Sometimes in the fishkeeping hobby, there are certain behaviors your fish might exhibit, you either become startled and alarmed or you become very amused and entertained. If you currently have or you have had some Gouramis in your fish tank, I mean a mixture of both genders, you must have noticed that they could make bubbles sometimes. Have you ever wondered why they do that? well, In this article, you will learn about why dwarf Gouramis make bubbles.
Why are my Dwarf Gouramis blowing bubbles? Gouramis make bubbles to house their eggs. The bubbles act as their nests, by hanging their eggs on plants. Again they make bubbles when they are happy and satisfied, and also when they eat.
Gouramis and Dwarf Gouramis inclusive are very nice and entertaining fish to watch.
They have many unique characters which are attention-grabbing, that’s why many fish keepers prefer to keep them in their numbers.
Although the male ones could get aggressive sometimes, they are nice and live in groups, and could tolerate a large number of aquatic animals without many issues.
If you are here to know the exact reason why your dwarf Gourami is acting that way, that means you might be new to fish keeping or you are new to these types of fish.
Maybe you are worried, thinking that something is wrong with your precious fish, well, let me assure you, your fish is very okay and good.
Talking about why dwarf Gouramis or Gouramis, in general, do blow bubbles, there are 5 most common reasons why they do that, they are:
When they are ready to nest: Did you know that Gourami fish are not livebearers like so many fish? Well, that means they do lay eggs, including the dwarf Gourami.
If you are knowledgeable about fish and aquariums, before a non-livebearing fish could lay eggs, it will need nests to do that.
These nests are what will hold the eggs or where the eggs will be housed to hatch and bear live fish.
In the case of Gouramis, when the females mate with the males and have their eggs fertilized, then the males will take the responsibility of making the nests, where those eggs will nest when they are finally released by the females.
He accomplishes this by releasing or making a huge number of bubbles in the water which float and hang around the plants.
After making the bubble nests, he will now take charge and guard them till the female is ready to lay the eggs.
When she does, he will still guard them till they hatch and the fry comes out from the eggs.
So, one of the commonest reasons why dwarf Gouramis and Gourami fish in general make bubbles is to use them as nests to house their eggs.
When this happens, just know that it’s very normal, and so, you have nothing to worry about.
Also, that’s why it’s very compulsory to have a Gourami tank planted heavily so that they could be able to hold their eggs till they hatch.
They release bubbles when they are comfortable: One of the amazing characteristics of Gouramis, which dwarf gourami, Pearl Gourami inclusive do is to make bubbles when they are very satisfied and happy.
Gouramis love being in an environment where they will be comfortable and happy too.
When they are in such an environment, they display all kinds of behaviors, and making bubbles is one of them.
If you keep a cool tank that is very satisfying, and you have these fish in it, you must have noticed that they will sometimes start making bubbles all of a sudden and for no reason.
They do not make these bubbles because they want to lay eggs, but because they are just happy and comfortable.
One of the natural ways you could spot if your pet Gouramis are happy is when they start doing this without laying eggs, or when the male start doing this without the presence of a female Gourami.
So, if you see them making bubbles and don’t seem to be laying eggs, or when the male is doing it without the presence of a female, then know that you are right on track, and they are very comfortable.
They do this when they eat: Gourami fish, especially the dwarf gouramis are known as weird eaters, based on how they eat.
When they eat, they release a lot of bubbles in the water through their gills.
This is because when they eat, they accumulate a lot of air which, they release that way in order not to bloat.
Dwarf Gouramis do this a lot, and it helps to reduce or exhaust the air which they have accumulated while eating, so if yours is doing this, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about, as it’s very natural.
They do this to Expel Air: Apart from when they are eating, any type of Gourami, especially dwarf Gouramis could decide to make bubbles to expel the air in their body system.
Gouramis naturally go up to the surface to gasp for air many times, those air they take will have to be expelled for them to be okay and healthy.
So, even without eating or wanting to nest or even without being happy, they could still release some bubbles to release the accumulated air in their body system, in order not to bloat or become sick, etc.
Although it’s normal, you can easily differentiate when they are bubbling because they are happy and when they do it just to release some air.
To trap insects and larvae: If you are very familiar with Gourami fish, you will know that they sometimes spit water or release bubbles just to trap potential prey.
They do this whenever there is a nearby insect or any live food they want to trap and eat.
When they do this and trap such prey, they will rush and eat the prey at once.
So, it’s very normal and natural for them to do this because it’s their tactic to get food in the wild, especially insects and other smaller animals.
They Sometimes make bubbles to attract the female ones: Although this is not very common in a fish tank, but the wild or in a big pond where the space is very large.
During their mating season, the males will start making bubbles and bloom in color to attract any females nearby.
During this period, male Gouramis compete among themselves to make bubbles to attract the female Gouramis.
So, this is very normal because it’s their natural attribute.
Do Male Dwarf Gouramis Make Bubble Nests?
Gouramis are known to make bubbles nest and the male ones are known to do so.
Male dwarf gouramis are the ones that make bubble nests for the females to lay eggs.
Apart from making the nests, the males do protect those nests from other fish and even from their fellow male dwarf gouramis.
So, the male dwarf gouramis are in charge of nest making with bubbles and also nest protection.
Why Do Dwarf Gouramis Spit Water?
Did you know that Gouramis could spit water? Well here is the reason they do it.
Gouramis could spit water to trap a potential prey to eat. They do this by gulping air at the surface and using it to form bubbles which they could easily throw at any insect and get it trapped at once.
When they succeed in trapping their prey, then you will see them rushing to gulp up their prey.
To answer the question, yes dwarf gouramis and any other Gourami can spit water and capture live insects to eat.
Do Gouramis Eat Their Fry/Babies?
Gouramis are not livebearers, and many livebearers are popular for eating their fry or babies. There is a popular argument about whether Gouramis could eat their young ones or not.
Do Gouramis Eat Their Babies? Yes, Female Gouramis will feed on their eggs if they get the chance to do so. Although male Gourami will not feed on the eggs, they will feed on them when they hatch.
Gouramis of all kinds do this a lot, and can’t be prevented from doing so.
The male will eat the fry while the female will eat her eggs, well they are the same, so Gourami fish do feed on their babies.
This is why it is recommended to keep the parent Gouramis in the different tanks once they lay eggs or divide the tank with a tank divider to preserve the little ones.