Showing posts with label Kissing Gourami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kissing Gourami. Show all posts

2018-04-10

The Popular KISSING GOURAMI

Pink Kissing Gouramis
Photo  by Clevergrrl 
The Kissing Gourami gets its' name due to the behavior of two males attempting to show their dominance. They appear to be kissing, but actually, they are challenging one another. The male also does the "kissing" act with the female before spawning. Call it what you wish; it's amusing to see.
The green colored Kissing Gouramis have a dark bar bordering the dorsal and anal fins. The pink or flesh-toned fish have silvery scales. Their bodies are oval shaped and they have thick fleshy lips, with rows of fine teeth in their mouths, which is great for chewing down plants to the stem. Because of those teeth, you will need to have plastic plants or sturdy Java fern in their tank.

 They need plenty of room, as they grow to six inches or more in length. An aquarium of at least 45-gallon is advisable. They are not particular about most water conditions but thrive best in temperatures of 75 - 82 degrees. 
Kissing Gouramis can become quite quarrelsome and most of them are masters at bullying. Watch for signs of aggression, especially with other species. They should only be housed with another medium to large sized breeds and even then watch them for signs of showing others who's boss. 
These fish have big appetites and enjoy flaked foods, Tubifex and brine shrimp. For optimum health, offer them fresh Romaine lettuce and cooked peas. Kissing Gouramis are also big algae eaters. Driftwood in the aquarium is a good idea, as this provides them with many algae. They will also suck off algae on the sides of the tank and pebbles.
It is near impossible to differentiate between the two sexes. You will finally know you have a male and female when you see that some "kissing" is going on along with circling and nudging. This means spawning has begun. Next, the male wraps his body around the female. She releases several hundreds of eggs which is then fertilized by the male. If there is a large leaf of Romaine lettuce floating on the surface of the water, the eggs will adhere to them after floating upwards.

Naturally, many of these eggs will be eaten, but some "dads" will become protective and keep a close eye on these eggs, chasing away fish that get too close. The eggs will hatch approximately in one day. And two days later you will have many free swimmers. Now is the time to remove the fry to another tank.
The best way to feed the tiny fry is to press a cooked egg through a cheesecloth. As they become larger and they can fit flaked food into their mouths, you can begin weaning them from the egg. Feed them baby brine shrimp too.

Kissing Gouramis are easy to fish to maintain in the aquarium. As long as they are provided with a good diet and plenty of room to grow and swim, you can expect these hardy fish to live approximately 5 years.




2018-02-22

Fact Sheet: KISSING GOURAMI - Helostoma temminckii

(Original Title: The Kissing Gourami)

Kissing Fish
Photo by Catchpenny

Scientific Name: Helostoma temminckii (green), Helostoma Rudolfi (pink)
Natural Location: Green variation originated from Thailand, pink variation from Java
Temperature: 72-82°F (22-28°C)
PH: 6.5-8.5pH


Size: 4-6 inches (10-15cm) They can grow up to 12 inches in the wild.

Diet: Omnivores, they enjoy vegetable matter and small invertebrates as well as readily accepting flakes
Swimming Level: Middle dweller

Breeding Type: Egg layers, eggs float and will adhere to floating plants

Ease of keeping: Beginner to intermediate
Tank Size: 30-gallon minimum

Profile: Kissing Gourami have the classic Gourami shape, narrow but the deep oval-shaped body, the dorsal and anal fin are equal in size and length. These fish are usually bought for their unusual 'kissing' action, this is not actually a sign of affection but rather a test of strength. Originally both the green and pink variations were considered the same species but have now been reclassified as two separate types.

The Kissing Gourami is one of the larger Gourami species so it does need adequate space. It is usually peaceful enough to be kept in a community tank with similar sized or larger fish but occasionally they can be territorial so care should be taken when choosing tank mates. They may also occasionally latch on to larger fish and damage the slime coat.

