Betta Compatibility

[sforzauk]

Hi, I was just wondering about how compatible bettas are with other fish; I have a 58 litre long tank with 2 opaline gouramis and 1 red tail black shark. I was just wondering, if I were to get another fish, if the betta would be ok or not. My tank has live plants, including floating ones and mopani wood to provide a hiding place. Thanks for any replies

 

[catxx]

it's never recommended to keep bettas with gouramis. they come from the same family of fish, and are very territorial, occupying the same area of the tank. the betta's usually get mauled by the gouramis.

 

[Sp00ky]

it's never recommended to keep bettas with gouramis. they come from the same family of fish, and are very territorial, occupying the same area of the tank. the betta's usually get mauled by the gouramis.

i can vouch for that. the first betta i bought i SPECIFIALLY asked if it would be ok in with my Gourami's. The bloke said yes.... he lasted an hour !

 

[sforzauk]

it's never recommended to keep bettas with gouramis. they come from the same family of fish, and are very territorial, occupying the same area of the tank. the betta's usually get mauled by the gouramis.

i can vouch for that. the first betta i bought i SPECIFIALLY asked if it would be ok in with my Gourami's. The bloke said yes.... he lasted an hour !

Ooh, not so good then. Thanks though. Does it help if the gouramis are female(and the betta would be male) or is that irrelevant? The person at the store told me that they were fine with gouramis too- I was worried about the shark.

 

[sforzauk]

One of my gouramis is quite small and the bigger one chases her sometimes- do you reckon she would be the same with the betta or more violent?

 

[starrynightxxi]

hmm... i don't know much about sharks, but if your "red tail shark" is a "red tail black shark" (rtbs) they get big and can be mean. especially in a 15g tank. you're going to have to rehome him, probably. I suggest you check in the Cyprinids, Characins and Atherinids forum, they'll have more info.

this site recommends a 40 gallon minimum for rtbs


as for the gourami and the betta, some people have made it work, most have not. unless you have a LOT of experience with difficult fish, I wouldn't recommend trying it.

[edit] i don't know much at all about female gouramis, but it's likely that she would be at least AS aggressive with a betta once she found it. She's obviously a very dominant animal. Of course it always comes down to a particular fish's personality, but i wouldn't suggest that you attempt it unless you are prepared for WWIII in your tank