Aggressive Pearl, Bloated Betta

[Bri_907]

Hey everyone!
I'm having an issue with my 29 gallon tank. Two things that have really came out of left field and hit hard. I have 1 Female Pearl Gourami who was so sweet and didn't aggravate any other fish. Now she is constantly chasing my Honey Gourami around and darting towards my guppies and corys. Does anyone know why she might've turned? I've kept other kinds of Gourami, but Pearls are new to me. Second thing, I think that my Betta has Bloat/SBD that is developing into Dropsy. He is the only one that my Pearl Gourami won't harass too much. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the stress level of the tank...? I'm setting up a hospital tank for my Betta, and a separate 10 gallon for my Honey Gourami. Is there anything else I can really do? She is a really beautiful gourami, and I'd rather keep her, but if she's putting the tank at risk, I will rehome her... Thank you in advance!

 

[Abaddon]

You shouldn't keep bettas and gouramis (or any other labirynth fish) together. Most species can get pretty aggressive towards each other. It would be best to separate them, if you can - put the honey gourami in the 10 gallon (unless you have more than one, in which case you'll need a bigger tank) and move the betta to a hospital tank (heated and filtered, of course + some plant cover) - if he's ill he'll benefit from the peace and quiet. Can't diagnose him without pictures (top and side view) and some more info like tank parametres, water change schedule etc.

 

[jinjerJOSH22]

Hi, it could be a response to be being kept without other Pearl Gourami. Pearls like most Gourami are quite social fish, often when you keep social fish on their own they act more aggressively or can become quite reclusive. Same goes for the Honey, they are better off in a group.