# Breeding Dwarf Gouramis



## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Hello everyone! I was just wondering if anyone here has every successfully or attempted to breed Dwarf Gouramis?

If someone knows a good article to read about breeding them possibly? I would love to attempt it once I have all the right information and materials.

I saw that they blow bubblenests just like bettas so they wouldn't be too different from the betta species.

What are your thoughts on this?


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

I've ever tried but failed because there are too much males in the tank and they fight each other for a mate.But i did't breed them anymore because they all died.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Fabian said:


> I've ever tried but failed because there are too much males in the tank and they fight each other for a mate.But i did't breed them anymore because they all died.


So you have successfully bred them and then failed to keep them or the whole spawn was a fail?


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

I have heard that females are quite rare so breeding is as well, rare. You could try to get a female, check Aquabid if you do.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

kfryman said:


> I have heard that females are quite rare so breeding is as well, rare. You could try to get a female, check Aquabid if you do.


Yeah. My LPS had a male and female. I dont know if they have them now. Female bettas were supposed to be 'rare' in pet stores as nd I can go to my LPS and they will have a couple females.


Though I guess AB should have some nice ones. Thanks for the input kfryman.


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## Fabian (Dec 16, 2011)

Are you talking about the dwarf gourami or bettas and the eggs did't even hatch.
I can find those easily at my LFS.Quite cheap actually.


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

At all of my local pet stores that have fish, they never have females. I have also heart that females are a whole lot harder to get. I would definitely get her if you are gonna be breeding. Saves the cost on shipping.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

kfryman said:


> At all of my local pet stores that have fish, they never have females. I have also heart that females are a whole lot harder to get. I would definitely get her if you are gonna be breeding. Saves the cost on shipping.


Very true. Also I saw that just like bettas some females can be bland and not as colorful as males. When I was researching breeding I also read that female bettas were rare in stores as well, but injustice to be safe I would like to get one.

Also I can order from that store since it is a small town and I know the owner.


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## Inga (Jun 8, 2010)

I think my little male is hopeful that he can breed with my Opaline Gourami. He is up blowing bubbles like crazy. She will of course ignore him. ha ha Can't blame a guy for trying though.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Well I think I might be lucky enough to have two pairs. I was reading an article that says that females tend to be bland in color and have a thicker stomach. Which both of my females have. I will definitely be posting pictures and doing quite a bit of researching before attempting to breed them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CarmanDirda (Feb 20, 2012)

If you have 2 pairs, you may be set. Just be sure the setup is right.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

You know, if you can get them to breed I might be willing to buy some of the offspring from you. I've been looking for someone who breeds dwarf gourami as buying them from the store can be very risky with dwarf gourami disease, inbreeding, and all. Of all the smaller gourami the dwarfs are my favorite in coloration. I'd love to have some in my community, but I haven't been able to find a breeder.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

CarmanDirda said:


> If you have 2 pairs, you may be set. Just be sure the setup is right.


Yeah, that's why I am researching their specific breeding behavior and other important factors. Especially before jumping into deep water head first. This may be somthingOr that I can't complete so I am doing the best I can to get an understanding of what that is ( if any ). I don't think there will be.



thekoimaiden said:


> You know, if you can get them to breed I might be willing to buy some of the offspring from you. I've been looking for someone who breeds dwarf gourami as buying them from the store can be very risky with dwarf gourami disease, inbreeding, and all. Of all the smaller gourami the dwarfs are my favorite in coloration. I'd love to have some in my community, but I haven't been able to find a breeder.


Thank you, I might just be able to want them to breed even more. Now I know someone is willing to take some. Also if I might post a few of the offspring on the original TFK since there is more variety there as ell, but will give betta keepers a chance if they would like.

This is if I am able to breed successfully.


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## CarmanDirda (Feb 20, 2012)

bettalover2033 said:


> Thank you, I might just be able to want them to breed even more. Now I know someone is willing to take some. Also if I might post a few of the offspring on the original TFK since there is more variety there as ell, but will give betta keepers a chance if they would like.
> 
> This is if I am able to breed successfully.


