To Blow Or Not To Blow? By Deborah & Rodney Ralph
Our conditions for breeding the Pearl Gourami - Trichogaster leeri were a pH of 7, temperature of 27 degrees celcius, a 10 gallon (45 litre) tank with about 10" of water with a few hiding places tor the female. The male refused to blow a bubblenest in the 2 days when he was alone in the tank and even refused after the female was introduced. The actual spawning took place one night after their lights were out, several days after being together. Tiny eggs were found the next morning floating but still no bubbles in sight.
The male and female were removed at this time as neither seemed interested in the eggs. The eggs hatched in about 36 hours and were tree swimming 48 hours later. This is when we started feeding them liquifry and Sera micron food, this was before we had an infusoria culture. There were a number of losses, probably due to our inexperience. The ones that were left grew quickly and they were not fussy eaters.
Several months later we tried our hand at the beautiful Dwarf Gourami - Colisa lalia. We had learned a lot since our first breeding of the Pearls. Their breeding conditions were a bare bottomed 45 litre 30 cm high tank, with a water temperature of 29 decrees celcius, pH of 6.9 and a number of small water sprites, duckweed and riccia all tloating on top, with a bundle ot java moss for hiding, sitting on the bottom. The sponge filter was at its lowest bubbling rate. Previous to this, the male and female were kept in separate tanks until the female looked ready, then the male was placed into the breeding tank two days ahead of the female. We ere given a real show by the male as his colours intensified and he did his duty. He would grab the roots of the water sprite in his mouth and tow them around to where he wanted them and blow a huge number of bubbles underneath, place bits of riccia and duckweed in the bubbles wherever he thought they were needed. He even gathered small pieces of Java moss to push up into the bubblenest. This kept going on even after the female was introduced. For about a week he kept at his nest and every now and then gave chase to the female.
Then late one afternoon things were different, he vigorously chased the female, then went up under his nest trying to get her to see his handywork. After a few minutes she did, and he wrapped himself around her. Nothing came of the embraces for the first number of times but then the eggs started to appear. They were very, very tiny and only a few at a time. If the. eggs were disturbed they would look as if they were going to sink
but when almost at the bottom they would slowly change direction and eventually get back to the top by themselves but mostly with the help of daddy dwarf. The pair were left for the night and next morning she was hiding, so she was removed. The eggs were very difficult to see being well hidden in his well made nest.
Later that, day we decided as the eggs floated we would remove the male also, just in case. The eggs hatched in 24 hours ard were free swimming 48 hours later, the air was then slowly increased. They were fed infusoria, Sera micron food and strained egg yolk. They had a fairy high mortality rate even though we were doing as much as we knew how. At about 10 days old they were eating newly hatched brine-shrimp and small dried foods. At 3 weeks old the use of their labyrinth organ was witnessed. They enjoy brine-shrimp, small daphnia and cyclops, these also grew quickly on this type of food.