Breeding Dwarf Gouramis

Question
Dear Sir,
Thank you for taking the time to read my question.
I have a breeding pair of Dwarf Gourami's. The femaile is VERY pregnant. The male seems to be interested, he starts to build a nest and then stops. The bubbles just disappear. He continues to chase the femaile and is still interested in her. This has been going on for a couple of weeks. He has tried about four times. Is this normal? Is he practising?
Thank you again.
Sincerely Gemma

Answer
Hi Gemma,

The male may not be building a strong bubble nest for two main reasons:

A) He is stressed; or
B) The tank is not suitable, esp. Lack of plants/vegetation.

In case you haven't done so already, raise the temperature to approximately 82F.
The water level should not be too high, less than 8 inches (to mimic their natural environment.)

Make sure you have some live plants in the tank, because the male uses them to aid him make the nest. Small bunch plants are fine for this.

See this site for more info:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/dwarfgourami.htm

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!