What Does Gold Gourami Eat?

Hello everyone! Today I got a gold gourami and, me the genious that I am, forgot to ask the guy what they eat. I have omega one flakes. If they eat that I’ll be happy but if I need to run out tomorrow morning it will be the first thing I do in the morning. This is the second time I’ve done this. I need help lol

 

Dried tubifex worms, blood worms, or brine shrimp would work well.
Even better than that would be live foods like live brine shrimp.

 

Dried tubifex worms, blood worms, or brine shrimp would work well.
Even better than that would be live foods like live brine shrimp.

Thank you soooo much. Looks like I’ll be running out at 10:00 tomorrow morning!

 

Flakes will work fine as a staple

 

Just remember, you have only had him one day, so he may not eat the first day.

 

Flakes will work fine as a staple

So they will work for now and within the next week I’ll need to go get shrimp or worms?

 

So they will work for now and within the next week I’ll need to go get shrimp or worms?

That would be fine

 

I feed my gouramis frozen blood worms and cyclops as well as some betta pellets. They love it and have spawned today. I don't know about gouramis but bettas who are pretty similar to them will not do well and die prematurely if you feed them flakes or bad pellets I just feed my gouramis (dwarf sparkling gouramis) the same thing I feed my bettas and they seem to really like it

 

I feed my gouramis frozen blood worms and cyclops as well as some betta pellets. They love it and have spawned today. I don't know about gouramis but bettas who are pretty similar to them will not do well and die prematurely if you feed them flakes or bad pellets I just feed my gouramis (dwarf sparkling gouramis) the same thing I feed my bettas and they seem to really like it

Just went out and got Omega One shrimp pellets. I fed my tetras and danios flake like I usually do but when I put in the pellets the gourami just stayed hiding in the corner of the tank behind a plant. Is this normal for being just added to the tank or is she sick?

 

I wouldn't expect her to eat right after being added to a tank Should eat tomorrow. Feeding her shrimp pellets might not be such a good idea, though since a lot of gouramis are obligate carnivores and shrimp pellets are often mostly made of plant matter (the good ones. The bad ones are made out of fish meal and grains) I would try to get a carnivore micro pellet if you can and try to look for good ingredients on the back. I tried out "more for fish" carnivore micro pellets today and they go nuts for it, but it's quite expensive

 

Flakes would work. Gouramis in my experience are not picky eaters. But like metion before and with any fish, its always better to feed a variety of food.

 

Yeah it kind of depends on the fish. And just because they eat it does not alway mean they should. Betta love flakes, but it cuts their life expectancy in half. And since gouramis have a very similar digestive tract, I just don't take the chance

 

Yeah it kind of depends on the fish. And just because they eat it does not alway mean they should. Betta love flakes, but it cuts their life expectancy in half. And since gouramis have a very similar digestive tract, I just don't take the chance

Just tried to feed again. She is still hiding and it has been over 48 hours since she was added to the tank. Is this normal or should I be worried?

 

She can go for about a week without eating without any problems normally. So don't panic. Two days is unusual. Is she getting bullied by any other fish? Do you have a lot of flow or extremely bright lights or any other thing you can think of that would make her uncomfortable? Try sitting in front of your tank and watching her. That often helps a lot. I had a little trouble getting one of my little sparkling gouramis to eat, so I went back to the store where I bought him and asked the guy taking care of the fish what he fed them.I bight that and the little guy is feeding quite readily now. Maybe you could try that. But maybe she is just not such an aggressive feeder and is picking up morcels from the ground. Maybe while the other fish are eating try to drop some food over her hiding place so that she can pick it up where she feels comfortable.

 

She can go for about a week without eating without any problems normally. So don't panic. Two days is unusual. Is she getting bullied by any other fish? Do you have a lot of flow or extremely bright lights or any other thing you can think of that would make her uncomfortable? Try sitting in front of your tank and watching her. That often helps a lot. I had a little trouble getting one of my little sparkling gouramis to eat, so I went back to the store where I bought him and asked the guy taking care of the fish what he fed them.I bight that and the little guy is feeding quite readily now. Maybe you could try that. But maybe she is just not such an aggressive feeder and is picking up morcels from the ground. Maybe while the other fish are eating try to drop some food over her hiding place so that she can pick it up where she feels comfortable.

