How to distinguish male and female marbled gourami. How to care for gourami in an aquarium. Character and behavior

Gourami are ideal for breeding outside the wild. Size adult does not exceed 11 centimeters. The ancestors of these fish were very common in the reservoirs of Vietnam and Indonesia. Today, pearl gourami has the perfect color to make your aquarium unique. All over the silver-violet body of the fish there are small spots that resemble pearls.

All gourami representatives have distinctive features. The pelvic fins along the edges are distinguished by peculiar threads that give them unusual look. IN wildlife This was necessary because the water in the habitat was cloudy, so mutations of the fins were quite justified. In addition, all fish have a different way of breathing than others. They need atmospheric air, therefore, when transporting fish, provide them with the opportunity to breathe on the surface of the water, otherwise they may not be brought to the aquarium.

Brothers of the pearl fish

In addition to pearl gourami, you can find blue, marbled, honey, etc. They all have common characteristics:

• Elongated shape;
• Oval body;
• Dark stripes on a light background;
• There are reddish spots on the back and tail;
• Transparent fins.

All these fish are very beautiful. Interesting fact that during spawning the fish's eye color changes. From dark they become bright red. In addition, it is possible to determine that the period of sexual maturity has arrived due to the darkening of the transverse stripes on the body, and the anal fin has acquired bright spots that become very noticeable against a dark background.

You can distinguish a female from a male by color and fins. The male is much brighter than his girlfriend. But if there is no way to compare, then pay attention to the shape of the dorsal fin - in males it is elongated and sharp at the end, while in females it is round. Pearl gourami differs from typical representatives in its spawning coloration. At this time, bright colors form on the fish’s “chest”. orange spots. This phenomenon is highly anticipated by avid aquarists; they have the opportunity to capture the object of their pride as a keepsake. Fans of this type of fish unite into communities and share their achievements.

Pearl gourami is valued for its peaceful nature. They have never been seen in aggressive behavior. On the contrary, they are often attacked by unkind neighbors. The former never attack, and if a conflict arises, they try to quickly retreat to a shelter - a thicket of green algae. It is not recommended to keep them in an aquarium with swordtails and barbs.

• Bright lighting;
• Dark soil;
• Availability of plants;
• Availability of free space for swimming;
• Water temperature 24-28 degrees.

As you can see, provide ideal conditions not difficult for fish. Keeping an aquarium with a large number of plants will make the microclimate among neighbors friendlier. The offended can always hide in the bushes. In addition, vegetation is necessary so that the male can build a nest.

Oxygen starvation does not frighten these fish, but if you still decide to provide them with additional air flow, then make sure that there are no strong currents. This can cause significant inconvenience to fish.

Pearl gourami is also not a gourmet. He happily eats different types of food - frozen, dry, live. Store-bought food is ideal for feeding them, just make sure that it is not too large, otherwise the fish may choke on it. You don’t have to worry about their maintenance during departure; they can live without food for one or even two weeks. Life cycle Gourami are about 6 years old, which is not bad for aquarium inhabitants.

Reproduction of aquarium gouramis

Due to their long life span, pearl gouramis begin to breed only at one year of age. The content at the time of reproduction changes. For spawning, it is better to choose another aquarium, the size of which does not exceed 30 liters. This must be done for the safety of the fry, since they will definitely be eaten in a common aquarium. The ideal temperature in the new aquarium is 27 degrees.

Two weeks before the start of spawning, the male and female are seated. Feed needs to be changed ideal option is bloodworm and coretra. Choose food that is larger in size than the fry. A signal that it is time to start reproducing is an increase in the water temperature in the aquarium. Adding water will be an additional incentive for pearl fish. Required condition– you cannot take fish out of the aquarium; it is enough to change some of the water with new one. If you want to speed up the process, use softer water than in the main aquarium.

The male builds a nest for future spawning. At this time, you can notice a fairly large air cloud in dense thickets. Speaking of them, make sure that the young parents have a shelter; without algae, individuals will not spawn. While engaged in construction, the male releases a small air bubble from his mouth, putting them in one place, he gets a nest about 5 centimeters in size. Female, as expected a real woman, is not involved in construction.

Males are very courteous. They can for a long time chase the female if she is not ready. As soon as moment X occurs, she settles under the nest and begins to spawn. The male picks up the eggs that the female has laid and takes them to the nest. This process is very exciting and amazing. Many aquarists dream of seeing this with their own eyes. The number of eggs can reach several thousand, but not all are destined to become adults. Surprisingly, the male takes on the main part of caring for the nest; the female believes that her mission has been completed. They have enough work to do; they need to maintain the nest in proper condition and return the eggs to their place.

