami spawning at home is easy. As a spawning man, you should choose an aquarium with an approximate volume of 40-80 liters filled with water at 15 cm. The small size of the aquarium and the low water level usually have a positive effect on the reproduction of gourami, but there are exceptions. There are species for which a sufficiently large spawning is needed: kissing, blue, pearl gourami, and species in which the size of adult individuals reaches more than 25 cm.
Most gourami species create foam nests in the leaves of waterfowl algae. For other species, shelter must be provided.
The filter should not be very powerful so as not to damage the eggs.
Breeding
Photo spawning gourami presented below.
First, the male is transplanted into the spawning ground. It is necessary to gradually raise the temperature to 29 degrees. The male begins to build a foamy nest in the midst of floating algae.
Then, a female with a rounded abdomen full of caviar is planted in a spawning ground. A lean, not ready for breeding female, the male is able to drive to death. If the female is ready for breeding, the male begins to care for her. It changes greatly in color - it becomes much brighter.
Gourami spawning in an aquarium is a truly unusual and interesting sight. The male invites the female to the nest, and there, clasping the female with the body, turns her belly over to the nest. The male strongly compresses the female, squeezing the eggs and fertilizing her at the same time. After the male releases the female. He collects caviar in his mouth, and then places it in a foam nest. The process is repeated several times.
When the female is completely empty, the male becomes aggressive and continues to molest her. In spawning, there must be algae in the water column, in which the female can hide from the male. Since the male zealously guards the nest, after spawning by the gourami, the female must be jailed. Otherwise, the male will strongly pluck the female and drive her.
Gourami spawning in a common aquarium
If the gourami managed to create a nest in a common aquarium, where the conditions are not the most suitable for growing fry, you must wait until the female lays eggs. After that, it is necessary to pick up the nest with caviar using a plate or saucer and transfer to another aquarium. The temperature in it should be the same as in the aquarium from which the nest was taken. It is still necessary to transplant the male so that he has the opportunity to care for the caviar.
Baby Care
The male takes care of the caviar, who valiantly performs his duties. If the egg falls out of the foam, he carefully returns it to its place. Two days later, larvae are born from eggs. It will take another three days for the larvae to become fry. During this period, it is important to monitor the temperature of the water, because when it decreases, the male may well destroy the nest and eat the larvae.
While the fry cannot swim independently, the male watches them and helps to swim to the surface. After the kids learn to swim themselves, the male can be returned to the general aquarium. It is very important not to miss the right moment, as fry spreading in different directions, to which father’s care is no longer necessary, irritate the male so much that he can eat them.
At first, fry can be fed with ciliates, later slowly transferred to zooplankton. If fry grow at different speeds, it is advisable to plant large individuals so that they do not eat small fish.
Thus, gourami are very beautiful and easy-to-maintain fish. They are unpretentious in food, and even a beginner is able to propagate them. Therefore, these aquarium fish are so popular in home aquariums.