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Sparkling Gourami are not considered difficult to breed in a home aquarium as long as the tank conditions are right. Raising the fry to maturity can be a little challenging but it’s not impossible to do.
In preparation for breeding the male Sparkling Gourami makes a bubble nest in a sheltered area usually under plant leaves. He then entices the female to mate. During mating the male wraps himself around the female. The female Sparkling Gourami releases eggs which the male fertilizes. The male then carries the fertilized eggs in his mouth and places them in the bubble nest. This process continues until all the eggs are released/fertilized. The male protects the nest and fry until they leave the nest and are free-swimming.
Whether you intend to breed your Sparkling Gourami, or you’re just happy to wait and see what happens, knowing what to look out for is a great help.
Let’s start with the basics and then work our way through the detail.
How Can I Tell If My Sparkling Gourami Is Male Or Female?
The first thing you’re going to want to know when it comes to breeding Sparkling Gourami is whether you’ve got both males and females in your tank. I know this sounds like an obvious statement but spotting the difference isn’t always easy.
The differences between a male and female Sparkling Gourami are subtle and not always easy to spot.
But I’ve got a few tips to help you to determine their gender.
- Males are a little larger than the females
- Males have more colour in general than the females
- Male dorsal fins (fin along their spine) are longer and have more colour
- Male caudal fins (tail fin) are longer and more colourful
Telling the difference between male and female Sparkling Gourami can be a little tricky at first. But once they are full grown and/or in breeding mode the differences become more visible and easier to spot.
Tip: A trick used by some fish keepers to determine if a Sparkling Gourami is female, is to shine a torch through an unlit tank onto the fish’s abdomen. It’s often possible to see the female’s ovaries as the light shines through her body.
Sparkling Gourami Male/Female Ratio
If you’re actively planning to breed your Sparkling Gourami you will need a Ratio of 1 Male to at least 2 Females to stand the best chance of getting a breeding pair.
One way to do this is to ask your local Pet Store/Aquatic Dealer for this ratio when you buy them. Although you do need to bear in mind that it can be extremely difficult to tell the gender of Sparkling Gourami when they’re young. So don’t be too hard on your supplier if they don’t get it 100% right.
Another way is to buy a fair sized group of them so that you have more chance of having both sexes and a decent chance of them pairing off and breeding.
And it’s worth noting that Sparkling Gourami prefer to live in a groups of at least 6 anyway. The bigger the group the safer they feel and the less shy they are. Which means you’ll get to see them out and about in the tank more often.
Tip: When it comes to breeding time male Sparkling Gourami can become territorial and aggressive towards each other. They don’t usually harm each other but it doesn’t make for a happy tank environment. Making sure there’s a good male/female ratio and plenty of room for them all helps to keep things calmer.
What Does Sparkling Gourami Breeding Behaviour Look Like?
When Sparkling Gourami are ready to breed you will notice a few changes in behaviour. The males will become territorial and their colour will become darker and more vibrant. Males will become aggressive towards each other in their effort to protect their territory and also to prove to the females that they are a good choice of mate. You will also notice that the females become plump with eggs.
Before the physical part of the mating process starts the male Sparkling Gourami builds a bubble nest from a combination of air bubbles and saliva. He usually builds the nest under plant leaves so that it’s secluded and easier to defend.
Then the ‘courting’ and egg fertilization begins.
The male encourages the female to mate with him by ‘dancing’ around her. He then wraps himself around the female turning her over. The female releases an egg (eggs) and the male Sparkling Gourami fertilizes them. As soon as each egg has been fertilized the male picks up the egg in his mouth and swims off to place it in the bubble nest. This process continues until the female has released all of her eggs.
It’s the job of the male Sparkling Gourami to take care of the nest and the eggs. And even after the eggs hatch and the fry are born it’s the male that does the job of protecting them from predators until the fry are free swimming.
How Many Eggs Do Sparkling Gourami Produce At A Time?
Sparkling Gourami can produce just a few, or lots of eggs, at one time. This can be anywhere between 10 to 40 plus eggs in one breeding session. But there doesn’t seem to be an average number. So I guess it will depend on the fish themselves along with tank size, tank conditions and the availability and quality of the food provided? I know this sounds a little vague but each fish keeper’s experience can vary greatly.
