This paper aims to compute solitary wave solutions and soliton wave solutions based on the ansatz methods to the perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) arising in nano-fibers. The improved [Formula: see text]-expansion method and the rational extended sinh–Gordon equation expansion method are used for the first time to obtain the new optical solitons of this equation. The obtained results give an accuracy interpretation of the propagation of solitons. We held a comparison between our results and those are in the previous work. The outcome indicates that perturbed NLSE arising nano-fibers is used in optical problems. Finally, via symbolic computation, their dynamic structure and physical properties were vividly shown by three-dimensional, density, and [Formula: see text]-curves plots. These solutions have greatly enriched the exact solutions of (2+1)-dimensional perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the existing literatures.