This article is for my fish aquarist friends all over the world. If you have gouramis as your pet, and you want to know about their feeding habits or feeding patterns then this article is going to be very useful for you. First of all, let’s know the basic things about gouramis to know more about this beautiful fish.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Gouramis
Gouramis are freshwater fish and they are indigenous to Southeastern Asia. Gouramis is a beautiful fish coming in a variety of colors and patterns. They come in Blue, orange, yellow, red, and brown colors and they have various stripes and patterns on their body.
Some other common names of Gouramis are Gourami and Gouramies. Gouramis is a peaceful fish and this is why it’s quite popular among fish keepers.
Another reason fish keepers like to keep Gouramis as their pets is because they are easy to take care of. Due to their gentle nature, they are the best pet fish. Gouramis have a hardy nature which is another plus point. They only require ideal water temperatures, a proper diet, and a large space to swim, and if you fulfill all these factors your Gouramis will be happy and healthy.
Since now we know the basic information about gouramis, so let’s talk about their feeding habits.
Diet of Gouramis
Gouramis are basically omnivorous and they eat larvae, tiny insects, and also algae if they are in the wild. They are not picky eaters, so they won’t give you a tough time. They will eat almost every food like flakes, pellets, and live foods like brine shrimp and glass worms. Also, these items are rich in proteins so they are good for your Gouramis.
You should Feed gouramis two to three times on a daily basis. Make sure that the food you are feeding is small enough to fit into gouramis’ mouths, so they can easily eat it. You can feed them green vegetables such as zucchini, occasionally as a treat.
Important things to consider When Buying Food for Gouramis
These are some important factors you need to consider before buying food for your Gouramis. When you know about these factors it will be easy for you to choose food for Gouramis.
Ingredients of the food item
You must check the ingredients before buying food items for Gouramis. Don’t worry it’s not that difficult because most fish food brands use the same basic ingredients which are good for your fish health.
But personally, I don’t like products that contain lots of filler ingredients. Some of them are corn, wheat products, rice, soy, etc
I don’t prefer them since these items do not have lots of nutrients. So they don’t provide many nutritional benefits to your fish.
Nutritional value
It’s very important to consider the nutritional benefits of an item before feeding them to your Gouramis. You shouldn’t feed those items to your fish that lack basic nutrients or have no nutrients at all.
You need to feed nutrition-rich items to make your Gouramis healthy and happy. So in this case you must check the nutrition and vitamins described at the back of the food item containers so you know if the food is going to be useful or not.
Quality matters
This factor is more important for fish food that consists of insects or shrimp. The food brand should have the best quality control in order to prevent stray pebbles or other bits of debris from getting mixed into the food product. As they can be really dangerous for your fish’s health. Always remember that quality matters!!
Food items that are good for Gouramis
Some of the best food items for Gouramis are mentioned below
Bloodworms
Many of my fish aquarist friends who own a gourami, like to feed Bloodworms to their fish. This is because Bloodworms are rich in proteins and are really good for the health of gouramis.
Flake and pellets
Flakes and pellets are a crucial part of the gourami diet, but you can make their diet more nutritious by adding things up on occasion with some of the suggestions we have mentioned in this article. Also, add live or frozen foods at least once a week to make sure that you are providing your fish with all the nutrients they need. Frozen and live foods are also good for spawning your Gouramies.
Algae
Gouramis eat Alage in the wild. So another treat for them is aquatic plants and some Gouramies enjoy algae a lot. For this you can buy dried chlorella algae from your local pet store, you can also grow your own in your fish aquarium by adding a few teaspoons of granules inside the pot and suspending it over the water with some rocks. This way you can grow your own algae.
FAQs
What is the best food for blue gourami?
The best thing is to get food that is rich in proteins like shrimp and salmon and also pair it with a significant amount of algae. Since Gouramis are omnivorous so they feed on both meat and algae. Some other best food options for Blue Gouramies are Shrimp pellets, flakes, and tropical granules.
How much should I feed Gourami?
Adult gouramis require a protein-rich meal two times a day. You can also feed them with vegetable pellets or pellet fish food if you don’t have flake food. I usually provide them with a balanced meal by offering them flake food in the morning and then for the evening meal I provide them with frozen brine shrimp. In this way, they have a properly balanced meal.
How do you keep Gouramis healthy?
In order to keep your Gouramis healthy, you need to follow a proper schedule for their diet. On the other hand, Gouramis love having plants in their tank, so for this, you should combine bright light, fertilizers, good quality substrate, and healthy plants will also be very useful in keeping the water in the tank clean.
What’s the best food for dwarf gouramis?
They are omnivorous and they like to eat fish flakes, floating betta pellets, community pellets, bloodworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, frozen live food and they also eat algae sometimes.
What’s the best fish food for giant gourami?
For Giant Gouramies, you can feed them with boiled potatoes which are cut into small chunks, and you can feed them with beef hearts sometimes. You can also give them bloodworms and brine shrimps as a treat. You don’t have to worry about Giant Gouramis, as they are not picky eaters and they won’t give you a tough time.
Does Gourami eat shrimp?
Gourami will literally eat anything that comes their way. So yeah they will happily eat small shrimp.
How to make Gourami grow faster?
If you want them to grow fast, then make sure to provide them with the ideal environment they require. They are very easy to take care of so it won’t be difficult for you to fulfill their needs. You should have a large tank so they can swim freely and make sure the tank is clean at all times. Feed them with High quality and protein-rich food. Make sure you are having the right water temperatures and pH levels to ensure the safety of your Gouramis. Decorate their tank with some plants so they can play and hide within them.
Conclusion
For keeping your Gouramies healthy and happy in your tank, you must ensure that you are feeding them a proper diet, which is rich in nutrients. Feeding patterns of Gourami is quite easy since they are omnivorous so they can eat both plants and meat.
But your Gourami will always prefer meat over plants. Daphnia and brine shrimp are some of the favorite foods of Gouramies. These are rich in protein and nutrients and absolutely useful for your pet Gouramies.