 
If I can get a new, free tank, I may buy some as well. I've always loved gouramis, but I hate buying from pet stores, so I haven't had any in years.  I recently got some other fish as gifts, so they're taking up the tank they'd go in, but I will be getting more in the future anyway because I need room for fry when I breed.

Also, the ones I got were from a petstore, so who knows how long they'll survive...I love them all the same, but it worries me, since so many petstore fish die so quickly.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

I have never bred them, I only have the one male in my community tank, but I have to say they are my favorite. I have a Dwarf Neon Gourami... Ryu. He's awesome. Anyways, just posting so I can follow lol


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

CarmanDirda said:


> If I can get a new, free tank, I may buy some as well. I've always loved gouramis, but I hate buying from pet stores, so I haven't had any in years.  I recently got some other fish as gifts, so they're taking up the tank they'd go in, but I will be getting more in the future anyway because I need room for fry when I breed.
> 
> Also, the ones I got were from a petstore, so who knows how long they'll survive...I love them all the same, but it worries me, since so many petstore fish die so quickly.


Well I strongly believe that there are two males and two females. As I said before, the two other non neons look plump as a female would with eggs.



Pitluvs said:


> I have never bred them, I only have the one male in my community tank, but I have to say they are my favorite. I have a Dwarf Neon Gourami... Ryu. He's awesome. Anyways, just posting so I can follow lol



Heh, I do the same thing. I was always told it is rare to find females, but found over a dozen females in the tank at Walmart. My Walmart isn't too keen on keeping bettas, but they are REALLY on top of the whole "important" fish idea. It is horrible because the bettas get no attention and are only about 5-6 alive with about a little over a dozen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will definitely be offering to you guys here because I do know the hassle with trying to keep pet store fish alive.

Also I don't want to get people too excited yet because I don't exactly know how to breed them. All I know is that it is similar to bettas. Though since they are pretty fast fish, I can ekeep the water level to the top or just a little lower.

Also when if and when I do sell them, I will be selling them as a juvies (a bit smaller than that maybe) so shipping them would be easier and I wouldn't have to use bigger bags. Not too small though. I want to make sure they are able to survive through the whole process.

Lastly does anyone know anywhere I can find a really good article maybe? I started to research breeding them before I bought a new pair and bred my bettas, but stopped when that happened so I have to touch back on that.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

One of the reasons dwarf gourami are becoming rare in petstore is due to a dwarf gourami disease. It is highly contagious and many petstore refuse to stock them now because of it. So far there is no known cure and it can spread to other members of the community. There have also been inbreeding issues. 

From the TFK profile on dwarf gourami:


> This species frequently carries a disease known as "dwarf gourami iridovirus" which some believe has been caused by successive generations of inbreeding of this fish in the far east. Imports of the species often have high losses, and this disease is now known to be transmittable to other species in the same aquarium with an infected gourami. Fish purchased should be very carefully examined, and if possible only acquired from local breeders.


This is exactly why I've been wanting to find a breeder. Dwarf gourami are beautiful and just the right size for my community, but the stores around here no longer stock them. 

While I was searching for someone who breeds dwarf gourami a few months back when I decided on them, I did find a few good sources. Gourami Breeding and a youtube video of them spawning.


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## CarmanDirda (Feb 20, 2012)

The diseases are why I'm afraid to buy them from he local pet store. They have males, and 3 variations of them, but I've had bad experiences with them and wouldn't put it past them in the least.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

thekoimaiden said:


> One of the reasons dwarf gourami are becoming rare in petstore is due to a dwarf gourami disease. It is highly contagious and many petstore refuse to stock them now because of it. So far there is no known cure and it can spread to other members of the community. There have also been inbreeding issues.
> 
> From the TFK profile on dwarf gourami: This is exactly why I've been wanting to find a breeder. Dwarf gourami are beautiful and just the right size for my community, but the stores around here no longer stock them.
> 
> ...


Ah I see now. Is there a name for the disease? It sounds like the H1N1 virus, but worse for fish. And since they ARE in water and constantly rubbing against other fish, it is so much easier to spread it im guessing. *When you say inbreeding issures, do you mean really bad deformities?*

I also saw a few videos (very few) on youtube of them spawning. Would you maybe know how many generations you can breed the fry before switching over to prevent deformities and other inbreeding issues?

