Gourami's, repro.   9/14/09
I have a 200 gallon tank with 3 gouramis 2 males one blue with the 3 spots and one honeydew.. {I am not sure he is orange with stripes}.. also the female moonlight Gourami she is with eggs.. idk how else to say it ..
<Hmm... female Gouramis might swell a little when gravid (to use the technical term) but shouldn't be dramatically so. Do be aware of things like constipation and Dropsy, which can both cause abdominal swelling.>
but also in this 200 gallon tank I have a 1 loach, 1 jelly bean frog. 6 Danio's, 7 Neons, 1 rope fish, 1 Lg Pleco, 1 large KOI and a med. goldfish
...
I do not know how far she is or how long till she will lay then or whatever you say for the fish I am just starting at this and already we are overran with guppies mollies and platys ;) .... I want to know what to do to "save" the fry... the males have not made a bubble nest ... and haven't began to build one yet .. I started last night putting lots of plants and other floating things in their tank.. I already had drift wood in there..... I
can accommodate the fish with other tanks if need be... but do not know which fish is the father we have 2 males.. should I place all 3 into a 40 gallon tank ? .... and wait..
<Gouramis won't normally breed in community tanks. Yes, a 20 gallon tank with lots of floating Indian Fern would be a good place for the male to build his nest. Obviously, only the same species will breed, so you need a male Moonlight Gourami (Trichogaster microlepis) and a female Moonlight Gourami if they are to spawn successfully. Use a gentle filter, ideally an air-powered box or sponge filter, otherwise the bubble nest will be destroyed. Raise the temperature to about 28-30 C. Provided they are mature, spawning should occur fairly readily. The female can then be removed, since the male will become aggressive once he is guarding. The eggs hatch within 3 days, but the fry are very small and need tiny foods, ideally infusoria and brine shrimp nauplii though some finely ground flake foods may work, albeit with a lesser success rate. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Gourami's 09/15/09
thank you
<Happy to help.>
I have looked her over and over before I wrote you .. she doesn't have the signs of dropsy.. or constipation..
<Good.>
I have dealt with both of these in fish and this isn't it she is not hiding she is eating more than usual she is out and active more than usual ... they are the same species.. they are gouramis.. all 3 are Trichogaster microlepis .. as I did state one blue with the spots one gold and the moonlight which is the female...
<Gold Gouramis and Blue Gouramis are both Trichogaster trichopterus.
Moonlight Gouramis (which are all-silver) are Trichogaster microlepis. So far as I know, they do not hybridise.>
she has been this way for 2, 3 days now, there is no bubble nest..
<Are you sure you have males? Sexing Trichogaster spp. Gouramis isn't easy, but usually males have longer dorsal fins.>
I am putting all 3 into a 40 gallon tank to separate them from the other fish.. and will provide them with lots of floating plants etc. . I already have the low flow filters.. and will raise the temp to aprox 80 F. thank
you for all your help sorry for any inconveniences
<Cheers, Neale.>