Which is worse?

[Luna09]

Here's the scoop,

I bought 2 dwarf gourami for my 23 gallon tank. They are still juvenile and aren't showing much aggression. Also in the tank are 4 pristella tetra, 1 betta splenden and an angel about the size of a tooney.

I have NO CONCERNS about the betta whatsoever, I've always kept one in a community tank with no issues.

What I AM concerned about is how well the two gourami will get along. My LFS said I won't have a problem and I've kept a blue and pearl in with guppies with no issues but some people on the forum are concerned about me keeping the two gourami together.

So my question is, should I keep them in the same tank or should I remove one to my ten gallon? Yes 10 gallons is awfully small for a gourami but weighing pros and cons, which scenario is worse?

 

[Mikalicious209]

Honestly, I think most of your trouble will come from the betta/gourami being in the same tank. I realize every fish is different, but male bettas dint tend to do well with gouramis. They will most likely fight, especially in a 10g. I would rethink that idea

 

[Mikalicious209]

If u want my opinion on what u should do tho, I would keep the betts in the 10, and gouramis in the 20 a it will give them more of a chance to claim individual territories.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

It all depends on whether your betta sees the gourami as another betta and whether your gouramis can coexist with each other. Time will tell. At least you have a ten gal. on standby.

 

[HN1]

DGs don't tend to get along well. The difference between keeping two DGs together and keeping a blue and a pearl together are that they are the same species (regardless of color variant) and both 99% sure to be male (females aren't sold often because they aren't as colorful). The betta / gourami mix would be a concern for me as well. Try it, but have a plan b (another tank, rehome, etc) ready to go.

 

[Luna09]

I'm afraid of moving the betta into the 10 gallon. Everyone is getting on fine in the 23 g right now but my 10 is a lot less space and a betta in a 10 gal community? Can that actually be done?

 

[Morgie]

A 10g is an OK size for a dwarf gourami.
I actually kept a male/female pair in a 10 gallon and it worked fine. I wouldn't recommend it though, haha.
I would personally separate them now before they start to get territorial. A 20 gallon really isn't enough territory for two males. If it was a male/female pair you would probably be fine, but like HN1 said, you probably have two males.

 

[Carlitouus]

Hey!!!!!!!

Is your betta a male? If yes you shouldn't have probelms!!!

I'm assuming you have two male dwarf gouramis as it is very hard to find a female (most stores only sell the males ). It'll be a bachelor party I have kept them in the same tank and never had a problem.

Now do you have any females trying to pair off? Because if that is the case be careful although I don't think you will have problems bud.
I have honestly kept 2 gouramis, and then added another two as I couldn't resist not having those beautiful blue powder dwarf gouramis ... both times they were totally fine my friend!
Good luck!

 

[Luna09]

Ok, so I think I have formulated a plan
IF I see aggression I will move the betta firstly and observe both the 10 and 23 gals closely.

My question is, if the betta is gone, would it be smart to get more gourami to even out agression, as I would do with a cichlid tank or is it smartest to leave it at that.

I'm planning on going to the LFS around noon to buy another piece of driftwood and more plants. Would giving more view breaks and hiding places be good? If there is a bunch of territory I'm hoping I can avoid issues. I know it really depends on the fish, like people some of us are simply nicer than others lol

 

[Luna09]

Hey!!!!!!!

Is your betta a male? If yes you shouldn't have probelms!!!

Ok, so I am slightly confused about this statement. Could you please elaborate?

 

[Carlitouus]

Sorry, is it a male betta that you have in there? Because when I had a male betta in the tank I did not have a problem mixing him with Dwarf gouramis... First started with 1 betta and two dwarf gouramis, then went with two more dwarfs and I was still okay. It worked for me, I guess I was lucky as my dwarfs were not aggressive at all... they jsut begged me for food every time I entered my bedroom. 2 or 4 never made a difference in my tank, and my betta never bothered my dwarfs, same with the dwarfs. I did get problems with the kissing Gouramis though but that's another story

 

[Luna09]

Thank you very much, I feel like you are the first person who hasn't had an issue with my adorable little boy lol

 

[aaronjohn20]

I have a male betta in my 46 gallon bowfront community. No problems from him what-so-ever. Even have him in there with angels, moons, guppy! Just watch them

 

[smomus]

I have betta I used to keep in a community tank. Had some tetras, Mollies, rainbow shark and even an angelfish in with him. There was no big aggression issues, from the betta or anyone. Later I put him in a divided 10g with another betta. One day when I was cleaning they ended up together. Reminded me of 2 dogs circling each other and smelling butts. After a few minutes of this they swam to opposite ends of the tank. After having the betta on his own for awhile, I realized that while in the community he was getting severely fin nipped. They are getting so long and pretty now!
Anyway, my point is to watch the fin nipping. My bettas personality has really shined since moving him to his own little world (except for 2 dwarf frogs). They are ok in communities, but thrive alone, IMO.

 

[Luna09]

I have betta I used to keep in a community tank. Had some tetras, Mollies, rainbow shark and even an angelfish in with him. There was no big aggression issues, from the betta or anyone. Later I put him in a divided 10g with another betta. One day when I was cleaning they ended up together. Reminded me of 2 dogs circling each other and smelling butts. After a few minutes of this they swam to opposite ends of the tank. After having the betta on his own for awhile, I realized that while in the community he was getting severely fin nipped. They are getting so long and pretty now!
Anyway, my point is to watch the fin nipping. My bettas personality has really shined since moving him to his own little world (except for 2 dwarf frogs). They are ok in communities, but thrive alone, IMO.

Thank you that is a very good point I failed to think of.

 

[Luna09]

Ok, so I talked to my LFS and they were willing to take one of my dwarf gourami in exchange for a couple things I wanted for my other tank. I am hoping with only 1 in I will run into less problems in the long run.

I am going to keep a close watch on everything else and deal with any future problems as they arise.

Are there any other things I should watch for? I understand with the betta but he is good for now and the angel is only in this tank while she is small.

 

[Luananeko]

Honestly, the betta getting along with the gourami is entirely dependent on the betta's personality. You know your betta better than we do. Does he tend to get aggressive with any new additions? If so, does he usually calm down and leave them alone once he's made it clear he's top fish? If it's a no to both of those, it likely won't work out no matter what you do. On the other hand if the answer is yes to the first question, you could have a mellow guy like my last betta. The only time I ever saw him flare was when he saw his reflection. Even when my male guppies came crashing into his face, he never showed any signs of aggression.

I've seen bettas at both end of the spectrum. As long as your betta is somewhere in the super mellow to semi-aggressive range (as in he might flare at new arrivals, but calms down once he's made his point clear) then you can usually work with them to get everyone to get on with each other.

The fin-nipping is the only thing to watch out for at that point. Shorter finned bettas are usually fine since they're agile enough to protect themselves, but longer finned ones may have problems if the gourami decides he doesn't like the betta.

 

[Luna09]

The only time I have ever seen him flare was when I left a female in a cup beside the tank when I was cleaning her quarters. He definitely got excited lol.
I'm not really sure what his deal is, he doesn't seem to take any notice of anything except occasionally he picks at the snail. I added 3 new pristellas and he didn't even investigate let alone flare.

I personally think he is super mellow, he is still quite young though so things may change. As of right now things are positive.

Thank you for your post, I quite enjoyed reading it and it definitely affirmed my belief that he will do well in this tank