# Gourami plus Plants



## KayKay (Aug 2, 2009)

Hi, All, I am a brand new member and am setting up a new 55 gal tank to house my moonlight gourami. This fish is about 6 years old and has outgrown the 30 gal planted (not natural) tank he started out in. The new tank will be natural, but here's the problem: This gourami shredded/uprooted all the plants in the original tank except the anubias. I think he was nest building; but in any event, vals, a small sword, java ferns all were demolished. It's my understanding that an NPT needs to be started with fast-growing plants, which anubias are not. Can anyone suggest plants suitable for starting an NPT that might also be gourami-resistant or gourami-repellant? My ideas so far are: (1) use some floaters - maybe he will be satisfied with those and forget the nest, (2) use larger swords, or possibly some very large crypts. That's all I've come with; and I'm not crazy about the swords because I've never had any luck with them. Thanks so much for any and all input and advice.


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## Avi (Apr 7, 2004)

Floaters should help or even resolve the problem altogether if it is nest building. Actually, I haven't ever heard of a gourami of that kind uprooting plants so yours is interesting. Could it be that it's looking for food because at its size it wants even more than it's getting? I know that doesn't answer your question about which plants might me more of an obstacle for this fish but I'd try putting some Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) on the surface of the water and increase feedings slightly and see if that keeps him up top where a good gourami ought to be, rather than uprooting plants.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Some plants the root well (but may still get tattered by your fish) are Tiger Lotus, Swords, and Crypt's such as _C. wendtii_, _C. crispatula_ 'balansae', and _C. spiralis_. Also, the larger _Aponogetons_ root very well (_A. longiplumulosus_ has thick leaves that might resist damage). Even a couple thick groupings of rotala or other fast stem plant could stick out the abuse if they were rooted well enough.

The trick is to allow the plants time to root well (up to a month) before adding a fish that may be known to uproot them.

-Dave


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Quote: "The trick is to allow the plants time to root well (up to a month) before adding a fish that may be known to uproot them."

So I should wait another week and THEN add oscars to my npt's?!?!?!?

lmao...
:rofl:

Just kidding. If you're going the El Natural route, you might give swords another shot. I've amazons and a couple natives and they are doing really well in both a 20npt and a 125 npt with light ranging from 2.5 wpg (in the 20) to 1.25 (in the 125).


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## RoseyD (Jul 9, 2009)

Kay Kay, I'm interested in your gourami ... I've been considering to get another planted tank going for some gourami/rainbows - and, have been considering the size to go with... 

Since You wrote that your moonlight was growing out of the 30 gal, and I had been considering a 29gal or 30 gal breeder for my gold gourami ... do you think that a 40 gal. breeder would be 'big' enough? 

since I live in an attic, I have to be really conscious about tank weights and such ...


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## Perianth (Mar 17, 2009)

Ditto to the water sprite, but I can't imagine a gourami messing with crypts or swords.

Good Luck on whatever you choose.


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## KayKay (Aug 2, 2009)

Hi,all, and thanks for the advice. I have gotten the fast-growing, well-rooting stem plants going and have ordered a lotus and an apon. I am waiting awhile for crypts and plan to pull out some of the stem plants to make room for them when the tank becomes a jungle (I'm an optimist!). I am going to try again with swords, and they are on my shopping list for the LFS tomorrow. Also, I have two really big water lettuce in the tank, which I hope will keep the gourami from becoming fixated on the finer-leaved plants. I may throw in some hornwort to see what happens with that, too. In any event, the gourami won't be moved for at least four weeks. So that's the plan - fingers crossed!

*However, I now have a lighting question*. I have got to get a new fixture for this 48" tank. The fixtures I planned to use were damaged during my big home renovation project. All the fixtures I have are CFLs. However, I can get a 2-tube T-5 fixture from Big Al's for a lot less than the cost of a CFL. Total T-5 wattage would be 56, which equals 1 wpg. Is that sufficient to keep the plants growing, given the plan outlined above? Any plants I should forget about or re-home? I have read that you get a whole lot of light-per-watt with T-5s, but that info relates to saltwater setups. Could someone bring me up to speed about T-5 lighting or provide me with a link or just advise? Thanks!!

*Rosey, re: your gourami* - I started this gourami off in a 29 gal (30" long) and that tank was sufficient until about a year ago. I knew that, if he lived ling enough, he would outgrow the tank; but that didn't happen quickly. The fish is now ~ 6 years old and ~ 7 1/2 inches long. Sometimes he slams into the tank walls when he swims really fast, so he's moving to a MacMansion. From what I understand, 3-spot gouramis max out little smaller than moonlights do - about 6" instead of 7", but I can't say for sure because I've never kept a 3-spot. In general, gouramis need more length than depth in their tanks. If your tank is about 30" long it should be fine for a good while, and possibly forever. If you want a gourami that will definitely stay a little smaller, try a pearl gourami - a gorgeous fish that should be fine in a 30" tank for a very long time; possibly forever. BTW, my pearl (RIP) was a plant-shredder too.


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## RoseyD (Jul 9, 2009)

Kay Kay, thanks for the input.  I got a 30 gallon on Sunday, and am working on getting it planted now. It's already full of fish... I moved my gold gourami and all the rainbows in. and when I went shopping yesterday I got goldie a playmate because she'd seemed really lonely among all those rainbows - so she has a young pearl girl to buddy with. The pearl last night, was pretty shy and in hiding mostly, but this morning when I checked on her, she was swimming through the ornaments and plants following goldie around. It was pretty cute.  

I'm really glad that the 30" will be a good sized home for them for the next couple of years ... I can't fit any more tanks in my apartment. Two to a room, is a lot of water and poundage for an attic apartment. 

thanks again for the advice. 

-Rose


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## KayKay (Aug 2, 2009)

Rosie, good news - if your gouramis are, in fact, girls, they may very well leave the plants alone. The guys are usually the ones that build the nests, and plants are the prime construction material. BTW, aren't the pearls beautiful fish?!


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## RoseyD (Jul 9, 2009)

yes she's beautiful when she lets me see her. totally not as flamboyant as goldie. 

I'm looking for a light for the 30g now too... I have a satellite mixed b ulb on the 20g that is part arcinic light... which is a waste for freshwater tanks. better to look for lighting with Kelvin range above 6500. so my next light system I hope for a 6500 - 10k blended bulb. 

Id like to find wattage that will give 3wpg but there's slim pickings fo the 30 inch frame at a reasonable cost. so I keep looking.

I second the recommendation on watersprite, the stuff grows fast and it gives a good hangout hideyhole up at the top... the stuff also seems really hardy.


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