Bubblenest - Ok To Break Up?

[CletePurcel]

My male dwarf gourami has built a nest at the back of the tank in some floating pennywort. This was fine until yesterday when he uprooted several other plants (foxtails) to build a huge canopy across the top of the aquarium.

The other fish are now struggling to get to the surface of the aquarium so I feel the need to just replant the uprooted specimens and see how it goes. He is also now very territorial and chasing all the other fish away.

Will disturbing the nest or completely breaking it up cause any problems? I guess he might just uproot everything again in which case I will have to think about different plants.

I don't know if there are any eggs in the nest (I can't see any). But I haven't done this before so any advice appreciated. I am not interested in breeding them yet.

Pictures are here for what it's worth:
http/myaquariumlog.blogspot.com/2011/03/bubblenest-update.html

Cheers.

 

[Paradise3]

There doesn't look to be any eggs in that nest. I have commented on that website as well but I thought I would post a picture of a bubble nest with eggs in it. This is my paradise fish breeding tank and this is dad with his nest full of eggs.
Top View

Side View

You can see the line of bubbles above the creamy eggs in the above photo.
Sorry they are small pictures. I can't upload them full size because the are too big and if I try uploading them any bigger they make my internet freeze up.
Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[CletePurcel]

Thanks. That is really useful.

I didn't think there were any eggs either, but having never seen this before I really didn't know.

 

[Paradise3]

Thanks. That is really useful.

I didn't think there were any eggs either, but having never seen this before I really didn't know.

Your welcome. Yeah, it's easy to tell when there's eggs in a bubbles nest. The nest would look slightly cream/off white in the places where the eggs are. Then the eggs would darken up and it would get even easier to tell.

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Very good illustration there Missy..... lots of people who actually intend breeding the fish do not know the telltale signs of when & when not there are eggs in the nest..... and Clete... since it is not your intention to breed your Dwarfs anyhow..... no harm in breaking up the nest then.... Dwarfs do tend to enforce there Bubble nests by inserting plant pieces into the nest..... but.... (if you destroy the nest.... he'll be back within a week (to 10 days) to try again.... so get some hornwort....

 

[Paradise3]

Very good illustration there Missy..... lots of people who actually intend breeding the fish do not know the telltale signs of when & when not there are eggs in the nest..... and Clete... since it is not your intention to breed your Dwarfs anyhow..... no harm in breaking up the nest then.... Dwarfs do tend to enforce there Bubble nests by inserting plant pieces into the nest..... but.... (if you destroy the nest.... he'll be back within a week (to 10 days) to try again.... so get some hornwort....

Why thank you Ludwig. Yes it is OK to break up the nest, I had to do that with the second nest that my big boy built because I had to clean them out at that time...

Cheers,
Paradise<3!

 

[CletePurcel]

and Clete... since it is not your intention to breed your Dwarfs anyhow..... no harm in breaking up the nest then.... Dwarfs do tend to enforce there Bubble nests by inserting plant pieces into the nest..... but.... (if you destroy the nest.... he'll be back within a week (to 10 days) to try again.... so get some hornwort....

Thanks. I'll have a look for some hornwort. The LFS didn't have any this afternoon, though, lots of cabomba. Would that do?

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Thanks. I'll have a look for some hornwort. The LFS didn't have any this afternoon, though, lots of cabomba. Would that do?

As good as.....