Males and females look identical and can't be distinguished until courting and spawning. Unlike most other Anabantoids they don't guard or care for their eggs or young. Eggs usually hatch within 24 hours of scattering and the resulting fry become free swimming in a further two days time.



Comments:

They enjoy eating algae and prefer a well-planted tank. Sturdy plants like Java fern are best as they can easily uproot or destroy sensitive plants as they graze.

    By Kelly Starrs

    I'm a breeder and importer of Show Quality Halfmoon Bettas as well as an avid keeper of a number of community tank fish. I am always happy to help with any general tropical fish or betta related questions, you can find me on my betta forum!

    Article Source: EzineArticles


2017-09-23

Relax Watching the Unique Habit of KISSING GOURAMI in Your Aquarium

Kissing Gourami fish are also called Kisser fish. They are freshwater fish, originated from Thailand and Indonesia. In fact they are the food of people staying in that region.

Kissing Gouramis can be called typical Gourami fish because of their shape. Their body is compressed and elongated. Their fins are also large and elongated. It is very difficult to distinguish between a male and a female.

Helostoma temminkii in an aquarium.
Helostoma temminkii in an aquarium. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They can grow up to 12 inches in length. The unique feature of kissing Gouramis is their mouth. Their lips are thicker and they are lined with teeth.

They love to live in shallow waters which are slow moving. In their natural habitat, they live in a place which is heavily planted. They will eat algae and they will also eat most of the other plants in the water.

They can tolerate a wide variety of conditions. The temperature of water may be in the range of 75-85° F while the ph level may be in the range of 6.5 to 8.5.

Their name comes from their peculiar habit. When two males meet, they will face each other and press their mouth. Due to this action, they are called Kissing Gourami. Some fish keepers call them talking Gourami. These kisses are not harmful but sometimes because of continuous bullying they can develop stress and may even die.

However, experience has shown that as they grow older, their habit of challenging or combating with each other reduces and most of the time they start living peacefully with others.




Like most of the types of Gourami fish, they can come to the surface of the water and can gulp air directly from the atmosphere. This is possible because they have labyrinth organ. Naturally they can survive in the water having low levels of oxygen.

If you want to keep them, you should always plan for a large aquarium having capacity of 80 gallons of water or more. You should also provide some in edible plants as well as some artificial plants because they will try to eat every plant present in the aquarium!

Kissing Gouramis can take wide range of foods including live food well as flaked food and vegetables. You should also feed them with vegetables like spinach or lettuce and peas.

As it is hard to find out the sex of the fish, it is better to buy a group of about 8 to 10 and then allow them to pair up. They will not build any nest but they can spawn a large number of eggs. Normally they will lay up to 12,000 eggs per spawning. These eggs will float on the surface of the water and they will stick to the available surface like plant leaves or plant stems. Some experienced fish-keepers put a leaf of lettuce in the tank which will float and the eggs will be attached to it. After some time, it will also develop fungus which will be used by the fry as their food.



While arranging substrate for the aquarium, you should use large gravel and stones because the fish will try to dig the substrate most of the times as a habit.

In short, if you can provide a big tank with a huge surface area, plenty of plants, reasonably warm water and a compatible combination of species in the aquarium, you can entertain your family members and your guests with the unusual habit of Kissing Gouramis.

    By Chintamani Abhyankar
    Chintamani Abhyankar is a goldfish enthusiast and has been raising and breeding goldfish for many years. He is an expert on their care and an advocate for raising healthy goldfish the natural way.

    Article Source: EzineArticles

2017-09-19

Tips on KISSING GOURAMI Care

Kissing Gourami or Helostoma temminckii, are members of the familyHelostoma. Kissing gouramies inhabit the heavily vegetated, shallow, slow-moving backwaters prominent in Thailand and Indonesia. Most of the fish exported for the freshwater aquarium trade industry are commercially raised on fish farms throughout Southeast Asia.

