Most anabantoids are bubble-nest builders. The nest is built and maintained by the male!
Male anabantiods will take some time to build a nest of bubbles in floating debris or plants. They entice their mates under the nest and induce them to lay their eggs by giving them a spawning embrace. The eggs are immediately fertilized and placed in the nest by the male who guards them and later, the fry against all intruders.
In the aquarium, an upturned butter dish or something similar can serve as the anchor for the nest. This is usually not necessary though if there are plenty of plants, especially floating plants like hornwort, in the aquarium. The breeding tank is usually small (5 or 10 gallons) and shallow with lots of hiding places for the female (plants and rocks). After the male and female are placed in the tank, the bubble nest is usually built within a few days.
The female can be removed after spawning because the male may become aggressive towards her. The male will then watch over the eggs until they hatch 24 to 30 hours later. The temperature should be about 80° F with a lower temperature extending the hatching time and a higher temperature decreasing it. After hatching, the fry will absorb the yolk sac in two or three days. The fry will not be large enough to eat baby brine shrimp for several days so they must be fed infusoria or cooked egg yolk squeezed through a cloth.
The larger anabantoids are easier to breed mainly because the fry are large enough to eat baby brine or pulverized flake food. For example, dwarf gouramis are harder because the fry are so small they need infusoria to survive the first week or so of life.
