torres
Aquarium Advice Freak
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does it work?
Gourami + Betta
- Thread starter torres
- Start date
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Maxkolbe
Aquarium Advice FINatic
From what I've heard it usually doesn't.
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torres
Aquarium Advice Freak
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too bad. thanks
Sharkbait54
Aquarium Advice Addict
torres said:
Depends on either fish I've seen it done and I've seem it go wrong.
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torres
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i would like to try, but the lfs would not take it back if doesnt work....
absolutangel04
Daphnia are People Too.
If you don't have a back-up plan for the fish, I suggest avoiding this combo. As stated, it often does not work. I know in some circumstances it has worked out ok, but as far as I can tell it seems to go awry more often than not. Since you don't have a good way to re-home a fish if there is a problem, I would say in this instance that it's better to be safe than sorry.
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torres
Aquarium Advice Freak
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ill keep the way it is
thanks
thanks
Kalimist
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I have 2 gouramis, a pearl & a golden plus other fish in a tank with a Betta. Has not been an issue, Betta sticks to himself but the pearl picks on the golden gourami a bit. The Betta chases the golden gourami occasionally but not to the point of it being an issue.
I think it comes down to the personality of the individual fish, but in saying that I am no expert.
I will continue to monitor them and see if there are any changes.
I think it comes down to the personality of the individual fish, but in saying that I am no expert.
I will continue to monitor them and see if there are any changes.
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torres
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hmm, i've 1 dwarf and 1 honey in a 15 gallon, they were in a 47 one, but i had to move them cuz i got a golden.
The dwarf chase him abit but nothing to worry either.
I was just thinking to get a betta but ill pass this idea.
Bettaluv
Aquarium Advice Regular
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I suppose it COULD work, but most likely it wont. With your tank size, they will most likely fight, to the death. I have never seen bettas and gouramis get along, and most likely I never will because it just isn't a smart choice. Even if they seem fine in the beginning, you might wake up one morning to bloody water and a dead fish(s).
If you are looking to spice up a betta tank, you can add snails, but that's all I would attempt adding, and make sure that you have a backup tank if the snails and your betta don't get along. Bettas are known as Siamese Fighting Fish for a reason!
But if you already bought a gourami, then I suppose you could try it, but monitor the pair CLOSELY for about 12 hours before assuming they are ok with each other. That night I would also set an alarm to wake you up every 30 minutes or so, that way you can break up any fishy fights (if necessary) before you end up with a tank of dead fish.
Hope this helps, and best of luck!
-Bettaluv
If you are looking to spice up a betta tank, you can add snails, but that's all I would attempt adding, and make sure that you have a backup tank if the snails and your betta don't get along. Bettas are known as Siamese Fighting Fish for a reason!
But if you already bought a gourami, then I suppose you could try it, but monitor the pair CLOSELY for about 12 hours before assuming they are ok with each other. That night I would also set an alarm to wake you up every 30 minutes or so, that way you can break up any fishy fights (if necessary) before you end up with a tank of dead fish.
Hope this helps, and best of luck!
-Bettaluv
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torres
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Thanks for the answer guys.
Ill just keep my gourami's, they are cute too
Ill just keep my gourami's, they are cute too
Bettaluv
Aquarium Advice Regular
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Good choice!
I bet they are!
I bet they are!
As stated, gourami and betta don't generally work out. I found that out the hard way. My betta however is in a community tank with pristella tetras, neons and shrimp no problem.
With betta, you typically run into issues if the fish looks similar (like guppies with their long colorful fins, they will most likely think the guppy is a betta and will kill it) or if they share the same tank space (betta and gourami are labyrinth fish, they both need the surface space to breath and breed)
Don't be shy about keeping things with a betta if they tank size is large enough, just make sure you build the rest of the stock around the betta's needs.
I use this rule for my gourami too. They can be quite aggressive so stocking has to be done delicately. I don't put more than one gourami in a tank, even though others haven't had issues, I find that they will pick in each other. Even if none die, its still a stressful environment for the smaller or weaker ones.
With betta, you typically run into issues if the fish looks similar (like guppies with their long colorful fins, they will most likely think the guppy is a betta and will kill it) or if they share the same tank space (betta and gourami are labyrinth fish, they both need the surface space to breath and breed)
Don't be shy about keeping things with a betta if they tank size is large enough, just make sure you build the rest of the stock around the betta's needs.
I use this rule for my gourami too. They can be quite aggressive so stocking has to be done delicately. I don't put more than one gourami in a tank, even though others haven't had issues, I find that they will pick in each other. Even if none die, its still a stressful environment for the smaller or weaker ones.
Chiroptera
Aquarium Advice Freak
Maybe a dwarf gourami.. but the two species are closely related, so they have issues a lot.
Chiroptera
Aquarium Advice Freak
Eh, I was thinking size-wise.. a normal just seems huge. So I guess bottom line is no, then. As I said, they're all closely related and don't get along. I keep my bettas in bowls well away from my community tanks, but if someone wants to try, they could hit the jackpot. It all just depends.
Kalimist
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Something else to consider is whether the Betta is male or female, I've seen females in community tanks with other female Bettas and various other fish and there have been no problems.
In my community tank the male Pearl Gourami is the dominant fish, the male Betta would probably rank second, these two fish get on fine, sometimes the Pearl moves him along for the sake of being dominant but that has never turned into anything sinister, the Betta never flares at him, pretty much just turns around and continues on with his laps of the tank, he is a very active Betta, very seldom does he stop swimming from one end to the other, my theory is that he never allows himself to get bored, so maybe if they keep active there is less chance of conflict, he likes to watch what is happening outside of the tank also, he's a very friendly fish as far as fish are concerned.
In my community tank the male Pearl Gourami is the dominant fish, the male Betta would probably rank second, these two fish get on fine, sometimes the Pearl moves him along for the sake of being dominant but that has never turned into anything sinister, the Betta never flares at him, pretty much just turns around and continues on with his laps of the tank, he is a very active Betta, very seldom does he stop swimming from one end to the other, my theory is that he never allows himself to get bored, so maybe if they keep active there is less chance of conflict, he likes to watch what is happening outside of the tank also, he's a very friendly fish as far as fish are concerned.
bettaowner
Aquarium Advice Addict
Bettas and gouramis are related and like two other related fish, they will not get along.
Billbug68
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have a dwarf gourami with my female betta in a 10g, no problems at all, from everyone else's posts it seems rare but it worked out for me. I think the majority of people are speaking from research that they have done rather than experience. She did flare at him for a few hours when I first introduced him, and followed him around, but after that they were fine. She just doesn't like any new comers to her tank but once she gets used to them, she's fine. She was more aggressive to my otos when I put them in than the DG. Maybe introducing them at the same time would help but that's my assumption, and lots of hiding places, plants, etc to break up any issues.