My tank light is a bit bright and I think my filter me have a bit too much flow because it is a hang on the back. Half of the tank is calm but the other half is a bit rough at the top. Could this be the problem? She also seems to be afraid of me. Whenever I walk behind the tank to see if she is still breathing she swims away from where she was hiding and than quickly goes back when I leave.

 

Just watch her and try to find out what makes her hide. Also if you haven't already try different foods.

 

Just watch her and try to find out what makes her hide. Also if you haven't already try different foods.

I tried flake and the shrimp pellets.The guy at my lfs said he feeds his gouramis the shrimp pellets and they love it. I think my gourami might be scared of the other fish even though she is about double their size.

 

Yeah if she is really skittish try to stay away from the tank and not disturb her too much. Don't worry too much. Running around the tank is probably scaring her a little bit. The flow depends a lot on the fish. If you see them staying in only the part where thee is now flow or really struggling to swim it might be too much but normally hang on backs aren't too terrible At least in general

Ok in that case I would drop some shrimp pellets on her hiding place and then go away from the tank and watch from a distance Maybe she takes the pellets then

But like I said in the long term after you get her to eat try to get her in carnivore pellets or at least look up what the exact type of gourami you have takes. Do you have the exact same type of shrimp pellet as your lsf uses?

 

Yeah if she is really skittish try to stay away from the tank and not disturb her too much. Don't worry too much. Running around the tank is probably scaring her a little bit. The flow depends a lot on the fish. If you see them staying in only the part where thee is now flow or really struggling to swim it might be too much but normally hang on backs aren't too terrible At least in general

She seems fine but when I enter the room or look up from my bed she starts to hide. Does she just not like people? Would getting a male gourami get her to come out more and be less scared of her tank mates? I’m very new to fishkeeping and I just want to make sure all my fish are happy and healthy!

 

What type of gourami is she?

 

What type of gourami is she?

A gold gourami


She likes to hide at the base of these plants.

 

I have some really skittish dwarf coridoras and if I want to see the whole school I turn off all the lights in my room, make sure there is little backscatter from the light in top of the tank by draping a towel on the light and then just sit patiently and wait for them to move, which sometimes takes more than 30 minutes

 

Good points from the above members.

Gouramis are labyrinth fish like bettas. So they more or less hang out near the surface. They like some cover so a structure near the surface that she can hang out under would be good. For our last one I had a log that came to the surface and I had Anubis attached to it.

The Anubis is in the upper left.

 

Good point Sometimes floating plants can make a big difference too, I have frogbit in all of my tanks.

But it seems to me that she is scared of you more than anything else. Try to provide her some cover and leave her alone a little bit more. Just because you don't see her eating doesn't mean she isn't eating. I always feed my cories just before I leave the house because they are so skittish and as long as I am in my apartment they don't eat. I think with gouramis you have a better chance of her becoming less skittish over time. I know you really want to make sure she is alright but sometimes it is better to leave them be a little bit. She will get to know you better in the next months. Just take it slow and observe from a distance. I would also try frozen blood worms if you can get them. Most fish can't resist them. Don't worry so much. She will be fine, she is just a little scared

I think she is a honey gourami. Try to look up a video on YouTube about their care and that will probably help a lot. Also here is a picture of my gourami tank. They really enjoy plants and cover. At the top of my tank I have a lot of plant cover and they spend most of their time in there but mine are a different breed than yours But I would provide a little bit more cover. Especially on top of your tank. Like thunder said gouramis normally spend most of their time right under the surface. Since yours spends her time hiding in the bottom she doesn't seem comfortable at the top

Oh sorry I looked it up and I was wrong A lot of gouramis (honeys for example) are actually omnivores and like plants in their diet

 

Oh sorry I looked it up and I was wrong A lot of gouramis (honeys for example) are actually omnivores and like plants in their diet

Are there any easy to care for floating plants that won’t grow too fast. All my plants in the tank are fake but look real because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the maintenance. But if a live plant will help my gourami come out more I’m willing to give it a try.

