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There is such a fish as marble gourami! On her body you will find blue shades and gothic spots. Gourami not only decorate the water space, but also make it cleaner, they easily deal with various water parasites in the aquarium.
Gourami is often called marble, as the color of the body is similar to marble. This species resembles its closest relative - blue goura, it only stands out for its color, in general, it has the same length and the same habits.
Content recommendations
Sellers often recommend inexperienced aquarists to marble gourami, as this fish is unpretentious, it is easy to breed, and it can live for a very long time in an artificial environment.
Marble gourami reaches a length of 15 centimeters, but usually its size is much more modest.Young individuals can be distinguished by an aquarium of up to 50 liters, but adults will need a larger volume, up to 90 liters.
Story
If you plunge into the world of wildlife, you will not find there marble gourami. He was bred in an artificial environment, but despite this, the individual is found in the wild conditions, but not only marble, but his blue clone.
A lover of aquarium named Cosby domesticated the blue representative and produced from it a rock called today marble gourami. Many years of marble were named after the creator - Cosby. It would seem a beautiful name, but fish lovers didn’t like it, they began to call this type marble more and more often.
If you look at the blue gourami, then it will seem to you that in front of you is a marble one, in fact, these are two different kinds. Blue can be seen in Indonesia and Thailand, and most often lives in calm waters rich in vegetation. So, it can be captured in swamps, canals and streams with a calm, quiet flow.
In nature, he likes areas without currents, but with the highest concentration of aquatic vegetation.During the rainy season, it begins to leave the rivers, and move to the spill sites, after the end of the rainy season, it again goes to the rivers. Natural gourami loves to eat bioplankton and insects.
Overview
Gourami is considered a large aquarium fish, reaching a size of 15 centimeters and living up to 6 years! The body is very long, there are practically no lateral deposits. The gourams have rather large and round fins, while the ventral fins have become miniature tendrils, thanks to them the fish experience tactile sensations.
The fish can consume atmospheric oxygen, this skill makes it possible for marble gouras to live in the most unsightly, extreme conditions. The body is extremely beautiful, especially when the males are in a state of excitement. The body itself is covered in dark blue, almost all the body spots are found.
Care and feed
Marble gourami is not picky - eats everything they give! Fish can live in a variety of conditions and get along well with various types of fish. It can be safely advised to beginners who are just practiced in aquarism.
The only minus is that males love to fight each other, and different types of gouras, not only marble, can be involved in a fight.
The fish is omnivorous, but in nature it prefers only insects or larvae. A person can use different types of food in an aquarium - artificial, frozen, live. However, it is better to feed the fish with live food: Artemia, bloodworms, pipe maker.
A chip of all gourami is their hunting ability, you won’t believe it, but they are able to shoot down flying insects as gourami. They start from the mouth a powerful stream of water, which usually hits the target.
Content: conditions
The more mature the marble gourami, the more space it needs: if the young live in 40 liters, then sometimes there are not enough 70 liters of water for adults.
Fish uses atmospheric oxygen, which means that degrees are important for gourami! Make sure that both in the room and in the water was about the same degree. The very same temperature can be completely different: as the 22 degree norm, and 27 degree, but still there is the best option - 24 degrees.
Preferences
Gourami love to fight, especially this statement applies to males. You can not keep them alone in the aquarium, as they begin to hunt for peace-loving fish.It is best to populate a flock of gourami with 2 or 3 males, so that they can measure themselves in front of the females.
As a rule, the weaker gourami escapes from the battlefield, for the losers it is necessary to prepare a good shelter so that they can recover their strength in this shelter.
Marble can not be kept with predators! The best friends for gourami will be fish with similar sizes and with similar habits.
Sexual signs
Males have a very long dorsal fin with a spike at the end, while females have a shorter and rounded fin. And still males more dense and considerably surpass in the sizes of females.
Aquarium
It is important to know! Many inexperienced breeders buy marble gourami and immediately run into the general aquarium, but what is the result? All fish begin to die, and very quickly! The fact is that a marble one can carry a lot of deadly bacteria in it, it does not feel them, because it has resistance to diseases of various types.
After the purchase you need to support gourami in an isolated environment. Create a special vessel with 40 - 50 liters of water and partially close it with a glass lid, but see that the distance from the water to the lid is significant, because fish needs atmospheric oxygen.
Quarantine should be kept for at least 10 days, at this time the fish should be given anti-rotten remedies, namely, they should arrange antiseptic baths lasting up to 20 minutes and also carry out other procedures aimed at removing the harmful microflora from the fish's body. After treatment, it is necessary to place the fish in fresh, stable water.
Priming
We recommend using black soil, as the fish feels safe when there are a lot of dark colors in the aquarium and there is a minimum of bright decorations. Granite crumb, pebbles, sand will be suitable as soil. At the bottom it is better to put small shelters of the type of stones, driftwood and plants.
Soil should be provided with a lot of dense plants for the reason that gourami can attack peace-loving fish. If there are many plants, the fish will easily hide from the fighters.
Breeding
Many labyrinth breeds multiply due to the nest, which produces a male from foam. According to the same principle, the marble goura is also divorced, and there is nothing difficult in breeding, all that is needed is a three-dimensional aquarium with a lot of plants and an overall water mirror.
A person needs to prepare fish for spawning, namely, to feed a couple of live food, and it is necessary to feed them two or three times a day. Over time, the female begins to gain weight, as many eggs appear in her body.
Spawning process
A couple is placed in an aquarium with a volume of more than 55 liters. The amount of water in the spawning should be 12 - 16 centimeters and a high degree, reaching 28 with a plus sign.
As soon as the female completes her work, she should be removed from the spawning grounds, since the male at this time is overly aggressive and can even kill the female. The male must remain in the breeding ground, his task is to correct the breeding place.
Small fish began to appear and run away from the nest? Clean the male, otherwise he can eat a lot of their newborns. Young animals are best fed with a microworm and ciliates; after development, they can be given heavier feed.
Marble gourami is a decoration for any aquarium. Its unusual habits like beginners and even experienced aquarists. The most interesting thing is to watch the couple during spawning. You can admire this fascinating process for hours.
Video: aquarium fish marble gourami
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