replacement

[rsz]

well, my male blue dwarf gourami has just died and i want a replacement. i still have the female in the tank, but she never liked the male, and used to chase him away and nip at him. so i was wondering, should i try another male gourami in there, because they are really pretty and friendly and everything, or could i put a male betta in there? its a 20gal tank. also, is there a chance that the betta will think the female gourami is another betta?

 

[aernympha]

personally i would try with a gourami again!!! don't want that feamel to be lonly and i think bettas aren't very riendly with gouramis

 

[fish_r_great]

MIKE777 has had luck with a betta in his community tank that and it has a gourani in it

 

[mike777]

Yes, I have had luck, and the gourami is blue just like the betta (I also have an orange one) but I would say sure but make sure to have an alternative tank just in case. (like maybe a betta hex) There is just very light chasing going on and thats it HTH

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rsz

I'm so sorry to learn that your gourami died.

But before you replace him with either another gourami or a betta, there is something you might want to think about. That is: are you absolutely certain that it was male and the one that you have is female?

There are a couple of reasons why I am asking this. First, I have never seen a female blue dwarf gourami. Where I live they just do not sell them. (If I ever do, I'll buy it faster than you could blink your eye!!!! ) According to the man at my lfs, they would get them in stock if they could, but they cannot find them. They do not seem to be on the market here. The same goes for all the other fancy variations on the dwarf gourami. The excuse they are given is that the female is so plain and ugly that nobody would want one. (Yeah, sure! )

The second reason is because it is unusual for a female gourami to be aggressive toward a male gourami. It's very unusual!

Do you have a picture of them?

It really sounds to me like you have an aggressive male rather than a female and if that is the case, your best bet might just be to leave him alone. He will just fight with another gourami and since a betta will occupy the top of the tank, which he has claimed as his own, he will fight with it, too. Even if it is a female, if it is aggressive, it's best to keep it alone.

 

[freshwatergal]

I have successfully kept betta's and gourami's together. As a matter of fact, not only me, but everyone else in my family as well. If you do add a betta and they seem to be "fighting" over territory, what you can do is rearrange some of the decorations in the tank, maybe move some plants around, and then they would essentially reclaim their territory. (Am I right in assuming this?) Good luck with it!

HTH

Tiff

 

[Inchworm]

... If you do add a betta and they seem to be "fighting" over territory, what you can do is rearrange some of the decorations in the tank, maybe move some plants around, and then they would essentially reclaim their territory. (Am I right in assuming this?) Good luck with it!

Yes, freshwatergal

That is a technique that can be used with gouramis and would probably be worth a try with a betta and a gourami. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[rsz]

inchworm,

yes, i am sure that the female is indeed a female. she is a silvery colour, while the male ( ) was a bright bllue. i've posted pics for you here.

The excuse they are given is that the female is so plain and ugly that nobody would want one. (Yeah, sure! )

oh yes, and the females aren't plain and ugly - they're gorgeous!! (ha ha - i've got one and you haven't )