Breeding Kissing Gouramis (Helostoma Temminckii) In The Aquarium

Location

This freshwater fish lives in swamps, ponds, slow-flowing reservoirs with a lot of plants in east-south Asia and Oceania.

Body description

There are two colour variants of this fish. Colour of the first is silver-olive, colour of the second is pale pink. There are information saying that these fish belong to two different species. First one is Helostoma Temminckii, second one is Rudolfi Helostoma. This fish has 30cm in length in wild. It has body compressed laterally and characteristic mouth. The dorsal and anal fins are wide with elongated last rays. This species has extra auxiliary respiratory organ known as the labyrinth organ. This organ allows fish to breathe atmospheric air. You can recognize sex of the fish when it is mature sexually. Then females are larger and thicker than males.

Temperament and behaviour

The lips of the fish are thick and fleshy with internal little teeth. The fish scrape algae these teeth or demonstrate their strength using their lips or use their lips during the courtships. This is quiet, peaceful, active and strong species. You should keep it with other peaceful and similar sizes fish. These fish must have an effective filtration system and systematic partial water exchanges.

Aquarium decoration

This fish prefers to live in a spacious tanks with a lot of plants, floating plants, space to swim and flat surfaces where algae grows. The fish can nibble plants when their diet is poor in plant food.

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. You can stimulate fish to spawn through abundant feeding with live foods. You should breed these fish in a separate tank with soft, hot (about 32°C) water, effective filtration system and floating plants. The fish spawn in pairs. Male doesn’t build a nest. The spawning precedes intense courtships – male gently slaps female with his tail and later they suck lips of each other. Finally male wraps his body around female and turns her upside-down. Female lays up to a thousand of eggs. Male immediately fertilizes them. The roe floats to the water surface. The eggs hatch after 1 day. The fry starts to swim and feed 2 days later. The parents do not take care or protect the eggs and fry so you should remove them after spawning. The fry feeds on very fine foods. You should intensively but gentle oxygenate the water for about 2 weeks because the young fish do not have fully formed labyrinth organ yet.