As soon as you notice that the fry have begun to appear, you need to transplant caring father. The fact is that by returning them to the nest out of habit, he can cause significant damage to the fragile offspring. Once the adults have been removed, start feeding the young a small feed so they can handle it. Young gouramis need extra oxygen early in their lives, so provide an aeration system. At one point you may notice that the fry are developing unevenly. At this moment you need to seat large and small ones different places, so you will increase their survival rate.

Video of the care and maintenance of Grami pearl:

Marbled gourami is an aquarium fish with a blue-blue body and dark spots on it. In its size and shape, the body resembles its relatives, the gouramic, but the color is significantly different. This fish does not require care home aquarium. If we compare them with other types of aquarium fish, they can be considered long-lived. IN aquarium conditions can live up to 6 years, but if all conditions for comfortable maintenance are created. They reproduce well and are suitable for breeding by both beginners and professional hobbyists. Gourami can grow up to 15 cm. In this case, for a couple of adults an aquarium of at least 70-80 liters is required, for fry 50 liters is enough. Sexual maturity is reached 7-9 months after birth. Until this time, it is quite difficult to distinguish a female from a male.

By nature, the fish are not aggressive and calm, but there are males who can show aggression for their territory. Therefore, in an aquarium where gouramis live, there should be a lot of plants and several houses where other inhabitants could hide. This fish was bred artificially; blue gouramis are considered its ancestors. Their habitat is Thailand, Indonesia, and they can also be found in rice fields, small streams and canals. They like to settle in areas where there is a lot of algae and insects. During drought they live in rivers, but during the rainy season they move to shallow water.

Appearance

The marbled gourami has a long and flattened body and rounded fins. There are two fins in the form of antennae on the abdomen, with the help of which the fish explores its habitat. They also help detect the movements of other fish thanks to their many sensory receptors. This fish is classified as a labyrinthine species because they have the ability to breathe air on the surface, thanks to this ability they feel good in places with low level oxygen.

The marbled gourami is endowed with a bright color; during spawning, the males become brighter than usual. Scales on the body of blue color with darker spots that are located throughout the body, resembling marble.

The necessary conditions

Some special conditions These fish do not require maintenance, so even beginners can handle them. This also applies to nutrition; regular fish food is suitable. To keep them you need a fairly spacious aquarium with a lot of vegetation. This is required so that gourami can hide from conflicting individuals and be in peace.

For young fish and fry, 50 liters is enough, but for adults, about 80. You can house them either in pairs or several at a time. Considering that gouramis need oxygen, there should always be an oxygen space between the aquarium and the lid. The temperature in the aquarium must be maintained at the same level as the air temperature.

These fish do not like strong currents, so the filter should be set to minimum mode. The water temperature in the aquarium is from 21 to 28 C, with a hardness of 5 and no more than 30 dGH. Also, the aquarium should be filled with decorations and floating vegetation.

Aquarium soil

Small pebbles, granite chips, coarse quarry or river sand are suitable as soil for an aquarium with gourami. It is better to choose dark-colored soil; the fish look better against this background. You can also put various decorations in the form of shells, houses and other decorations.

Vegetation

These fish prefer dense vegetation, so there should be a lot of greenery in the aquarium. You can plant hornwort, elodea, cirrus, etc. on the bottom. For floating ones, you can take riccia, duckweed, etc.

Proper feeding

Compatibility with other inhabitants

Marbled gouramis prefer to be in the neighborhood with small and friendly individuals that will not bite their fins and will not make claims to the territory. Males sometimes show aggression towards other males. Therefore, it is recommended to house a pair or two females and one male. Can be kept in the same aquarium along with characins and loricarias. You can't live with barbs different types, since male gourami are accustomed to fighting for their place.

Reproduction

Almost all labyrinthine species reproduce by nesting. To do this, the male builds a nest from his own saliva and foam, and it is in this place that future offspring grow up. Gourami breed quite easily, but this requires space and a lot of vegetation. During this period, both the female and the male require live food. A pregnant female becomes significantly fatter due to the eggs.

The mature pair should be placed in another aquarium, but also quite spacious, at least 50 liters. The temperature should be slightly higher, around 25-26 degrees. And the water level is somewhere around 13-15 cm. At this time, the male is busy building a nest, usually in a secluded corner place. At the same time, he begins to chase the female and she will need shelter.

After the construction of the nest is completed, courtship begins, and the male does not lag behind the female, while demonstrating all his beauty by displaying his fins. The mature female is near the nest and then the male hugs her, and thus inseminates her. In one clutch, a gourami is capable of laying from 700 to 900 eggs. After this, the female needs to be removed, as the male becomes aggressive and can harm her.