Pink Kissing Gouramis
Kissing Gouramis - Photo  by    Clevergrrl  (cc)
All Gouramies and the popular tropical fish the betta fish are part of the suborder Anabantoideimore commonly referred to as anabantoids or labyrinth fish. Labyrinth fish evolved in low oxygenated environments. Part of this evolution included the development of lung-like organ typically referred to as a labyrinth. The labyrinth is inundated with blood capillaries allowing for the absorption of atmospheric oxygen into the blood system. The addition of this organ allows gouramies to survive out of water longer than most other fish. Kissing gouramies have evolved to the point where they need a combination of both atmospheric and dissolved oxygen in order to survive. This is why you will frequently see gouramies and bettas rising to the surface of an aquarium to gulp in air. This gives them the ability to survive in less than ideal water conditions for extended periods of time.


Kissing gouramis are one of the largest gouramies kept in freshwater aquariums. They will reach an adult length of anywhere between 7.5-12 inches even in the confines of an aquarium. These fish have laterally compressed, slightly rounded bodies. Their caudal fins are either rounded or concaved. Their most prominent feature is their mouths which protrude out characteristically outward from their face. Their lips are lined with horney teeth. Their jaw assemblies lack teeth. Kissing gouramies are commercially available in two colors. The one most commonly found in home aquariums are white. 
White gouramies have a pearlescent sheen to their bodies with a pink or orangish tinge and transparent pinkish fins. There is also a dwarf variety available. Dwarf kissing gouramies are a mutated strain of pink gourami. They are frequently referred to as balloon gouramies because of their smaller more rounded bodies.

The kissing gouramies for a sale at the local fish store are quite young. Juveniles grow rapidly and will quickly outgrow a small aquarium. An adult kissing gourami requires a minimum tank size of 50 gallons. You will need a larger aquarium for a well-populated community tank. These fish have semi-aggressive temperaments. They generally mix well with fish of similar size and attitude. But they are prone to bully smaller, more timid tank mates. They are generally tolerant of conspecifics but males frequently challenge each other for dormancy. Said challenge consists of locking lips and engaging in a shoving match much like a deer will lock horns and attempt to force its challenger into submission. Kissing gouramies have a habit of enjoying digging in aquarium substrate. The best way to minimize this is by using larger, coarser gravel and larger rather than smaller rocks in your aquarium.

This is an omnivorous species. Algae make up a significant part of their diet. They are extremely efficient tank cleaners. It is recommended that you do not clean your aquarium glass during routine tank cleaning. These gouramies will use their toothed lips to scrape algae off the surfaces of your aquarium. This form of algae removal is commonly perceived as kissing. They will instinctively graze on most aquarium plants. Ineatable plants such as java moss and java fern work well with kissing gouramies. Aside from these, plastic plants are highly recommended. Algae pellets in addition to a good quality flake food make an excellent staple. They will also readily accept frozen and freeze-dried food products. Brine shrimp and tubifex make wonderful protein supplements. Kissing gouramies have an affinity toward blanched table vegetables. Lettuce leaves are an all-time favorite. Regular portions of vegetables will finish providing a well-balanced diet.

This fish thrives in water temperatures between 72-82 °F. They function fine in pH levels that vary slightly on either side of a neutral balance; 6.8-8.5. With proper care, a kissing gourami should live between 5-7years of age.



Breeding Kissing Gouramies
Kissing gouramies are sexually dimorphic. Males and females are virtually identical with the exception that females tend to be a little larger and have a slightly fuller body than males.
Proper diet and aquarium conditions will help induce the breeding cycle. A protein-rich live diet such as brine shrimp will help precondition your gouramies for spawning. Raising the water temperature up to 80 °F properly simulates the breeding season. Gouramies are more apt to breed in soft water conditions.

The breeding process is typically initiated by the female and takes place under the cover of floating vegetation. Lettuce leaves provide the necessary camouflage to perpetuate breeding. The breeding ritual begins by the couple circling each other. This quickly escalates to nudging each other, dancing and concludes with a frantic tail beating. Breeding commences when the male warps his body around the female and turns her upside down. The female will then release several hundred eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs as they rise to the surface. Gourami eggs are buoyant and will float.

