# Can I save the gourami fry in my community tank?



## Hobbit (Aug 7, 2020)

Hey! First post here 

I recently got two gouramis and to my delight, the male built a nest and they laid eggs! Soon there were tiny fry clinging to the bubbles and the dad was constantly watching them and guarding them from everyone.

Of course in a few days they started swimming and soon disappeared. I’m sure they were eaten or more likely sucked into the filter. 

Next time the gouramis have babies I want to be ready!

I could set up a whole new breeding tank but I have chronic health problems and I’m really not up for maintaining two tanks. Is my best bet here to buy or build some kind of fry box to hang in the community tank? And if so should I try to surround the bubble nest, or transfer the babies into the box? If I surround the bubble nest, can I let the dad stay in the box with his babies for a while? He’s such a good attentive dad and he’d be so sad if I blocked him out!

Any advice would be appreciated!

Some more info on the tank:

I have a 55 gallon planted tank that was supposed to be a Walstad tank but then plants started dying and I started adding ferts XD Anyway, it has lots of plants, a huge piece of driftwood, a power head filter, LED lights, and two heaters. I have two yo-yo loaches, two tetras, one oto, and two gouramis. (I lost several tetras and otos to Ich recently.) I also have pond snails and cherry shrimp in there.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Welcome to APC! Some fish protect their fry by holding them in their mouth when any danger approaches, including you. I'm not at all sure that gourami do that, though.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

No, gourami don't mouth brood. 
Can buy a fry box you can add to your existing aquarium. The fry will need to be fed tiny foods at first like infusoria, baby brine shrimps. When they big enough, you can feed them crush fish food.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

You might be able to set up a separate tank, temporarily, to house the yo-yo loaches, the tetras, and the oto. That would leave the gouramis in the main tank to raise their fry, and you would then put the other fish back once the fry were big enough.

About the filter, if you think it was sucking up fry, you might be able to put a sponge over the intake, or wrap it with cheesecloth or another thin fabric, or reduce the flow rate.

The fry might not have been eaten or sucked into the filter. If they don't find enough of the right size food, they can just starve to death. Raising enough tiny food for the fry is probably a big job. (I've never personally done it.)

Did ALL the fry die? Because sometimes a very few baby fish will manage to evade everything and grow up. There might be a chance that a few are hiding but will re-appear and surprise you sometime in the next few weeks or months.

If your gouramis do raise an entire batch of babies, you are likely to have too many fish for your tank. At that point, you will either need multiple tanks, or you will need a plan for what to do with them.


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## Hobbit (Aug 7, 2020)

> Some fish protect their fry by holding them in their mouth when any danger approaches, including you.


Haha, you pegged me right! [smilie=b: Thanks for the welcome!

[QUOTE] Can buy a fry box you can add to your existing aquarium. The fry will need to be fed tiny foods at first like infusoria, baby brine shrimps. When they big enough, you can feed them crush fish food.[/QUOTE]

This might be the way to go. I've experimented with raising infusoria-it was hard to tell if I succeeded with them being microscopic and all, but it seemed fairly straightforward.



> About the filter, if you think it was sucking up fry, you might be able to put a sponge over the intake, or wrap it with cheesecloth or another thin fabric, or reduce the flow rate.


Ooo good idea about the fabric. I may try that.



> Did ALL the fry die? Because sometimes a very few baby fish will manage to evade everything and grow up. There might be a chance that a few are hiding but will re-appear and surprise you sometime in the next few weeks or months.


I hope some have survived! That would be fun to discover.



> If your gouramis do raise an entire batch of babies, you are likely to have too many fish for your tank. At that point, you will either need multiple tanks, or you will need a plan for what to do with them.


This is true. I was thinking I'd offer them to some of the LFSs in my general area, but it would be a good idea to call them first and see if they would actually take them XD

As for the gourami pair, I went ahead and moved the heater out of the dad's favorite corner and though he seemed upset at first, I think he's warming up to the new arrangement. That will make it easier for me to add a fry box. There's no sign of a second brood yet (brood? Clutch? I'm used to chickens not fish &#128517. The pair are swimming together again which is nice for the female, since she was feeling rather scorned before.

Thanks for your help everyone!


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