First tank, Superfish 80l

[Essjay]

Males develop a black chest when mature and settled in. Which colour variant do you have? Natural coloured males have quite an extensive black throat while it is smaller with the yellow variant.

Can you take photos of them and post them? Side views would be best if they'll cooperate.

 

[Avel1896]

Possible you have 2 males Trichogaster chuna wild morph.
Fight in sight to establish dominant and dominated.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Males develop a black chest when mature and settled in. Which colour variant do you have? Natural coloured males have quite an extensive black throat while it is smaller with the yellow variant.

Can you take photos of them and post them? Side views would be best if they'll cooperate.

They are natural coloured. The male was the only full coloured one in the tank.

 

[Avel1896]

I do love "chuna", I mean wild morph.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Behaviour to own reflection and to other fish.

 

[Avel1896]

Maybe I'm tired but where's the other fish ?
And why the bottle ?

 

[Essjay]

The definite male is gorgeous It's hard to tell with the other. The colouring is female but it's hard to see the fins clearly.


The other fish is a peacock gudgeon, also called peacock goby, Tateurndina ocellicauda. Either a female or a juvenile male.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Maybe I'm tired but where's the other fish ?
And why the bottle ?

The bottle has CO2 in it and provides it passively rather than by actively bubbling it through - it has a more subtle effect.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Loving this tank now it has fish! It's buzzing with sexual tension. The male peacock is trying to get one of the females to drop her eggs in the heater vents (Darwin in action there I think), and the gourami seems to be interested in one corner - perhaps for a bubble nest?

 

[Sunnyspots]

Well, that settles it. Definitely a pair of gourami. Lots of mating and about 10 bubbles as a nest, so not much hope for the fry. Lovely to see within 24 hours of bringing home the female....

 

[Sunnyspots]

@Essjay
I have nowhere cycled to move the bubble nest (which is growing) so I guess I'll lose all the fry?

 

[Essjay]

The chances are that the gudgeons will eat any eggs before they have chance to hatch, I'm afraid. They may be mainly bottom dwelling fish but when faced with a tempting snack, they do feed from the surface.

The honey gouramis I've had over the years did manage to produce fry even in a community tank. But even the ones I 'rescued' into a breeding net did not live long. Anabatid fry fry need warm humid air over the water for the first few weeks and I think it was lack of this in my tank which caused their demise.
If the first set of eggs are eaten, they will spawn again. Something to think about is setting up a small tank to raise fry if you would like to try this. You would need a very gentle filter flow for fry; an air pump powered sponge filter is ideal for a nursery tank.


It's interesting with that both of the fish species you have chosen, it's the father that looks after the eggs

 

[Sunnyspots]

The chances are that the gudgeons will eat any eggs before they have chance to hatch, I'm afraid. They may be mainly bottom dwelling fish but when faced with a tempting snack, they do feed from the surface.

The honey gouramis I've had over the years did manage to produce fry even in a community tank. But even the ones I 'rescued' into a breeding net did not live long. Anabatid fry fry need warm humid air over the water for the first few weeks and I think it was lack of this in my tank which caused their demise.
If the first set of eggs are eaten, they will spawn again. Something to think about is setting up a small tank to raise fry if you would like to try this. You would need a very gentle filter flow for fry; an air pump powered sponge filter is ideal for a nursery tank.


It's interesting with that both of the fish species you have chosen, it's the father that looks after the eggs

Thank you for getting back to me. Yes, he's constantly chasing off the peacocks at the moment. They are circling like tiny vultures. I think I shall set up my QT as a breeding tank. I have a sponge filter and air pump so I should be able to take some substrate and decor across and cycle it, hopefully a little quicker this time. Then they can have another go in there.

I admit it! My husband did a lot of the childcare!

 

[Essjay]

Put some floating plants in there as well - a lot of gouramis use these to anchor their bubble nest.

 

[Sunnyspots]

Put some floating plants in there as well - a lot of gouramis use these to anchor their bubble nest.

Have done already!