The male takes care of the nest, constantly adjusting it.

When fish emerge from the eggs, the male is also removed, since he can eat them.

The eggs develop rapidly and after 1-2 days fry emerge from them; the speed of development is affected by the water temperature. After birth they are unable to swim. But after 3-4 days, the nest disappears, and the fish begin to learn to swim. And after a week they begin to move meaningfully. At this time, their yolk sacs become empty, and then they need food. In this case, the water in the aquarium should not exceed 20 cm and be saturated with oxygen, since the fry are not yet able to breathe. Such an aquarium will also require algae; they are needed for the development of microorganisms that the fry feed on. The main food is tubifex (chopped), low-fat cottage cheese, egg yolk and other dry food. After 10 days they develop respiratory organ and then they can independently absorb oxygen from the surface.

The babies need to be looked after, the dead ones must be removed, and the weak ones must be transplanted so that the stronger ones do not pluck them. After 30-40 days, the fish can be added to the main aquarium.

Differences between male and female

Males are much larger than females, their upper fin is longer and sharper, and they also have a brighter color. Female gourami are small and rounded dorsal, They smaller in size, but thicker.

Varieties of gourami

There are several varieties of gourami, all of them differ from each other in size, color and body structure. The most famous of them:

Gourami Lunar

They have a silver color with a bluish-blue tint. Pelvic fins-antennae are orange or red. In nature they can grow up to 18-20 cm, but in an aquarium no more than 13 cm.

Gourami Pearl

The color of the body resembles a pearl. But during mating games the male turns purple. The body is oval-shaped and flattened on both sides. It has a large dorsal and lower fin.

Spotted Gourami

It also has a silver color with a pronounced turquoise tint and the same transverse stripes on the body. The fins of this species are transparent with light orange spots. IN natural conditions can grow up to 20 cm, and in an aquarium no more than 10-12 cm.

Serpentine gourami

This species is the largest. In nature it reaches 25 cm, but in an aquarium it is about 15 cm. It has a long body with a raised tail. The color is light brown with a marsh green tint. A dark horizontal stripe runs through the entire body.

Novice amateurs aquarium fish people always pay attention to cute gourami, which attract not only their beauty, but also their calm, peaceful disposition. Having seriously thought about breeding such fish, many people have a question about how to distinguish gourami by gender. But in fact, it turns out that determining the sex of a fish is quite easy. Now we will tell you about everything in more detail.

External differences

The question of whether this is a boy or a girl becomes especially relevant at the moment when the breeding season of these cute creatures begins. While the fish are still small, it can be very difficult to distinguish a female from a male. But already at 6-7 months of age, gouramis exhibit obvious signs differences by gender.

You can distinguish a female from a male by several characteristics. Let's start with external differences. Take a close look at your pet. If he has a long dorsal fin that reaches almost to the very tail, then this indicates that this is a male. In addition, in boys this fin has a more pointed shape. In girls, the dorsal fin is much shorter and has an even, rounded shape.

You can also distinguish them by their anal fin. If the anal fin of a fish has round shape and small size, this means that this is a girl. In males it is slightly longer and its tip also has a pointed shape, as is the case with the dorsal fin.

You can also distinguish a male from a female by size. Boys are many times larger than females. But it should be noted that they can be distinguished by size only after the pets are at least 6 months old.

Color

Next, you should pay attention to the color of the fish. As a rule, the characteristic color appears in gourami immediately before spawning. Pay attention to the color of your fish's belly. In males it is painted bright scarlet or Orange color. This applies to those fish that initially have a bright color.

If in front of you is a pearl-colored pet, then a barely noticeable red stripe appears on its abdomen during this period. In males of a different color, for example, “honey” ones, either a red stripe appears or the abdomen becomes a darker shade. In spotted males, small spots on the fins become more saturated and bright in color, and the body is slightly darker than usual. The stripes become almost black.

It is worth noting that It is possible to distinguish a female from a male by color not only during the breeding season.

All boy fish have a brighter and more saturated color than girls.

Other differences

During the period of their active growth, females gain weight much faster. As a result, the female’s body becomes denser and fuller. Males, while growing up, remain more “slender”.

If you still doubt whether the bird in front of you is a male or a female, you can find other differences between them. For example, they also differ in character. If you carefully observe the behavior of your aquarium fish, you will soon understand that gouramis also differ in character. Males are much more active and mobile.

Boy gourami can show real male character if you carefully observe their behavior. And although they are peaceful and friendly fish, when an opponent approaches, they begin to behave very aggressively and actively defend their territory. That is why experts recommend purchasing a large aquarium in order to provide them with more comfortable conditions. If several males live in a small aquarium, they will constantly fight for territory.

