OMG! What is with my fish and making babies????

[ruecole]

Now the sparkling gouramis are at it! They've been mating all evening and the male's been tucking the eggs away into a bubble nest he'd created unbeknownst to me (I thought he was maybe hunting micro-organisms!) in a crevice in the big driftwood!

Now what?????

:help:

Rue

[TowBoater]

Umm I don't know but I heard gouramis are hard to raise and usually you have to use an outside tub to do it, lucky you. If they don't depend on the parents then I would remove them into a separate tank.

[ruecole]

Y'know, I was just thinking, I bet it was all those baby danios they ate that got them "conditioned"... :rolleyes:

Anyway, I may just HAVE to get another tank at the rate these fish are baby-making! (My husband will kill me! :hmm3grin2orange:)

Rue

[cocoa_pleco]

the fry can be hard to take care of, but do not let that discourage you.

congrats!

[ruecole]

Oh, no. Not discouraged at all. :hmm3grin2orange:

Hey, I've got two kids. How much harder can baby fish be? :rolleyes:

Rue

[country_boy454]

Congrats on your new fry! Do lots of research. Then give it your best! Good Luck!!

[ruecole]

Thanks, Country Boy. I've been doing research all evening, but there's not a heck of a lot of info out there about these little guys.

I've been able to determine the eggs will hatch in 3-4 days and will be super tiny (like the danios), but I haven't determined if they go into the gravel like the danios did for a few days or not? And when should I try and collect them, since, of course, the bloody things went and spawned in my community tank! :rolleyes:

Also, will my other fish be okay since the male will become so protective of his babies? It's a 20g tank with a moderate amount of plants. But I worry he'll harrass the female and the other fish too much. (I also worry about the other fish eating the babies when they do hatch!)

Anyway, off to do more reading... :sbiggrin:

Thanks!

Rue

[Spyder]

Happy fish, happy fish. Your doing a great job caring for them when you get them spawning, congrats!

[CAF]

ok rue.... pull everyone out but Dad and put them into another tank. The babies will be TINY intitally and will eat infusoria for the first few days... After about 4 or 5 days you can begin to feed BBS, Micro Worms, or Vinegar Eels. Dad will watch over them and try to protect them. Make sure you pull everyone because if he is even missing one...


Congrats!!! You should join a club just to start earning Breeder Award Points

[ruecole]

Eek! Is my 5g going to be enough room for 2 frogs, 3 white clouds, 2 otos and 1 gourami???? (Not counting the kuhli because now he's in there, there's no way I'm gonna be able to get him out without draining the tank! :rolleyes:)

And how long will they to have to stay in there? Just till the babies are free swimming? (When I can move them to a plastic container/their own tank?) Or until they're full grown? :confused:

Plus I haven't got my heater for the 5g yet (still on order), so the water's not a balmy 26C/78F, but a chilly 22C/71F. The white clouds would be okay, but I'm not sure about the other fish. They're from warmer climes.

Blah. It's really cool and all that they're breeding, but I'm just not prepared for this! :sconfused:

Thanks!!!

Rue

[CAF]

Well I would recommend another 10... ::looks around:: I guess there aren't very many people here who have spare tanks lying around... Huh... I actually have more tanks in storage than I do set up, I just do not have the room to put them all up so I guess I can understand that...


Anyhow... please disregard my ramblings. Get another 10 and move everyone over to it. Once the fry are probably 1/4 inch you can pull Dad and move him into the 10 and let the fry stay in the tank they are currently in, or you can move everyone from the one 10 and place them into the current tank and move the fry over...

Honestly with the luck you are having with breeding, I would recommend getting a few tanks from garage sales, people who aren't using theirs, etc. Most of the tanks I have, I got from people getting rid of theirs. Look on craigslist or Freecycle, newspapers, ask around at LFSes if they of anyone closing down tanks, or if they have used tanks you could use. Let them know you are breeding and I am sure they will work things out so you have the space so they can get your extra fish to sell...

Remember there is no such thing as too much equipment or tanks... I keep telling my wife this, but she keeps donating tanks to schools, so I get more tanks to replace the ones she gives away... LOL

[ruecole]

Geez, and here I thought fishkeeping would be cheap and easy... :rolleyes:

I'll see if I can find an inexpensive 10g this weekend. I checked the Buy-and-Sell and there's a couple complete tanks for $30.

(My hubby's gonna kill me! :hmm3grin2orange: )

Rue

[CAF]

Geez, and here I thought fishkeeping would be cheap and easy... :rolleyes:

I'll see if I can find an inexpensive 10g this weekend. I checked the Buy-and-Sell and there's a couple complete tanks for $30.

(My hubby's gonna kill me! :hmm3grin2orange: )

Rue

LOL it IS cheap and easy.... IF you don't care about the overall quality of life of your tankmates... IF you are not trying to raise upteen million fry.... etc.

Most of the tanks I have, I received free... just keep an eye out and collect any equipment you find unloved. Auctions are another great place to get equipment. See if your local club is going to hold one sometime soon. They might also have spare tanks lying around. The members if my club probably have in excess of 1000 tanks used and another 200 to 300 lying spare just in case... You never know when you will find just the fish you have been looking for and his mate... and they NEED their own tank... nevermind you are having to put it on the bathroom counter becuase there is no where wlse to put it... LOL

[ruecole]

Would you believe I think I've already got a tank????

I posted on Freecycle (LOVE Freecycle!) and already have a reply!

