Gourami kissing - care and maintenance in the aquarium

Gourami was called kissers because of their peculiar behavior. Fish became popular back in 1950, they were bred in America, Florida. Since then, representatives of the family are gaining more and more popularity, they are welcome among professionals and amateurs. Gourami do not require special cares in care, therefore they are suitable for everyone, without exception, for maintenance in the aquarium at home. Let's not rant, let's get started!

Description

Representatives of the family were named after a doctor from Holland. He prefers to live in tropical regions such as Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Java, Borneo, etc. They like standing springs not with fresh water. They swim in the lowlands among the vegetation, but can feel good in the rivers, lakes and ponds.

In the natural habitat, fish have a gray or pinkish tint. Today, among aquarists, pink gouramas are considered more popular. In countries of origin, these fish are suitable for consumption, which for some it will seem sad.

As for the external characteristics, the fish are narrow, squeezed on the sides. Their fins are rounded, transparent in structure and large. The pink hue of the body boasts a slight sheen of scales.

All kissing type fish are famous for their ability to breathe atmospheric oxygen if it is lacking in the aquatic environment. Therefore, when a pet sticks out its lips to the surface, you should pay attention to the filter with the oxygen enrichment function.

The main distinguishing feature of gourami is their lips. They are dense, fleshy. The teeth are strong, allow you to scrape off food debris from hard surfaces and chew algae. Gourami usually stick to the aquarium when they go to collect food.

In natural conditions, family members grow up to 30 cm, but in the aquarium environment their growth hardly reaches 15 cm. As for the duration of their existence, aquatic inhabitants live about 7 years. But with proper conditions, they can last up to 12-15 years.

Many people ask about sex differences. But even professional aquarists face a problem. There is no data how to reveal who is in front of you. However, before spawning, the female abdominal region is noticeably distinguished.

Content

1. Fish are unpretentious in terms of maintenance, but they need a spacious water housing. A couple of cocky pets, who constantly start fights with neighbors, are given about 200 liters. The difficulty lies only in the choice of cohabitation, everything else can be done even by novice aquarists.
2. It has already been mentioned that the main distinguishing feature of kissing fish is the ability to breathe atmospheric oxygen. But this does not cancel the systematic water changes, as well as the equipment of the aquarium with appropriate filters. Every week it is necessary to drain a third of the volume of liquid, fill in a new one instead.
3. Since the gourami stick their lips to the walls of the aquarium, it is necessary to leave the rear window intact during the cleaning process. Fish will collect the remains of algae on their own.
4. Fish can swim to the upper section of the body of water, but are most often found in the low and middle parts. In order for pets to breathe, plant floating plants. Fish will swim towards them, capture oxygen with their lips.
5. For pets to grow large, choose a spacious aquarium. There should not be a strong current, but a filter is required. As the soil, a dark base is chosen, whether it be pebbles or sand. It is imperative to land the lowland densely, also to establish driftwood, grottoes, pebbles.
6. Since by nature gourams feed on vegetation, it is advisable to plant it in an aquarium. It is better to prefer hard varieties, such as moss or anubias. Fish are kept at 23-27 degrees, hardness - 5-30 units, acidity - 6-8.5 pH.
7. It is necessary to feed the fish with zooplankton, insects, frozen or dry food. A pipe maker, bloodworm, corvette, artemia will do. Additionally, spirulina, lettuce leaves and zucchini with cucumbers are given.

Compatibility

1. Until puberty, such fish can be kept in a common aquarium; after growing up, individuals are highly recommended to transplant. The problem is that the representatives in question become very aggressive with age.
2. Gurams begin to attack not only small, but also large fish. Also, the degree of aggression will depend on the temperament of a particular individual. Therefore, it is recommended to contain gourami with larger fish. In this case, you can reduce the frequency of hassles.
3. In some cases, even larger individuals are slaughtered by gourami to death. You can contain individuals of the same species. Only in this case, it is recommended to acquire a spacious aquarium. It is not recommended to contain too many individuals.
4. It is worth noting that the gourami has developed a strict hierarchy. The bottom line is that both sexes are constantly competing with each other. They push and kiss. Do not get upset ahead of time, the fish do not cause serious damage to each other.
5. The problem can only be that less powerful individuals can experience stress, therefore, for this case, shelters should be built in the aquarium. Do not forget that gourami are considered excellent hunters. Therefore, they will always prey on fry.

Breeding

1. Breeding the gourami in question can be difficult. For such individuals, it is worth providing a separate aquarium for spawning of a rather large size. The problem is that before spawning, the female is quite difficult to distinguish from the male.
2. Such gouramas, unlike others, do not make nests of foam. Often, females throw eggs under the leaves of plants. Spawning occurs in this way due to the fact that the eggs have positive buoyancy. Therefore, they can surface.
3. After the female completes the throwing of eggs, the pair should be sent to a common aquarium. Do not forget that spawning should be of sufficient size. A large amount of floating algae must be placed on the surface of the water.
4. To make a productive pair, it is recommended to grow several individuals from young animals. After reaching puberty, the fish are independently divided into couples. Keep in mind that before spawning individuals should be fed live food in large quantities.
5. As soon as the fish are ready to spawn, the female becomes a more rounded belly. In addition, the color of individuals darkens. In such a period, it becomes much easier to distinguish fish by gender.

Kissing gourami are quite interesting water representatives. They require special conditions for detention. However, the aquarium should be provided with everything you need. Do not add too calm or small fish to such individuals. In any case, they will be beaten to death or eaten. Therefore, the selection of neighbors should be taken seriously.

Video: aquarium fish kissing gourami