Kissing gouramies are open-water egg scatterers. Unlike many gouramies, these fish do not build a bubble nest for their future offspring. Nor will they guard their eggs. Once spawning has occurred, the adults should be removed from the breeding tank to avoid predation. The same lettuce leaves that provided a suitable environment for spawning will now function as a breeding chamber of sorts. Gourami eggs will adhere to the lettuce. The eggs will hatch in approximately 24 hours. The lettuce provides a natural source of infusoria for the newly hatched fry. Fry will be free swimming in about two days. Free swimming fry can be fed finely crushed flake food or baby brine shrimp.

    By Stephen J Broy
    The hottest new trend in aquarium ownership is pet jellyfish. Jellyfish require a specially designed Jellyfish Aquarium Fish Tank to remain alive and healthy. Jellyfish aquariums are easier to maintain than a traditional saltwater tank. Pet Moon Jellyfish have become exceptionally popular in recent years with home aquarists both for their unparalleled elegance and ease of care. The market for moon jellies has increased to the point that two US-based websites are now tank raising these exotic creatures to keep pace with the growing demand.


2017-01-11

Breeding GOURAMIS

Gouramis are a quite popular chocies among fish hobbyists. For novice fish breeders, breeding gouramis can be an appealing challenge. Getting them to spawn and raising the fry can be a rewarding experience.

Colisa lalia (Neon Dwarf gourami)
Colisa lalia (Neon Dwarf gourami) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Gouramis are labyrinth fishes. They have labyrinth, which is an air-filled breathing hole, located under the gill covers. This kind of fish can often be seen going to the surface of the water to take in fresh air, making them survive waters with low oxygen levels. There are many different types of gouramis, which all originally came from South and Southeast Asia. Most species are easy to breed, however a few species like Helostoma temmincki (the Kissing Gourami), Osphromenus goramy (the Giant Gourami), Sphaerichthys osphromenoides (the Chocolate Gourami) are rather difficult. Some of the favmost popular species include the Pearl Gourami (Trichogaster leeri), the Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia) and the Honey Gourami (Colisa sota). And these are the species I am going to say a few words about breeding.


The pearl gourami is one of the most beautiful of all the gouramis. The body and fins have lovely mosaic pearls that shine in the lights. The length for female can reach 10cm, 12cm for male. These gouramis love shallow, warm (around 27 C), and slowly flowing waters. They are very calm fish and easy to keep. They eat just about anything; however green flakes and Grindal worms are preferable. The breeding aquarium should be 80 cm in length or larger, with some suspended and anchored plants. The aquarium should be filled with about 15-20cm of water with no air or filtration, temperature 29C. Up to 2000 eggs can be laid in one spawning. When the fry become free swimming the male should be removed from the aquarium. The female should be removed right after spawning.

Click the cover
The dwarf gourami has diagonal turquoise blue stripes on their reddish orange body. The males are larger and more colorful than the females. The male becomes very brightly colored at spawning time. Their nature and needs of treatment are similar to those of the pearl gouramis, they will eat anything they are being feed, however they prefer live foods and prepared mixtures. Best spawned in a separate aquarium especially setup for this purpose. Place a well-conditioned pair into a 40-liter or 60-liter, thickly planted aquarium with a lot of floating plants. The spawn can consist of 300 to 700 eggs. After spawning is completed, the female should be removed. The male will tend the spawn until the fry become free swimming, and then he should be removed too.

The males of honey gourami have beautiful bright orange-yellow color. The females are plain, have slightly shaded brownish orange body with a silvery fluorescent glow. They prefer aquariums with some thickly planted areas and with some open swimming areas. They usually eat anything you provide them with. These fish are moderately easy to breed, though a little more difficult than the dwarf gourami. For a pair, prepare a 40-liter aquarium without air stone or filter. The male will build a large bubble nest. The eggs will when laid float up into the bubble nest, where the male will guard over them until they hatch and the fry becomes free swimming, which is when he should be removed. The female should be removed right after spawning.