Honey gourami bubble nest

Hi,

I have a male and a female honey gourami in 15G planted community tank (details in my profile). My male honey gourami reaches his sexual maturity (part of his abdomen turned black). I think both gourami was trying to mate today and now the male one is busy creating bubble nest. Yet, the bubble nest were readily popped few seconds after being spitted out.

Does one has any idea why the bubble burst so fast? Is it normal for the first bubble to be so fragile which means my male honey gourami needs more experience to build the nest? Or is it because I have filter turned on that agitate the surface (he choose the least agitated surface though in the corner of tank)? Or is it because the water not suitable for bubble?

P.s. I know it may be not a good thing to breed fish in a community tank and not a breeding tank, but still I want the try breeding as they did in nature (may be too much?)

 

Bumping this up for you

 

Does it have floatingplants to buikd the nest between? Waterflow is an issue offcourse

 

... the bubble nest were readily popped few seconds after being spitted out. ... is it because I have filter turned on that agitate the surface (he choose the least agitated surface though in the corner of tank)...

Try using half a floating styrofoam cup placed over the nest/area like the one in the pic I uploaded here:



And yes turbulence caused by mechanical filtration is also a reason.

 

HI all, thank you for your kind reply.

Does it have floatingplants to buikd the nest between? Waterflow is an issue offcourse

Many references state that honey gouramis do not need floating plant for their bubble nest unlike those dwarf gouramis. Nevertheless, my tank have some amazon frogbit just for the case they need it.

Try using half a floating styrofoam cup placed over the nest/area like the one in the pic I uploaded here:



And yes turbulence caused by mechanical filtration is also a reason.

Great advice! I have also thought the similar idea of upside container to get some calm water surface. Might add them next time I do water change.

It also seems that the previous day my honey gourami was not experienced enough so that his bubbles bursted readily, now he has more experienced as his bubble become big and sturdy enough. The water flow from filter outlet, however, scattered the bubble so I have bubbles all over the edges of the tank.

Last, if I may ask, what I supposed to do with weekly water change routine when I have bubble nest? Should I skip it for a week since it will destroy the bubble nest (FYI, in previous day before I do water change the nitrate level was around 10 ppm)? Also, how often do honey/other kind of gouramis mate/spawn?

 

Think you're reffering something different : DG's use parts of plants in their nest, honeys don't.
They love to build their nest in between though cause there is no current.

 

... references state that honey gouramis do not need floating plant for their bubble nest ... what I supposed to do with weekly water change routine when I have bubble nest? Should I skip it for a week since it will destroy the bubble nest ... how often do honey/other kind of gouramis mate/spawn?

Gourami don't need floating plant for their bubble nest, and adding plant matter to water increases pH which is never a good thing for any Gourami species. That said however, the best 1st food for fry IME is the infusoria on living plants. For me, nowadays, I breed without plants but add plants (add remove parents) once I see fry attempting to leave the nest and the male corralling them back in. But I used to breed with plants already in the tank to begin with, any many breeders do it this way. It's largely a matter of personal preference. I can tell you that if you put a clump of floating plants beside a floating half styrofoam cup and then add a male he will choose to build under the cup not the plants. Or sometimes he will drag the plants under the cup and then build a nest.

Re: weekly water change routine when you have bubble nest. IMO we should never skip water changes in a tank containing juveniles or adults for an entire week. Water changes will not destroy the bubble nest if you float half a styrofoam cup over it. That's one of several advantages to using the cups. Also IME/IMO water changes with juvenilies/adults should not be done weekly they should be done every 12-24hrs.

My well fed Gourami could breed every few days, i.e. >1 time per week.

 

Gourami don't need floating plant for their bubble nest, and adding plant matter to water increases pH which is never a good thing for any Gourami species. That said however, the best 1st food for fry IME is the infusoria on living plants. For me, nowadays, I breed without plants but add plants (add remove parents) once I see fry attempting to leave the nest and the male corralling them back in. But I used to breed with plants already in the tank to begin with, any many breeders do it this way. It's largely a matter of personal preference. I can tell you that if you put a clump of floating plants beside a floating half styrofoam cup and then add a male he will choose to build under the cup not the plants. Or sometimes he will drag the plants under the cup and then build a nest.

Re: weekly water change routine when you have bubble nest. IMO we should never skip water changes in a tank containing juveniles or adults for an entire week. Water changes will not destroy the bubble nest if you float half a styrofoam cup over it. That's one of several advantages to using the cups. Also IME/IMO water changes with juvenilies/adults should not be done weekly they should be done every 12-24hrs.

My well fed Gourami could breed every few days, i.e. >1 time per week.

Adding plantmatter raises PH???

 

Yes absolutely, but don't take my word for it. See it for yourself. Measure the pH using an accurate and reliable pH monitor, such as one like this:




Take the reading from a gallon of neutral water 7.0 (distilled is best coz even rainwater is acidic in many locales). Then add plants. Read it again.

And plants which are photosynthesizing, i.e. exposed to sunlight, will jack that pH way up, as opposed to just plain neutral water in sunlight.

I first stumbled across this about 20 years ago when breeding Betta burdigala. I couldn't figure out why my adults in plain rainwater were thriving but when I added floating plants to provide infusoria for the fry they'd always fungus over and die. Then one day I tested the pH of the rainwater with the plants added and sure enough that's what it was. After that I went on to successfully raise several broods of fry absolutely disease free!

 

Think you're reffering something different : DG's use parts of plants in their nest, honeys don't.
They love to build their nest in between though cause there is no current.

I see. Sorry that I misread/misunderstood your previous post.

Gourami don't need floating plant for their bubble nest, and adding plant matter to water increases pH which is never a good thing for any Gourami species. ....

Thanks for the information regarding pH issues. As for my tank, the water was slightly acidic the last time I checked (around 6.4).
Also, thanks for the information regarding the water change and breeding frequency. That's very useful information for a beginner like me.