I should be able to post pictures now finally.

I really hope that this species doesnt become extinct because of this disease! IT would be terrible to see none at all or just very few hundred in the world!. My LPS used to sell some as quarter sized fry and they seemed to live a while.

(Just a side noted rant) I brought them home two days ago and when my sister looked at them she said they look creepy because of the "antennas." LOL. I couldn't help, but laugh. Too bad I'm not completely educated on them to tell her otherwise.


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## ashtricks (Feb 15, 2012)

> Is there a name for the disease? It sounds like the H1N1 virus, but worse for fish. And since they ARE in water and constantly rubbing against other fish, it is so much easier to spread it im guessing. When you say inbreeding issures, do you mean really bad deformities?
> 
> Read more: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/other-fish/breeding-dwarf-gouramis-93572/page2/#ixzz1nRGgHhyw





> This species frequently carries a disease known as "dwarf gourami iridovirus" which some believe has been caused by successive generations of inbreeding of this fish in the far east. Imports of the species often have high losses, and this disease is now known to be transmittable to other species in the same aquarium with an infected gourami. Fish purchased should be very carefully examined, and if possible only acquired from local breeders.
> 
> Read more: Dwarf Gourami (Trichogaster lalius) Profile


I found this site which tells more about the DGI. Aquarium Fish: Fish Viral Disease

I have not bred dwarf gouramis but back in India, I had a pair of golden gouramis which did produce 60 - 70 fry 2 times. I just had a stem of hydrilla (considered an invasive weed in the US) floating in my tank. No heater, no filter. The first time I could not save any. Second time around when I could see the fry swimming around the tank, I siphoned as many of them as I could and gave them to my LFS guy.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

ashtricks said:


> I found this site which tells more about the DGI. Aquarium Fish: Fish Viral Disease
> 
> I have not bred dwarf gouramis but back in India, I had a pair of golden gouramis which did produce 60 - 70 fry 2 times. I just had a stem of hydrilla (considered an invasive weed in the US) floating in my tank. No heater, no filter. The first time I could not save any. Second time around when I could see the fry swimming around the tank, I siphoned as many of them as I could and gave them to my LFS guy.


Thank you for the reference, that really helps!


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

The disease idea scared the poop out of me! I went in the store here looking to buy a Honey Gourami since they stay pretty small since I wanted to avoid Dwarf Gouramis. But there was one little Dwarf Neon sitting in a tank with a dead tank mate and he was sitting in the back corner scared out of his mind. I decided to take a chance on him, even if he was sick at least he would pass in a home that loved him. That was in September, he's still with me and perfectly healthy. I am happy I decided on him. From now on though, I hope to get a big tank down the road and have a larger Gourami.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

bettalover2033 said:


> Ah I see now. Is there a name for the disease? It sounds like the H1N1 virus, but worse for fish. And since they ARE in water and constantly rubbing against other fish, it is so much easier to spread it im guessing. *When you say inbreeding issures, do you mean really bad deformities?*
> -snip-


Deformities come from many many generations of inbreeding, but in general cases of inbreeding weaken the fish and cause them to be more susceptible to disease. It will also shorten their lives, and less offspring from spawn will grow to adulthood.


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## ashtricks (Feb 15, 2012)

Will a male dwarf gourami build a bubble nest even if there is no female in the tank?


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

ashtricks said:


> Will a male dwarf gourami build a bubble nest even if there is no female in the tank?


I think I read that male dwarf gouramis will usually only blow bubblenests in the presence of a female but like bettas usually they build bubblenests when they are alone.

This is what I've read so far. I'm still looking into them a bit more.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

*Update!*

I JUST now bought another 4 of the dwarf gouramis. Another two males and another two females.

I also bought two small blue spotted gouramis. I dont know how to tell male from female yet. 

Though with the dwarf gouramis, I read that it is the dorsal that tells male from female. *(im going to use DG for Dwarf gouramis)* The male DG has a longer pointed dorsal while the female has a shorter curved dorsal.


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