# Plants and dwarf gouramis



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Depending on your fish, yes, there are plants that are usually not eaten. For example, Vallisnerias are known to be tough. Cryptocorynes are left alone by many fish. Swords are tough, but Plecos might develop a taste for them. Many fine-leaved plants are nibbled up, you might have better luck with very fast growers like Ambulia.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Is it possible that the fish are just looking for debri and not chewing on the plants themselves? The plants don't look as if something's been nibbling on them, but I have seen them doing what LOOKS like nibbling!


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## IceH2O (Sep 29, 2006)

When I owned gouramis I noticed they would pull leaves off the finer leaf plants to help hold together their bubble nests.

They might be trying to do that but just can't get a good hold.

Or they are nibbling off algae and or small bugs maybe.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

They are definitely destroying your plants. You must make a decision: do you love gouramis so much that you will tolerate the expensive mess they will be making on a regular basis (and the constant trips to the lfs to replace the plants)? Or do you love your plants so much (and the look of the entire aquascape) that you will find another home for your gouramis?

I just made that choice, quite recently, and I immediately took my [email protected] flame gourami and the poor female he was wife-beating, right to my lfs. Ever since then, my tank is cleaner, my community fish are happier, the filter isn't clogged with cabomba needles, and there are no unsightly bubble nests at the top rim.

I am very biased against dwarf gouramis after my recent experience with the flames. I don't think I'll ever own another one, as a result.

If you want to redesign your beautiful tank just to accomodate these messy, territorial little fish, I hope you enjoy the look of java fern, because that was the ONLY plant in my tank that they never touched.

(I'm still not over it yet, one month later).


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

I actually don't care for the fish that much. They are are reclusive and boring, to be honest, and they are taking up "inches per gallon" that I'd rather use on other fish.


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## Mangala (Jul 23, 2006)

awwww... don't be so hard on your dwarf gourami. I find my dwarf to be one of the most interesting of my fish. he protects the baby angelfish from the adult angelfish, who is afraid of him for some reason. The big angel has to be at least 4 times as big as the dwarf gourami...

I've had my dwarf for nearly two years, and he hasn't made any bubblenests for about 5 months. He either gave up, or their reproductive schedule is all for the early years and not much after.


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## WaveSurfer (Oct 3, 2007)

Dwarf Gouramis are nice fish to observe and keep. Generally, if you see fishes nibbling at your plants, most likely they are just eating the algae and micro-organisms on the leaves. Plants dying, holes etc are usually results of some other plant-related issues.

Unfortunately, Gouramis do try to make use of the weaker plants for their bubble nests. To prevent this, you may wish to trim some of your plants and leave them floating in one of the corners of the tank, where the water current is least experienced. They will usually be contented with the ready-made floating plants for their nests.

I missed my Gouramis after they died off due to drospy and intestinal infection.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

I never could catch them, so they're still in there, and they aren't causing any problems. They are going to stay.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Okay, how likely is it that my Dwarf is snapping stems in half? Someone is doing just that! And I saw the Dwarf nibbling on floating steam piece. Not the leaves - the actual stem.

If not the Dwarf, who else in my signature?


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## Mangala (Jul 23, 2006)

Possibly your angels. SOME angels will destroy plants the way that some humans chew their fingernails. Plus, angels would get big enough to destroy plants the way you are describing. The gouramis are just taking advantage of the free floating debris. 

That would be a tough decision for me.


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Hmm..that's odd. My angels have never taken much interest in the plants. They stay pretty high up in the tank or in the front where it's clear of plants. The Gourami is always in the middle of all the plants, so I assumed him. 

I need to set up a hidden camera. ;-)


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Could it be my 2 Rosy Barbs? They are pretty big, especially the male, and I just saw him tug a leaf on my Wisteria.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

yeah, rosy barbs & tiger barbs like to destroy plants. They're omnivorous. If the destruction isn't that bad, i'd just leave them... 
They're triming your plants for you.


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## Batch (May 10, 2007)

Yoyo Loaches. They are infamous for digging up/destroying plants. 
very cool fish tho.

Batch


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## forddna (Sep 12, 2007)

Nobody's digging anything up. They are snapping the stems in half.


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