Gourami marble: maintenance and care, breeding and compatibility

For their first aquarium, novice aquarists try to choose a calm and easy-to-care fish. Marble gourami fits this description perfectly. How to properly maintain, care for and breed this species, we will consider in this article.

Gourami marble is not found in the wild, since it is a selective form of the common blue gourami. This fish comes from Asia. This individual owes the discovery and fixation of such a mutation to the American breeder Cosby. At first, the described species was called by its surname, but consumers were more fond of the name corresponding to the color of the fish. In the future, it was precisely this that stuck.

The main difference between all gourami from other fish (not labyrinth) is the presence of a gill labyrinth apparatus that allows these fish to breathe atmospheric air.

The color of each fish is not the same, which makes each individual unique and unrepeatable in its own way. The spots may become more distinct if the fish is agitated, as in the case before spawning. True, most often this reaction occurs only in males.

The caudal and anal fins are large, with miniature yellow specks present on them. These parts wriggle beautifully as the fish moves. The dorsal fin has the same color, and the pectoral fins are almost completely transparent.

They are necessary for individuals to navigate well in troubled waters, where vision does not always help out.

The average life in an aquarium is about 6 years. Distinguishing a male from a female is very simple. The main differences are the brighter coloration and the elongated, sharp dorsal and anal fins.

To keep a pair of such beautiful fish, you need an aquarium of 50 liters or more. It is necessary to equip your home reservoir with a high-quality filter that does not create an overly strong current. Air purging is optional, but only if no one else lives in the tank. The temperature should ideally be between 22 and 28 degrees. Fish of this type can easily withstand a short-term decrease of up to 17 degrees, however, it is best not to check how they will react to such changes.

A cover glass or lid is required as the fish likes to jump out. The distance from the surface of the water to the glass should not be less than 5-6 cm. Otherwise, jumping out of the water for air, the pet will constantly beat against the glass. The cover glass or lid itself is an essential element in an aquarium if your underwater pets breathe atmospheric air.

These fish are unpretentious to lighting and ground. You can use any, as long as it suits the plants. At the bottom, you can place a small number of grottoes, decorations or any other shelters - gourami sometimes like to sleep in them. Plants are allowed to plant any. You can combine thickets with free swimming areas, so it will be more convenient to observe them. It is permissible to place floating plants on the surface, such as:

• riccia;
• hornwort;
• duckweed.

In food, these individuals are unpretentious - they eat any dry food, but it is advisable to give preference to live food:

• bloodworm;
• brine shrimp;
• pipe maker.

You can also give plant food in the form of crushed lettuce leaves or dandelions. True, not all gourami eat it. You need to feed the fish 1 or 2 times a day.

In addition to all the features already described, gourami also have useful properties. For example, they eat parasitic organisms in containers: planarians and hydras that are able to enter an aquarium with live, untreated food, plants from rivers and simply on vegetation from another aquarium. If the tank with fish is attacked by such parasites, purchasing a pair of gourami will help solve the problem. Depending on how dirty the tank is, they will clean it up in a short amount of time.

Gourami are ready for breeding after they are 9 months old. They spawn well at home. Males mature a little earlier than females. In nature, spawning occurs at the beginning of the rainy season, when a large amount of oxygen and food gets into the water. The described fish can spawn without problems in a common aquarium, but it is advisable to prepare a good, separate spawning grounds for preserving the offspring.

The couple is moved to the spawning grounds a couple of weeks before spawning and is well fed with live food. The volume of the spawning box should be at least 30 liters, with an impressive water surface.

Floating vegetation will need to be placed on the surface of the water to make a nest.After that, the temperature values ​​need to be raised a couple of degrees higher than in the main aquarium - from about 27 to 28 degrees. But this is not too critical, since spawning can take place under ordinary conditions.

If the situation suits, then soon the male will begin to build a nest of air bubbles with the help of riccia or duckweed, and the female at this moment grows fat from the eggs. Further, the male will acquire a brighter color, and mating games will begin. It looks like a beautiful dance, in which the underwater pets wriggle and rub against each other. By such actions, the male gradually squeezes out the eggs from the female, fertilizes them and hides them in the nest, strengthening this structure with air bubbles.

After the spawning process, the female will need to be removed from the spawning grounds, since she does not take part in the process of caring for the nest, and the male will start chasing her, seeing her as a danger to the offspring. The male, in turn, takes care of the nest, makes sure that it does not collapse, and the eggs do not fall out of it. The integrity of the nest is maintained by new air bubbles, and in case of spawn loss, the parent returns it back. During the entire time of caring for the offspring, he usually does not eat anything.

It is important to maintain the water temperature at a constant level from the very beginning of spawning (27-28 degrees), otherwise the male may stop caring for the nest and completely destroy it. The male must be removed as soon as the fry begins to leave the nest.

The fry are fed:

• ciliates;
• microworm;
• starter feed, but live feed is a priority.

When the babies grow up, you can transfer them to larger feeds: finely chopped tubule or bloodworm.

Marble gourami is characterized by the fact that it gets along seamlessly with other calm species of fish.

Harmless, small catfish coexist well with gourami.

It will become a problematic neighborhood with fish such as:

• different types of gourami itself;
• discus and eels;
• guppy;
• shrimps;
• crabs.

Do not get along with:

• territorial species: goldfish, parrot fish;
• astronotuses;
• cockerels.

Males can sometimes fight among themselves, and females too.

The fact is that the barbus is a very playful fish that is found in the middle layers of the water. Accelerating and "torpedoing" towards the gourami, she hits him in the stomach from below. This neighborhood will not last longer than a couple of days, the gourami will eventually be killed by barbs.

Before you go to the pet store to buy gourami, it's worth checking out some helpful tips.

• When purchasing this fish, you must carefully examine the individual for even and smooth movement. The fish should not fall on its side. Healthy individuals will swim briskly and confidently.
• There should be no plaque or any stains on the body of the fish, indicating the presence of a fungal infection. If you find such problems, you need to refuse to buy such a fish. It is also best to contact another store altogether.
• If you did not find defects on the body of the fish, and its behavior did not cause you any concerns, then after purchasing and delivering it home, do not rush to plant it in a common aquarium with other residents. It is necessary to keep the new pet in quarantine for at least 7 days.
• "Quarantine" is a separate aquarium located in the next room and separated by a door, since fish diseases are transmitted by airborne droplets.
• After the time has passed, even if everything is fine, do not transplant the fish into a common reservoir.First, add one fish from the common aquarium to it and watch for a couple of days. In the presence of a latent infection, which can be carried by a fish, a rash will appear on the planted individual. This simple procedure will save the general aquarium from the need to treat all of its inhabitants.
• In the same aquarium with these fish, one should not contain overly nimble and large neighbors.
• It is advisable to select aquariums with an oblong shape for this type of fish. Experts advise buying and keeping gourami in groups. Try not to leave these pets alone. Only in a group with fellows will marble gourami behave calmly, normally, and not be stressed. They are a little shy and shy, so this recommendation should be taken seriously.
• Marble gourami look much more interesting and aesthetically pleasing in tandem with dark ground. Dark pebbles, granite chips or coarse sand are allowed for making.
• The food for the described aquarium individuals must be crushed, since the gourami have a small mouth. Serve portions should be small.
• It should be noted that gourami fry grow unevenly. They are prone to cannibalism, so they should not be left without regular sorting.

For information on how to propagate and maintain marble gourami, see below.