Pregnant Gourami

Question
I have a 25 gallon aquarium which just over 1 month old. Have populated with 2 Blue Gouramis (male & female), 1 shark fish, 2 Koi karps, 1 algae-eater and 10 two-spotted barbs. This is my first aquarium and I take help from sites like allexperts.com to get tips for good fish-keeping.
My question is that my Gourami seems to be pregnant. How do I take care of it? I want it to breed.

Answer
Hi Subhajit,

First things first - Koi can NOT be kept with tropical fish, such as barbs and Gouramis. They cannot co-exist because of their temperature differences. Barbs, sharks (actually minnows), and Gouramis need temperatures of 75F or greater, while Koi fish need temperatures of below 69F. Eventually, one of the species will die from poor health. Koi should only be kept in a pond.

Do you have a heater? If you do, then your tropical fish should be fine. The heater should ideally be set to 78F.

Unfortunately, you will have to return the Koi, or give it away, because they cannot live in the aquarium with the other fish. They can grow over two feet 24"! (60 cm)

First of all, here's a quick question: Are the scales of the Gourami sticking out, a bit like a pinecone? If yes, then she is sick, not pregnant. I decided to mention it because it's very common for a first time-aquarium.

Enough of the bad news! Here's a good link to explain everything you need to know on how to breed your Gouramis succesfully!

http://www.essortment.com/all/breedinggourami_rdks.htm

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!