Floating plants for gourami dwarf

[asohfrank]

I have a 50 gallon community aquarium with some tetras, guppies,plecos and red cherry shrimps. The aquarium has an aerating air stone of length about 12inch in the background to help circulate water since my filter just doesn't do much and because of stagnant water i had lots of mixed specie algae blooms. Nevertheless, i bought 2 male gourami and a female and will like them to breed, but i learned they require still water.Since i can't offer that, i could use some very beautiful but not pervasive floating plants. I won't want a plant that will block all light since i am barely 2inch/gallon, just the type that in small numbers can help my gourami breed.

 

[emerald76]

I'm sorry to say there is no way your gourami will be successful in a community tank. You MIGHT get a bubble nest, but anything else is very very very doubtful. The males may kill each other over the female and they could harass her to death. in addition, any flow at all will quickly destroy your gourami's nests. If you really want to breed them, check out this article. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/gourami/dwarf.php

Can we have a photo of them? Females are silvery gray if you didn't know. I'd honestly return all but one.


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[Spencer1044]

Ya you would probably need at least 2 females per male you want a lot of plant coverage and you may not need floating plants what I've found that works is if you put your filter on one side of the tank as far to the edge as you can then take like a piece of plastic maybe from an old tub or bucket and set it 2 inches in the water at about the halfway point of the tank. Make sure it reaches from one side to the other. Or you could always tie some Java moss to cork and it will float that way.

 

[Fishfur]

Sadly this is true. I tried breeding these guys, before I learned enough about them. It was a disaster. They are fragile fish and very sensitive, and are prone to die for no obvious reason even in pristine conditions. The way they are farmed is likely the reason for this, though no one is sure of why.

Labyrinth fishes are beautiful, but they are not like other fish. You really do have to cater to the conditions they need to have any success with them. While I had them, I had males build nests, and they incorporated all sorts of bits of leaves and edges of floating plants in their nests. Duckweed, frogbit, mini water lettuce, fragments of all sorts of things that floated and didn't get filtered out. The nests were quite messy looking things, and the instant they floated near the filter they were beaten into pieces in no time flat.