Pearl gourami for the fish in times of stress. The pearl gourami is a bubble nest builder that uses plants to help bind together the bubbles. The water level should be reduced to 20 cm (8 in) during spawning , and the temperature should be approximately 28 °C (82 °F) and with a pH of around 7. After spawning both adults cannot be kept together. The eggs hatch after two days and the fry become free swimming three days later (Ter Morshuizen 2007). When they commence with swimming freely the fry can be fed infusoria and brine shrimp, and a week later
Kissing gourami do not guard, are spherical, smooth, and buoyant. Initial development is rapid: the eggs hatch after one day, and the fry are free-swimming two days thereafter. The kissing gourami does not care for its young. The kissing gourami present a kind of behavior associated with their characteristic jaw and mouth: two individuals approach their mouths in both mediolateral and dorsoventral planes and press for a few seconds. This type of "kiss" has given "H. temminkii" the common name of kissing gourami has been considered an intraspecific aggressive behavior also known as "mouth fight" due to the contraction of the jaw