Are giant gouramis herbivores or omnivores ?
- Thread starter Capten_Munch
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Giant Gourami are opportunistic omnivores. They really aren’t picky when its time to eat. In the wild they readily consume vegetation, crustaceans, and fish. Adults will also eat small mammals/birds although this is not necessary for a pet fish.
In captivity you should offer your GG high quality pellets. NLS algaemax and insectum pellets are top of the list. Hikari massivore and cichlid excel are also good options.
As for snacks you can give live insects like earthworms, mealworms, and crickets. Frozen/freeze dried krill is also a healthy treat.
In captivity you should offer your GG high quality pellets. NLS algaemax and insectum pellets are top of the list. Hikari massivore and cichlid excel are also good options.
As for snacks you can give live insects like earthworms, mealworms, and crickets. Frozen/freeze dried krill is also a healthy treat.
I'd say omnivorous. For sure the vast majority of their diet in the wild may be greenery, but would they turn their noses up at a juicy worm or insect, I don't think so.
Mine gets all sorts. Absolutely loves worms, crickets and prawns, but also devours lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, beans, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and so much more.
Not to mention the basic pellet foods on offer.
In fact, omnivore is the wrong word for giant gouramis, a far better one would be......DUSTBIN!!
Mine gets all sorts. Absolutely loves worms, crickets and prawns, but also devours lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, beans, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and so much more.
Not to mention the basic pellet foods on offer.
In fact, omnivore is the wrong word for giant gouramis, a far better one would be......DUSTBIN!!
Right, I'm going to talk a load of s**t here, literally, lol.
My GG's crap is cylindrical and about the thickness of a pencil. It is a couple of inches long maybe. It is usually olive green to brown in colour. The consistency can be quite powdery almost where it breaks up as it is coming out, to completely solid where it falls to the bottom. Even smaller fish pecking at it can't break it up.
The variances in colour and consistency probably come from what it has eaten in the previous 24hrs or so.
I think the more greenery it has had the more powdery they are, and more of the olive green colour, and if it has had a lot of protein as in prawns or worms, then it seems to be more solid and brown in colour.
About 20". One thing about mine, now he is an adult, is that I don't feed him that often, maybe 3 or 4 times a week now. He tells me when he wants food by coming to the surface. If he's not hungry he'll not show any interest whatsoever.
But when he does get fed he gets a good assortment. I'm glad he doesn't eat everyday because his craps can be quite messy, especially the powdery ones.
Almost nothing is 100% carnivore or 100% herbivore; most fish (and other critters) are omnivores somewhere along the scale. My old Osphronemus would eat anything except small fish; he was perfectly safe with anything except others of his own species.
But I weighted his diet very heavily toward the vegetarian side. He got most of his protein from Trout Chow, which was a very popular item back then, re-packaged from bulk and sold by the local Big Al's. He got a small handful of those pellets per week, maybe an earthworm or a bug; the rest of his diet was greens...mostly duckweed and anacharis culled from my other tanks, but also any other species of plants that required some trimming. He was very fond of quick-rinsed Caulerpa algae culled from my marine tanks (stuff grew like wildfire), and also got tons of dandelion leaves and flowers in season. I would also pick up wilted lettuce, spinach, etc. at the grocery store for next to nothing for him. He was a garbage disposal.
Big greenish turds, usually eaten by the Pacu before they hit the bottom.
The Osphronemus was about 18-20 inches by the time I moved him on.
But I weighted his diet very heavily toward the vegetarian side. He got most of his protein from Trout Chow, which was a very popular item back then, re-packaged from bulk and sold by the local Big Al's. He got a small handful of those pellets per week, maybe an earthworm or a bug; the rest of his diet was greens...mostly duckweed and anacharis culled from my other tanks, but also any other species of plants that required some trimming. He was very fond of quick-rinsed Caulerpa algae culled from my marine tanks (stuff grew like wildfire), and also got tons of dandelion leaves and flowers in season. I would also pick up wilted lettuce, spinach, etc. at the grocery store for next to nothing for him. He was a garbage disposal.
Big greenish turds, usually eaten by the Pacu before they hit the bottom.
The Osphronemus was about 18-20 inches by the time I moved him on.
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I’m still under the impression that this genus needs a primarily herbivorous diet. My two get around 75% greens and 25% protein. I feel high protein diet, especially with size can lead to malformities and extremely fast growth, potentially causing fatty liver among other things.
Overall these fish are just garbage disposals as others have said.
Overall these fish are just garbage disposals as others have said.
Looking at the mouth, teeth, jaw structure, and even body shape of any fish will tell you a lot about required diet.
And it may change as the fish ages. Note the structure of a young O goramy's mouth, pointed, able to access insect larvae and crustaceans in the substrate, and between rocks, so more proteins may be required. when young..but....the shape changes as it grows, gets more upturned for accessing fallen fruit, leaves, surface dwelling aquatic plants, etc.
Most fish (even primarily vegetarians don't pass up easily accasable protein, but have longer digestive tracts that get the most out of vegetation, and may be irritated by too much protein.
Above an Xray of the primarily vegan Cincelichthys pearsei.
compare the dental structure of a carnivore above, with the vegetarian, Cincelichthys bocourti below
And compare the flat platelike bodies of those that tend toward vegetarian, to the streamlined carnivores.
The only veg I tended to avoid for my goramy's and other primarily plant eaters, was broccoli, because it made my fish room smell like a beer and sauer kraut fart fest.
And it may change as the fish ages. Note the structure of a young O goramy's mouth, pointed, able to access insect larvae and crustaceans in the substrate, and between rocks, so more proteins may be required. when young..but....the shape changes as it grows, gets more upturned for accessing fallen fruit, leaves, surface dwelling aquatic plants, etc.
Most fish (even primarily vegetarians don't pass up easily accasable protein, but have longer digestive tracts that get the most out of vegetation, and may be irritated by too much protein.
Above an Xray of the primarily vegan Cincelichthys pearsei.
compare the dental structure of a carnivore above, with the vegetarian, Cincelichthys bocourti below
And compare the flat platelike bodies of those that tend toward vegetarian, to the streamlined carnivores.
The only veg I tended to avoid for my goramy's and other primarily plant eaters, was broccoli, because it made my fish room smell like a beer and sauer kraut fart fest.
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