Sex: Male: pelvic fins are orange to red, and dorsal fins are longer and may end in a point. Female: Pelvic fins are colorless to yellow, and dorsal fins are shorter and rounder.
Type:
The first challenge in breeding the moonlight gourami is aquiring a breeding pair. Although they look very similar, males are more slender and have red or orange tinged pelvic fins. Purchasing a half dozen young fish and rasing them to maturity will ensure having a male and female. Once a mature pair has been identified, they should be provided a separate breeding tank. The tank should be well planted, with very soft water at a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Reduce the water level to six to twelve inches, and slowly increase the water temperature to 85. Feed the breeding pair live foods to condition them for spawning.
Once the conditions are right the male will prepare a bubble nest and bring the female to it. After positioning themselves under the bubble nest, the male will literally wrap himself around the female. While in this embrace the pair will roll over and the female will release eggs. This process may continue for as long as two hours, during which time up to 2,000 eggs float into the nest.
The parents should be moved once spawning is complete. In one to two days the eggs will hatch, and the fry will be free swimming two days later. Once the eggs hatch, the fry must be feed very fine foods several times daily. Most fry loses occur at this stage, due to lack of adequate food or low water temperatures. Live foods such as daphnia, artemia, and rotifers, are ideal. However very finely chopped lettuce, banana skins, cooked egg yolk, and finely ground flake food can be used to feed the young (and are usually easier to find). The key factor is feeding frequently. Healthy fry will grow about an inch per month if well taken care of.
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