Gold Gourami Eats Poo?

[Just_Another_One]

I added my Golden Gourami about a week ago and ive noticed he seems to be eating the strings of poop thats sometimes is floating around. The other fish usually eat it then spit it out right away but he DOES NOT spit it out. Ive watched very closley a few times and he doesnt spit anythin out... is this alright for him to be eating... anyone else noticed this....

 

[smegforbrains]

It's possible that the fish who excreted it didn't digest the food properly and he can tell that there is still food within the poo.


Not sure if it will cause him any harm.

Is he eating what you put in the tank? If not, it may be that he simply doesn't like what you are feeding.


What do you feed with at the moment?

 

[Just_Another_One]

It's possible that the fish who excreted it didn't digest the food properly and he can tell that there is still food within the poo.


Not sure if it will cause him any harm.

Is he eating what you put in the tank? If not, it may be that he simply doesn't like what you are feeding.


What do you feed with at the moment?

He didnt eat for the first couple days but now that hes settled in hes been eating fine and i think he really loves the food. I just think its very weird that he would want to eat the poop... I mainly feed the tank hikari micro wafers and hikari micro pellets. the food is all mixed in one bag so i just put a couple pinches in there and they go wild on the two diff kinds. Hopefully thats alright. I also feed a cube of frozen bloodworms once every week or 2 as well as pleco food which is mainly veggies that everyone has a taste of as well.

 

[Syphoniera]

I don't know if this applies to fish, (although I suppose it would be logical,) but I have heard that dogs sometimes eat poop because they're short on enzymes present, or because of various other deficiencies. ???

 

[Corleone]

Fish will try anything that will fit in their mouths. If it tastes enough like food (and there usually is some nutrition left after a trip through the gut), they'll eat it. Most of the time, I see fish spitting it back out, but not all the time. If you have any cyprinids, they don't have a stomach and at least some I know don't digest protein rich foods that well, so after they eat something like bloodworm, there might be enough left over for other fish to get use out of.

 

[LUVMYGUPPIES]

SAME HERE!

Omg my gourami chases after the molly and after she poops and it drifts through the water, the gourami will eat it! Like, EW!

I want him to stop chasing the molly! He only does it for the poop! How do I end this!?

 

[slimeneo]

Well you can't really stop your fish from doing it teheh, my gold barbs always chase my platies when they are pooping too. I find it kind of amusing, I mean it's not bad for them.