Is my Gourami Pregnant ? Please help and advice

[nagukush]

Hi friends !

I have a pair of this Gourami ( http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=958) along with a few other Gourami varieties and other fishes. One of these Blue Marbeled one seems swollen at the abdomen - as if its full of eggs. Honestly,I'm not interested in breeding these as I'm still in my early stages of fish keeping.

I just wanted to know if its ok to keep the fish in the main community tank itself ? I mean will the fish get harmed or die, if it is'nt allowed to lay the eggs or breed in a seperate aquarium ?

Kindly advice regarding this.
Thanks and Regards
Kush

 

[mozart]

I'm not an expert but I see noone has answered your question. To the best of my knowledge a female gourami doesn't swell before mating. Typically the male will build a bubble nest first, as stated in your above link. She lays eggs and he protects them, potentially injuring her in the process if she isn't removed from the tank. She doesn't get pregnant. If a bubble nest is built and they mate, he will attack other fish so hopefully your tank is large enough for the other gouramis to stay away. Hopefully she doesn't have infection or case of severe constipation. Keep us posted and you'll get more feedback from those who have bred gouramis. Good luck.

 

[jm1212]

only livebearers get pregnant. other fish simply are filled with eggs. as mozart said, the male will build a bubble nest first and then try to get the female to spawn.

are you sure that the pair you have is male and female? males have a more elongated and pointed dorsal fin.

it is more likley that the goruami was able to eat most of the food in the tank.

 

[yourchoice]

I know a female Dwarf gourami can lay 400 eggs so sure it will swell up.If the fish is eating good it well could be.The eggs will get eaten in a community tank.

 

[valentine]

i have a pair of dwarf gouramis, and i haven't seen any sign of them wanting to mate. i have tried, but they just don't seem to be interested. oh well.

As far as i know, the male will build the nest first, then the female will decide if she wants to mate with him. In my experience, my female gourami ate heaps when i first got her, and got pretty fat. After a while she settled down and got a more normal shape.

So i wouldn't worry, just keep an eye on her, and if she starts acting strangely or gets any spots or anything then ask another question.