Opaline Gourami Breeding Guide
How to breed Trichopodus trichopterus: sexing by dorsal fin, bubble-nest building, the anabantoid embrace, hundreds of floating eggs and male nest care.
Overview
The opaline gourami is a colour morph of Trichopodus trichopterus, a labyrinth fish that breeds by building a bubble nest at the surface. The male constructs and tends the nest, and after spawning the female should be removed because the male becomes aggressive toward her.
Sexing
The male is larger and develops a pointed dorsal fin, while the female is smaller and rounder in the belly.
Conditioning
Condition the fish on live foods. Providing two or three females per male is advisable because the male can be hard on unwilling females.
Breeding Setup
- Shallow water about 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) deep
- Abundant floating plants for the bubble nest
- Gentle air-powered filtration
- Two or three females available per male
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The male builds a large bubble nest among the floating plants, incorporating plant material. The pair touch each other with their modified ventral fins, then spawn beneath the nest in the typical anabantoid embrace, with the eggs floating upward as the male shepherds them into the nest. Between 500 and 1200 eggs may be produced.
Egg & Fry Care
Remove the female after spawning, as she is chased away and could be seriously harmed. The eggs hatch in around 20-30 hours, and the fry become free-swimming in another 4-5 days, at which point the male should also be removed. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week, then brine shrimp nauplii and microworm. Much cannibalism can occur because the fry grow at uneven rates, so careful grading and monitoring help.
Common Challenges
Male aggression toward the female and toward other males is the main behavioural challenge, while the uneven growth of the very large fry brood makes cannibalism and the supply of fine first foods the key rearing concerns.