Before spawning, not only the color changes, but also the behavior of the fish. If you notice that your pets have begun to chase each other in the aquarium, then pay attention to who exactly is trying to catch up. Usually, It is the males who chase the females, thereby attracting their attention.

It is worth noting that the boys do not show any aggression towards the females at all. During this "race" males often find themselves in top layer water and actively release bubbles.

If such a “race” does not occur during the spawning period, then, most likely, these are males chasing each other. Usually this behavior indicates that they cannot divide the territory.

How to determine the gender of gourami is described in the following video.

Many aquarists prefer gourami. This is a fairly popular fish that is not very picky about its conditions. not viviparous, i.e. they lay eggs and do not immediately give birth to offspring. But male gourami take care of the fry.

As you can see, there are interesting features during reproduction, so we will consider them in more detail.

To select fish for breeding, it is important to be able to distinguish the different sexes from each other.

You can determine gender by appearance:

• Boys are different in that they are larger and more active. Females are slightly smaller, their body is dense, and the tummy of mature individuals becomes rounded.
• The female is also distinguished from the male by the type of dorsal fin. She has a rounded shape, while in males it is pointed.
• There are also differences in color: males are bright, females are duller. Before spawning, pigmentation intensifies, and males become even more recognizable - this helps determine the sex of gourami with high accuracy.

Reproduction

Reproduction of gourami at home occurs quite in an unusual way: the future father takes on the main role.

If you decide to breed fish of this species in your aquarium, then get one male and several females.

Their cultivation requires the presence of algae on the surface of the water. During gourami spawning, the male makes a nest there from eggs, so plants help him a lot with this.

You can also breed fish not in a general aquarium, but using a spawning tank (a separate container), where future parents are placed. To speed up the process, the water temperature should be slightly increased - about 25–28 degrees.

If you decide to choose a community aquarium for breeding, its size should be large enough so that the fish can share the space. Be careful: male gourami always defend their territory, entering into confrontation with rivals of the same or similar species.

Gouramis have the ability to breathe oxygen, for which they sometimes swim to the surface of the aquarium. That is why for their maintenance it is important that the difference between the temperatures of water and air is small.

When the fish are ripe for reproduction, a foam nest appears in the algae, which the male builds for the female. Until it is ready, it is better to keep the partner separately, otherwise the future father may behave aggressively towards her.

After building the nest, the female is placed in the aquarium. It is important that she is ready for spawning - her abdomen should be thick with eggs.

The future father invites his partner to the nest, where she lays eggs, which he immediately fertilizes. At the same time, he carefully lifts the eggs that have fallen to the bottom to the surface, returning them to the nest.

When the female finishes spawning, she should be placed in another aquarium. Incubation period lasts up to two days (the time depends on the water temperature), during which the male jealously guards the nest, preventing it from collapsing and the eggs from sinking. Then the young begin to appear, the nest is destroyed. After this, the father needs to be put away.

What to feed the fry

The fry do not need food for another 3–4 days, feeding on the contents of the yolk sac. They will then require external feeding. Meals can be provided 5–6 times a day, and portions should be small.

Food for gourami fry can be as follows:

• Rotifer.
• Ciliates.
• Liquid food for fry.
• Hard-boiled egg yolk, pureed through cheesecloth.

After just a few weeks, the fish can be transplanted into a common aquarium, while adding protein-rich food to their diet - it will help the scales develop correctly and add brightness to the color.

Conclusion

So, to help your gourami reproduce, you need to:

• In the spawning tank or in the general aquarium, set the water temperature to 25–28 degrees.
• Provide enough algae near the surface to create a nest.
• Add a female with plump barrels that is ripe for spawning.
• After spawning, remove the female and let the male take care of the nest.
• Then remove the father and organize the correct diet for the emerging fry.

Beautiful aquarium fish Gourami are prominent representatives a large family of labyrinth fish. They appeared in our aquariums relatively recently, only about 50 years ago. These amazing creatures, called threadworms, are naturally found in fresh water bodies South-East Asia, on Borneo islands and Sumatra. In such a short period of time, thanks to their attractive appearance and unpretentiousness, they have earned special love aquarists all over the world.

Description of the types of aquarium fish Gourami

Agile and nimble Gourami video, which you can see here, come in different sizes and types. Depending on the species, individuals can be small - from 3 cm in length, and quite large - up to 12 cm. In all of them, without exception, the body shape resembles a spindle, flattened laterally, with short dorsal and long anal fins. Particular attention should be paid to the pelvic fins, the length of which is equal to the length of the body of the fish itself, and their shape resembles threads.

