Paternal mouthbrooder: the male, not the female, carries the eggs. Eggs are laid on the substrate and the male picks them up; both parents defend the area. Can be bred in a group or a single pair in soft, acidic water with good live food.
Keep a small group so pairs form.
60 L tank of soft acidic blackwater with leaf-litter and floating plants; stable temperature.
Stable blackwater conditions and live foods.
The male holds the eggs and fry for 7-20 days, then releases 10-40 free-swimming juveniles that can take microworm or Artemia nauplii at once.
Fry are large enough for newly hatched brine shrimp.
One breeding tank for the vaillant's chocolate gourami, drawn to scale from the breeding guide.
Water: 21–25 °C · pH 4–6.5 · soft water
A plan from the breeding guide and an adult size of 5.5 cm. Tank shape is a standard 2 : 1 : 1.2 box, at least 6 adult lengths long. Check each step in the guide above.
A 120 cm rack for breeding the vaillant's chocolate gourami in numbers.
In total: 3 tanks, about 300 L of water. A litre of water weighs about 1 kg, so check that the floor and rack can take the weight.
Sizes are worked out from the breeding tank in the guide. Tanks fit a standard 120 cm rack when they can; bigger tanks go on their own stands.
Reversed sexual dimorphism: once settled, females show alternating red and green vertical bars, while males stay brownish. Males have a slightly rounded lower jaw (stretchy throat skin used for mouthbrooding); females have a straight lower jaw and more pointed head.
Typical for mouthbrooders
Usually one male with several females. Feed high-quality food.
The female takes the eggs into her mouth and stops eating.
After about 3 weeks the female releases fully formed fry. Many breeders move her to a quiet tank first.
Fry eat crushed flake and baby brine shrimp straight away.
Fry are a few centimetres long after about 3 months.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Usually one male with several females. Feed high-quality food.
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.