She's got two ten gallons! Now I have to decide do I restrain myself to one or get both???? :hmm3grin2orange:

Rue

[CAF]

Would you believe I think I've already got a tank????

I posted on Freecycle (LOVE Freecycle!) and already have a reply!

She's got two ten gallons! Now I have to decide do I restrain myself to one or get both???? :hmm3grin2orange:

Rue
Both, it gives you a spare if you need it later...

[ruecole]

You are a bad influence, CAF!!!! :sbiggrin:

One other question for you: once I get the tank set up and cycled, can I put both the gourami fry and the danio fry in there together?

Thanks!

Rue

[CAF]

You are a bad influence, CAF!!!! :sbiggrin:

One other question for you: once I get the tank set up and cycled, can I put both the gourami fry and the danio fry in there together?

Thanks!

Rue
Ah... I'm blushing....:11: LOL.... Thanks for the compliment!

Anyhow... As long as the fry are similiar sizes you can mix them, just make sure the danios are not large enough to eat the gouramis. Also make sure the gouramis are fully free swimming before you place them in with the danios.

I mix fry in grow out tanks all the time, just make sure you can tell who is who and not to mix speicies, like peacocks, that you can not tell the difference which is which until they are old enough to have begun mating...

[ruecole]

Okay, thanks!

I'll have to see how big the gouramis are when they hatch, but the danios only have two weeks on them and are still teeny-tiny, so I think I might be okay.

For now I've removed the white clouds to the 5g. The daddy was chasing them around and making them look worried. And since I know they'll tolerate the cooler water, I figure there's no reason to wait.

The mommy's keeping well away from the nest, hiding out in the plants and in behind the driftwood. I noticed her tail looks a bit nipped, so I'll definitely have to get her out once I get this new tank.

The loach and the otos, on the other hand, seem completely unaware that there's anything different going on! (We'll see how long that lasts once these eggs hatch... :ezpi_wink1:)

Thanks again for all the help!

Rue

[CAF]

Okay, thanks!

I'll have to see how big the gouramis are when they hatch, but the danios only have two weeks on them and are still teeny-tiny, so I think I might be okay.

For now I've removed the white clouds to the 5g. The daddy was chasing them around and making them look worried. And since I know they'll tolerate the cooler water, I figure there's no reason to wait.

The mommy's keeping well away from the nest, hiding out in the plants and in behind the driftwood. I noticed her tail looks a bit nipped, so I'll definitely have to get her out once I get this new tank.

The loach and the otos, on the other hand, seem completely unaware that there's anything different going on! (We'll see how long that lasts once these eggs hatch... :ezpi_wink1:)

Thanks again for all the help!

Rue
Not a problem! I'm glad you found some tanks!

[ruecole]

Update:

I've got the ten gallon in place, but still need a heater and to get one or the other of my filters working (see my post in the technical section about that!). I'm debating between decorating the tank with some gravel and plants (akin to the big tank) or just leaving the bottom bare. I know the bare bottom is supposed to make it easier to clean, but the tank IS in my living room, so I'd rather have an attractive looking tank, and it may make the babies more comfortable. Thoughts?

Anyway, it's been almost 48 hours since the eggs were laid, but no sign of babies yet. Daddy is still guarding the nest. Mommy and the rest of the fish are still staying out of the way. :ezpi_wink1:

Rue

[CAF]

Hey Rue, I'm not going to vouch for the accuracy of this, but here is an article on breeding Gouramis. I do know it akes around 4 to 5 days for the fry to go to free swimming stage.

http://az.essortment.com/breedinggourami_rdks.htm

[ruecole]

Thanks, CAF!

There seems to be some good information there!

Unfortunately, this morning the bubble nest seems to be gone and there's not a single baby in sight anywhere. I can only assume they've been eaten (probably by the loach, who's been out swimming victory laps). :ssad:

The daddy has already started building a new nest under another part of the driftwood, so I guess he'll probably want to try again! :sbiggrin: In which case, I think I'm going to set up the 10g according to the instructions in this article (though I think I'll use some driftwood like I have in my big tank as well as the plants) and see if I can breed them in there instead!

Thanks again for all the help!

Rue

[squirt_12]

Thanks, CAF!

There seems to be some good information there!

Unfortunately, this morning the bubble nest seems to be gone and there's not a single baby in sight anywhere. I can only assume they've been eaten (probably by the loach, who's been out swimming victory laps). :ssad:

The daddy has already started building a new nest under another part of the driftwood, so I guess he'll probably want to try again! :sbiggrin: In which case, I think I'm going to set up the 10g according to the instructions in this article (though I think I'll use some driftwood like I have in my big tank as well as the plants) and see if I can breed them in there instead!

Thanks again for all the help!

Rue
Ok well Rue.....just because the nest is gone doesn't mean that the eggs are too. Like when my bettas laid their eggs...te bublenest got destroyed so he built another one and transfered the eggs there. So you might still have eggs. The nest time that this happens you could just set up a divider int he tank. Even thought he fry can swim through the little holes i think that they would stay in the same part of the tank.
Also...the female is stayign away and has nips out of her tail because the male takes over once he can't get any more eggs out of the female and immediatly scares her away and if she comes back he is aggressive with her.

I hope this helps you some.

Curtis

[ruecole]

Ah, it did cross my mind that he might be moving them, as he's been poking his head into the first crevice from time to time, between adding bubbles to the new nest. So maybe there are still babies.

All the same, I need to get this new tank established quick!!!

Thanks, Squirt!

Rue