In fact, the ventral thread-like fins of the Gourami aquarium fish are organs of touch. They help these representatives navigate in space. With their help, Gourami feel everything that comes their way. At the same time, when kept in the same aquarium with cichlids, barbs and swordtails, these fins can become a target for them.

Most often, domestic aquarists encounter the following: Gourami species:

1. Silver;
2. Spotted;
3. Blue;
4. Marble.

Silver or pearl fish Gourami are quite attractive. They have a characteristic color with specks randomly scattered throughout the body. Moreover, this coloring is also observed on the fins of this species. During the mating season, males acquire a bright and expressive orange color. From the border of the individual’s head to the border of the caudal fin, a dark stripe is clearly visible across the entire body. The eye circles (irises) are also colored orange.

Spotted Gourami fish photo, which you could see on this page are not much different from pearl ones. Basic distinctive feature is body color. It has a purple color with pronounced dark brown stripes. In the center, on the surface of the body, and on the edges of the fins, you can see small dark and orange spots, respectively. The anal fin and eye irises are also orange. With the onset of the mating season, males transform due to the fact that their color becomes expressive and attractive.

Marble and Blue fish Gourami genera are not much different from each other. Historically, the former were developed by crossing the latter with other species. Like other fish of this genus, they have recognizable body shapes. They have the same shaped fins. The fish differ only in their original color.

Features of keeping Gourami in a home aquarium

For a long time, the Gourami fish was considered very difficult to keep. And the reason for this opinion was improper transportation from distant Asia to European part mainland. Not all transported individuals survived the long journey. Most of them died from lack of oxygen, which was sorely lacking in containers completely filled with water. Because of this, gouramis were not imported to Europe for more than 20 years.

Having found out the reason for the death of the fish during transportation, gourami began to be regularly supplied to pet markets in many countries around the world. With proper maintenance, this type of labyrinthine falls into the category of long-livers. On average, regardless of the type of fish, they live in an aquarium for about 7-8 years. If you take the maintenance more seriously and provide proper care, Gourami can live up to 10-12 years. Agree that this is a lot for a fish that does not live that long in natural conditions.

Generally contain Gourami in an aquarium is not as difficult as it seems. To do this, it is necessary to recreate conditions as close to natural as possible in an artificial home pond. In nature, fish prefer reservoirs depleted in oxygen. As a rule, the water there is muddy, with dense vegetation and quite warm. Traditionally these are rice fields and large puddles. Here are the basic rules, following which you can significantly increase the life expectancy of your pets:

• Medium-sized aquarium from 20 liters;
• The water level should not exceed 35 centimeters;
• The water is clean with frequent changes of a quarter of the volume;
• Temperature- 26 o C…28 o C;
• Sufficient lighting;
• The presence of vegetation and decorative elements;
• 12 hours bright lighting.

How do gouramis reproduce?

Gourami Reproduction a very interesting process. When pairs are formed in mating season the male begins to build a nest of foam at the surface of the water. In just 24 hours he makes a cradle for the eggs. At the same time, the female does not take any part in construction. After spawning occurs, the male carefully collects all the eggs with his mouth and transfers them to the nest, where fertilization occurs. In the future, all care of the eggs and larvae falls exclusively on the male. However, with the appearance of the fry, it becomes necessary to remove the father in order to protect the hatched offspring.

To breed Gourami, it is best to have a separate spawning aquarium, where the process of reproduction of these wonderful fish will take place. In many ways it should resemble a community aquarium. The same 35 cm of water. To stimulate reproduction, it is necessary to raise the water temperature to 28 o C. To successfully build a nest, you will need. The female Gourami will also need dense vegetation so that she can hide there from the annoying male. During this period, it is best to feed the fish with live food: bark and bloodworms. However, they should not be too small.

How to determine the sex of a Gourami fish

For aquarists on the initial path of their development, the question Gourami sex determination is the most relevant. But there is nothing complicated here either. Males and females of this fish species have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Male Gourami are larger than females. They have bright and expressive body coloring. In females, the dorsal fin is much shorter and smaller than in males. In addition, females are not so expressive and attractive in their appearance.

As you can see, caring for Gourami is not that difficult. The same can be said about feeding fish. All that an aquarist needs to know and take into account in this matter is the structure of the mouth of fish of this species. Food should not be too large. As such, Gourami can be given: tubifex, bloodworm, coretra, daphnia. Fish will not refuse dry and canned food. For fry, all food will need to be thoroughly chopped. They can be given live dust, ground egg yolk, finely chopped plant foods. Adult Gourami can easily tolerate a short fast (usually up to 11-14 days).