GOURAMI'S AND BETTA'S

[SHANTYMAID]

I was wondering do Gourami's and Betta's mix well i think iread somewhere that they do not is this correct?. If by any chance they will be ok together then what Gourami's are we talking about here Pearls ? Moonlight? i say those in particuler because they supposed to be the more peaceful of the species . Any input to this thread would be welcome

 

[mandi]

Bettas and gouramies aren't typically a good combination.

This thread -- http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=65356&hl=betta -- might give you some insight.

 

[Raechal]

I put a male betta and a paradise gouarmi together in a 10 gallon before and the result wasn't pretty. It was my first tank and the guy at the LPS said they would do perfectly fine together. A couple days later I had a paradise fish with no tail at all. Poor thing was chewed to bits! He just kind of floated across the water. I didn't know what to do so I just waited until he died. He died about an hour after I noticed his tail was completely gone.

I wouldn't risk putting a male betta in with any gourami IMO.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi SHANTYMAID

From everything I have heard, bettas and gouramis do not mix well. Both fish are territorial and unfortunately want to control the same area of the tank.

However, it seems like there is a lot of variation in the personalities of the individual fish. There are some timid gouramis who will hide rather than fight, and others who are actually aggressive to other species in the tank. The problem is in knowing what you might be getting when you buy a young fish at the lfs. If you have selected a dominant one, once you remove it from the group situation and put it in a tank where it can mature and claim it's own territory, it will defend it with a vengeance.

While bettas are known as fighting fish, they are hindered by all those flowing fins and tails and as a result are nowhere near as fast as the sleeker, and much larger gourami.

 

[Pompeydave]

What you need to do is look at which genus the gourami you're interested in comes from. Anything from the Colisa genus (from India/Burma/Sri Lanka in the wild) will be very timid apart from when the male is defending a bubble nest that has eggs and/or fry in it. Anything from the Trichogaster genus (generally from south east asia in the wild) will tend to be a bit more aggressive in certain situations. Both Pearls and Moonlights are indeed reasonably peaceful. You will probably be ok with any Trichogaster Gourami, just avoid Betta's and use a bit of common sense, e.g. put fish of a similar size in together.

 

[Aulonochromis]

I put a betta in with a dwarf gourami, and as soon as I put the betta in the tank he was after the gourami, trying to kill him. The poor gourami was so scared, I took the betta out immediately.

 

[SHANTYMAID]

Thanks for all the input folks and i have decided that i will not be putting a Betta in my tank. I have achieved a balance in my tank and i dont wont to upset that, the health and happiness of my fish are of the up most inportance to me so i think i will be leaving well alone.
I would dearly love to own a Betta though so i think i will be investing in another tank. I dont care for them in bowls so a 2g tank i hope would surfice ,if anybody doesent think it will please get back to me as all advice is most welcome Shanna

 

[tekknocolor]

I have a three spot in with my female bettas and no harm has come to them. They actually stay well away from each other. Though the ladies don't like being "felt" up.

 

[sylvia]

It's simply not worth the risk.

 

[fishys]

NEVER iv had very bad experieces with them it was sad when tigris went to the big aquarem in the sky (tigris yes as in the river, was my paridce fishi looked in one day when i put my betta in ther w/him no fins and some scales wher missing he used to eat out of my hand)

 

[phishluvr]

My gourmais (pearls, goldens, and spotted blue) got along fine with our betta. One of my lfs has bettas only in large tanks with other fish (he refuses to keep them in cups). Perhaps you could find one already in a tank. They would already be adjusted and the gourmais are most likely going to leave him alone.

If you do go for it, watch the tank carefully the first day to make sure if the betta is chasing, he's not attacking. After the first day, my betta no longer chased the gourmais and all was peaceful.

 

[SHANTYMAID]

Thanks for all the advice people but i think i will wait until i have another tank, dont wont to risk any of my other fish besides its a peaceful tank and dont wont to upset the balance.
Sorry to read about your fish Fishys, very sad when you lose one

 

[Ferris]

Funnily enough, I've never had a problem with Betta's and large Gouramis. However Dwarf G's and Bettas is a definate no-no, they really dislike each other.