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Betta Gourami Cohabitation

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  • Betta Gourami Cohabitation

    Before I say anything else they are both female and it is a heavily planted 20 gallon community tank.

    We were looking to restock a ten gallon after the passing of one of our betta. We were looking for one that could get along with other fish. The store had put 2 purple betta in the rasbora tank and they were all just getting along. It is very rare to find a pair of betta that get along but it can happen more so if they were raised together and are family which we assumed they were since their coloration was near identical. We took them home with 8 rasbora.

    They got along great for a few weeks. They liked to be close, they would school together, cuddle, they would get up in each others faces they way cats do, it was the sweetest thing. Three weeks later Vala starts viciously attacking her sister. I hear females can be unpredictable like that. We removed Ayren and put her in the 20 gallon in a breeders net.

    The female dwarf gourami we have is not very aggressive. The first time she interacted with other fish was with a small group of cherry barbs which she was terrified of for the first week. We moved her to the 20 gallon switching her and the male whom was stealing all of the cory catfish food. She shares. She does not like the other fish being in her way and will pop them with her mouth to get them to move, not really a bite.

    The first thing the female dwarf gourami did when she saw the betta out of the net was to examine her with her feelers. She did the same thing when she met the male gourami so perhaps she thinks the betta is a male licorice gourami? The betta backed up slowly and swam away. This was five days ago. They betta is doing better now but she still stress strips when she sees the gourami. If the gourami comes too close the betta gets a look of anguish, slowly backs up and leaves. Its weird, even though the betta is scared she will check out the gourami when she is turned the other way. When the betta fish is not at the top she will normally have full colors. They are hanging out more at the top together, the betta is still stressed with a little color but does not swim away unless the gorami gets too close.

    Is there any chance these fish can get along with each other, or will I need to find the betta a new home?<br>

    Other tank mates:
    7 Black neon tetra
    5 False Julii Cory Cats
    various snails and shrimp

    Aryen the betta and Chiana the dwarf gourami:
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Usually anabantoids are tough to mix in tanks. Dwarfs and female bettas being two of the toughest. Some of the licorice, wild type bettas, and sparkling gouramis are the easiest but these are also the ones with the toughest water parameters (really soft water requirements). I'd say give it a little while longer and see how they do together, but I imagine it will be tough for them both to behave in the same tank.
    In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
    Desiderius Erasmus
    GHAC President

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    • #3
      I have a flame dwarf gourami and a red Betta in heavy planted 90 gallon and Betta is always trying to pick a fight with gourami but betta's fins slow him down so he never can get flame dwarf gourami. Flame has learned how to maneuver between the plants and ovoid Betta. So he still gets to go where ever he wants.

      I also have a powder blue dwarf gourami and a honey gourami in a heavy planted 20 long and they live fine together now, but in the beginning there was some tension so honey would disappear in the anubias plants for awhile.

      I think the bigger the tank and heavy planted tank is the best way to go with these two guys.


      ~ I love my fish

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