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Blue gourami is a very beautiful fish, which is also unpretentious in care and maintenance. Another of its features is the diversity of species, each of which is distinguished by individual characteristics. Very beautiful color, interesting fins, which literally touch the gourami with everything, as well as the need to breathe oxygen, gave these fish a real popularity and great popularity.
Gurami are rather big fish; they grow up to 15 centimeters in length. In aquariums, individuals are slightly smaller in size. A small capacity for living is suitable for young pets, a volume of 40 liters will be enough. Adult fish will need to be placed in a more spacious container. Gourami males are slightly aggressive individuals, therefore, in the aquarium you need to equip shelters for females and other fish species. Various decorative elements and plants are perfect for this purpose.
In vivo distribution
The second name of the described fish is Sumatran gourami. These fish are distributed mainly in southeast Asia. The habitat of the gourami is very wide, you can meet them in China, Sumatra, Vietnam and Cambodia. These fish inhabit the lowlands filled with water. Typically, these include stable or slow-flowing bodies of water, such as swamps, ditches, streams, irrigation systems and rice fields. The habitats of the gourami are without any current, but with plenty of vegetation. During periods when the humidity is too high, for example, during the high rainfall season, gourami move to the area of the river flood, and after the season they return to their former territories. Under natural conditions, gourami use bioplankton and insects for food.
It is very interesting that gourami are one of the few fish that are able to catch insects that fly over the water surface. They release a trickle of water from their mouths and knock down insects, and then they catch their prey.
The appearance of the gourami
What to feed?
Blue gourami is a fish that feeds on almost everything. In nature, they mainly eat insects, various plankton, as well as larvae. When placed in aquarium tanks, these fish can be given any food: live, dry, frozen and artificial. The basis of the menu you can put dry food, various flakes and granules. As a supplement to food, you can use frozen food - insects, motels, artemia, coronet and tubule. Any of the presented feeds is eaten absolutely calmly by gourami.The only thing you should pay attention to is that gourami has a small mouth, and therefore they need to chop up the food very finely.
Conditions for keeping
As mentioned earlier, young fish can be kept and raised in a small aquarium, up to 40 liters. Adults need a larger capacity, about 80 liters. Since gourami use oxygen from the atmosphere for breathing, it is necessary to ensure the minimum difference between the temperature indicators of water and air.
Fish of this species do not like fluctuations in water, so the filter system must be installed so that it does not create a current in the aquarium. It is not necessary to install an aeration system, for gourami it is not so important.
Inside the aquarium you need to plant a fairly large number of plants. The fact is that gourami can be pugnacious and very aggressive. In this regard, the fish will need places to hide.
In general, water indicators can be completely different, since gourams easily get used to various conditions. The most suitable water temperature will be in the range from 23 to 28 degrees. Acidity should be within 8.8 units, but not lower than 6. Water hardness up to 35 units.
Living with other fish
Young gourami can live perfectly in containers with individuals of other species, but adult fish can seriously change their behavior. Males eventually become quite aggressive, and therefore begin to provoke various skirmishes and fights. It is best to keep a couple of fish in the same aquarium - a male and a female, but for the female you will definitely need to equip various shelters. If you still decide to add neighbors to the gourami, the fish must be the same size, no less. This will reduce the number of conflicts. Since gourami is a fish that loves to hunt, it will easily catch and eat all the fry that will be present in the aquarium.
Gender Features
To distinguish between male and female in blue gourami is quite easy. This can be done by the appearance of the fin. In males, the fin located on the back has a large length and a pointed end. For female gourami, the fin on the back is small and rounded.
How to breed?
It is necessary to increase the temperature indicators of water to 26 degrees. At this moment, the male will arrange the nest on the surface of the water. He uses traditionally herbal components and air bubbles for this purpose. After the nest is completely ready, the male begins mating games. At the same time, the male representative attracts the attention of his second half, pursues her and gradually leads to the nest. When the female is ready, the representative of the strong half spins her with her body and literally squeezes the eggs from her, at the same time fertilizing them. Similar actions are performed several times, the female can lay up to eight hundred larvae. The eggs go up to the aquarium and fall into the nest.
Video: blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus sumatranus)
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