 

Floating plants are the easiest plants to take care of. Just throw them in. They multiply a lot but if they get too much you just take out the extras and put them into the trash (please not into any water ways as a lot of them are invasive) I would recommend water lettuce or frogbit. They are big and their roots are bushy and a good place to hide for your fish. Easiest plants to take care of in the world

 

I think she is a honey gourami. Try to look up a video on YouTube about their care and that will probably help a lot. Also here is a picture of my gourami tank. They really enjoy plants and cover. At the top of my tank I have a lot of plant cover and they spend most of their time in there but mine are a different breed than yours But I would provide a little bit more cover. Especially on top of your tank. Like thunder said gouramis normally spend most of their time right under the surface. Since yours spends her time hiding in the bottom she doesn't seem comfortable at the top

Not a honey. It is a gold.

 

Floating plants are the easiest plants to take care of. Just throw them in. They multiply a lot but if they get too much you just take out the extras and put them into the trash (please not into any water ways as a lot of them are invasive) I would recommend water lettuce or frogbit. They are big and their roots are bushy and a good place to hide for your fish. Easiest plants to take care of in the world

just fed them for today. My gourami is our swimming around but she did not eat. Does this mean she is finally getting used to her new home?

 

Usually gourami adores food. Keep an eye on him/her.

 

Usually gourami adores food. Keep an eye on him/her.

She has been really shy since I got her about 3 days ago

 

Swimming around is already a great step in the right direction! I have a feeling she will eat tomorrow!

 

Swimming around is already a great step in the right direction! I have a feeling she will eat tomorrow!

Just looked outside and there’s a crazy thunder storm going on. What should I do if I lose power?

 

She has been really shy since I got her about 3 days ago

Wouldn't you be after being bred, raised, caught, transported, put in a tank at the wholesaler, caught, transported, put in a tank at an LFS, looked at, caught, transported, released in your tank as only one of ger species. I would need some days.

 

Wouldn't you be after being bred, raised, caught, transported, put in a tank at the wholesaler, caught, transported, put in a tank at an LFS, looked at, caught, transported, released in your tank as only one of ger species. I would need some days.

She has been out a lot between this morning and now. She is looking great and starting to eat. I went out and bought a little bit of water lettuce so she would feel more at home. I would have gotten more but it was all my LFS had. How long will it take to grow big?

 

That's great news! The water lettuce will grow quickly and multiply. But if she is swimming around and eating, she is already starting to feel much more comfortable so you are definitely on the right path! I'm very happy to hear that! If you lose power nothing will happen for a while, just make sure your filter media doesn't dry out or suffocate, but that also takes a while and keep an eye on the temperature of your tank. In the winter you want to make sure it doesn't cool out too much. If you really want to be on the safe side there are battery powered air pumps. But like I said you will be fine for quite some time.

 

That's great news! The water lettuce will grow quickly and multiply. But if she is swimming around and eating, she is already starting to feel much more comfortable so you are definitely on the right path! I'm very happy to hear that! If you lose power nothing will happen for a while, just make sure your filter media doesn't dry out or suffocate, but that also takes a while and keep an eye on the temperature of your tank. In the winter you want to make sure it doesn't cool out too much. If you really want to be on the safe side there are battery powered air pumps. But like I said you will be fine for quite some time.

Umm... woke up this morning and the water lettuce is getting drowned by my hang of the back. It floated under it and now it is stuck there. How do I get it to stop floating over there?

 

Put it in a part of your aquarium with no flow

 

I did. It keeps slowly floating towards the filter.

 

You could take the end of one of its roots and wedge it into something (like your heater). But except for that I don't know. Just be creative I'm sure you'll figure something out. I used to have the same problem with my frogbit at the beginning when I only had a couple of pieces. I turned down my filter and after a while it covered a good part of the surface (make sure to leave some room) and since they reproduce by little runners the different plants are connected so they don't move as hard So all you have to do is get it through the beginning part and it will take care of the problem for you.

Oh as far as I know frogbit is very similar to water lettuce in the way it reproduces but water lettuce is a much prettier plant and the roots stay more manageable so your fish don't get cought up in them.

 

You could take the end of one of its roots and wedge it into something (like your heater). But except for that I don't know. Just be creative I'm sure you'll figure something out. I used to have the same problem with my frogbit at the beginning when I only had a couple of pieces. I turned down my filter and after a while it covered a good part of the surface (make sure to leave some room) and since they reproduce by little runners the different plants are connected so they don't move as hard So all you have to do is get it through the beginning part and it will take care of the problem for you.

I’m going to visit colleges this weekend so I can’t really do anything about it now. I have a friend watching my tank while I’m gone. When I get home on Monday I’ll be able to figure something out.