Even though there’s no guarantee of how many eggs your Sparkling Gourami will have at any one time you’re likely to find that, in a well setup and established aquarium, they breed regularly. Possibly even on an almost monthly basis.
How Long Does It Take For Sparkling Gourami Eggs To Hatch?
The average hatch time for Sparkling Gourami eggs is between 1-2 days depending on tank conditions and temperature. The fry then stay in the nest for another 2-3 days. During these 2-3 days the fry feed off of their yolk sac. Once they have consumed all of the nutrients from the yolk sac they leave/breakout of the nest in their search for food.
This is when the male Sparkling Gourami’s parental duties end. Once the fry are free swimming around the tank the fry have to fend for themselves.
Do Sparkling Gourami Eat Their Eggs/Fry?
Although the male Sparkling Gourami guards the egg nest and the newly hatched fry from predators once the fry are free-swimming his parental duty ends. Which means that he may eat some of the fry himself. However, the biggest danger to fry comes from the female ‘mother’ Gourami and any other fish that live in the tank. So despite the Sparkling Gourami being fairly easy to breed in an aquarium raising the fry into adulthood can be difficult. Despite these problems there are things you can do to give your Sparkling Gourami fry the best chance of survival.
The Best Way To Save Sparkling Gourami Fry
If you want to actively breed your Sparkling Gourami the best way to save as many fry as you can is to set up a separate breeding tank. You can keep the tank simple but it needs to be cycled/established as far as possible. And should also contain plenty of plants whether live or artificial. Floating plants are a good idea too. The filter flow needs to be extremely gentle and the filter intake covered with fine mesh, or filter sponge, to prevent the tiny fry from being sucked in. Keep the temperature between 25-28 Degrees Celsius (77-82.5 Fahrenheit).
Once you have your breeding tank set up you can move your breeding pair into the tank.
Let the fish settle in to their new home, feed them generously with live foods, and wait for them to breed. If your Sparkling Gourami are already in breeding mode it shouldn’t be long before you see a bubble nest and mating behaviour.
After the female Sparkling Gourami has released all of her eggs, and the male is guarding the bubble nest, you need to remove the female and put her back into her usual tank. By doing this she won’t be able to eat the fry or harass the male.
As soon as you see free-swimming fry in the breeding tank you need to remove the male because his job as guardian is done. Putting him back into his usual tank will prevent him from ‘snacking’ on the fry.
The breeding tank now becomes a nursery/grow-out tank.
Your final task is to grow-out the fry until they are too big to be eaten by the adult Sparkling Gourami. Or by anyone else if they are going to live in a community tank.
Tip: Older Sparkling Gourami fry will eat the younger fry. So it’s important to keep each batch of fry in the nursery/grow-out tank until they are too big to be eaten by their siblings as well as by the adults.
Tips For Saving Sparkling Gourami Fry Living In A Tank With Adult Fish
If you’re unable to set up a separate tank to use as a Sparkling Gourami breeding/nursery tank, or you’re just happy to wait and see how many fry you end up with, there are a few things you can do to improve the survival chances of the fry.
Here’s some tips for giving your Sparkling Gourami fry the best chance of surviving in a shared tank
- Plants – Have lots of plants, including floating plants, for the fry to hide in.
- Filter Flow– Keep the flow in the water to an absolute minimum to avoid ‘buffeting’ the fry and exhausting them.
- Filter Intakes – Cover filter intakes with fine mesh/filter floss or filter sponge. Or, preferably, use a Sponge Filter in your aquarium to avoid the fry being sucked in and killed.
- Feeding – Don’t overfeed but make sure that all your fish are adequately fed. Adult fish are less likely to eat fry if they’re not hungry and on the look out for extra food.
What Should You Feed To Sparkling Gourami Fry (Babies)?
After about 2-3 days of living off their yolk sac Sparkling Gourami fry will be swimming around the tank on the search for food. The fry will eat infusoria (minute ‘bugs’) that naturally inhabit a planted aquarium. And because Sparkling Gourami fry are so tiny any food that you offer to them needs to be minute. Powdered and liquid fry foods that contain lots of protein are a good starting point.
For more information and tips about feeding Sparkling Gourami fry, and the adults, read my article ‘What Do Sparkling Gourami Eat?’