Overcrowded Pearl Gouramis?

[Aquarii]

I have a heavily planted 29 gallon tank with 2 male pearl gouramis that are now a little over 3.5" - used to battle it out in the beginning, now they're good friends. But....I also have 9 cardinal tetras, 4 otocinclus, 4 albino corys, 2 golden bristlenose plecs(?) - they are 3" in length, and 2 marbled hatchet fish.

Every week I need to trim back and remove some plants because my tank is a liquid rainforest. There is little room for free swimming unless I really stay on top of it.

I'm wondering if I should transfer some of the other fish to another tank, and keep trimming away the foliage, or leave all fish and really do an overhaul and actually remove some of the dense growth, which not only grows vertically but horizontally across the substrate. (reason for out of control plant growth-beautiful but cutting foliage and water changes takes much time - could be that I use Seachem's Excel, Trace, and Flourish.

I can't find decent info on how much free swimming space the gouramis need. Is a 29 gallon too small, even without the other fish?

Help!!! :?

 

[JustOneMore20]

I think a 29g is fine for 2 Pearls, with adequate swimming room. If you have a larger or similar sized tank that doesn't have as many plants, you might want to move them. The smaller fish are fine in a heavily planted tank IMO because they can move in and out of the plants.

I also have the same problem with plants overgrowing in my 29g, but I don't have any large fish (largest are my Platies). I have to really stay on top of the trimming to keep the fish happy.

If you can't move the gouramis, you should consider really trimming the plants good. If you could rearrange it and maybe have some shorter, slower growing plants in the mid and foregrounds, that would be good. Then the gouramis would have the front most of the tank for swimming room.

 

[Zagz]

Welcome to AA! I think if you cut back some of the plants you will be fine. Of course I say this without having a clue what the tank looks like. A couple of pictures would be great! We love pics!