mixed betta and dwarf gourami sorrority?
- Thread starter Finster
- Start date
I've read many times that bettas and gourami can be a bad mix, but I haven't experienced it. My planted community 55g contains a large female pearl gourami, a nasty little male dwarf flame gourami and 4 female bettas. Never any issues between the group, but there's an eclectic mix of others in there too.
In general terms, Kyle is correct. Mixing anabantid species is usually a risk, depending upon species, and especially with Betta. Now, please don't jump on me for saying this, because it is merely common fact that you can ascertain from any reliable source.
Not everyone has multiple tanks into which they can move a problem fish, so when this sort of question is asked my initial response is always to provide the "norm" for the species. Fish are sometimes individual, as can be any animal, and this or that fish may not necessarily follow the "norm" for the species. The fact that you can walk up to a certain bear in the forest and have it walk away and ignore you does not mean you can let down your guard for bears in the forest. I run six or seven tanks in my fishroom, and over my 25 years in this hobby I have had problem fish that had to be moved, once or twice even given away or destroyed.
It is always safest to assume the norm for a fish, and ensure you can deal with the situation if it arises; if you can't, then please do not tempt fate. It is not fair to the fish if one or more of them decide to behave normally and become bullies, or worse.
Byron.
Not everyone has multiple tanks into which they can move a problem fish, so when this sort of question is asked my initial response is always to provide the "norm" for the species. Fish are sometimes individual, as can be any animal, and this or that fish may not necessarily follow the "norm" for the species. The fact that you can walk up to a certain bear in the forest and have it walk away and ignore you does not mean you can let down your guard for bears in the forest. I run six or seven tanks in my fishroom, and over my 25 years in this hobby I have had problem fish that had to be moved, once or twice even given away or destroyed.
It is always safest to assume the norm for a fish, and ensure you can deal with the situation if it arises; if you can't, then please do not tempt fate. It is not fair to the fish if one or more of them decide to behave normally and become bullies, or worse.
Byron.
Thanks everyone. I just didn't know what the norm is in this situation. I thought that, maybe, since girls of each species can be housed together, that it might work with girls of both. I'll be sure to not try this unless I have another tank set up.
Thanks again.
Joe
Thanks again.
Joe
As Byron said, I wouldn't purposely setup a tank with mixed anabantid, but in the event you have to try something, it's worth a try IMO. In my case, the betta sorority was all I had anabantid wise in my community 55. I had to rehome the pearl when her 29g home cracked and leaked and I set the contents w/ tetra and corys back up in a 20L. The male dwarf was brutal in my other tanks where he was the only gourami in there. I reluctantly tried him in the 55 as a last chance, and for what ever reason, he's peaceful in there. He kind of paired up with the female pearl who's 3x his size easy.
The bettas used to shove each other around a bit, but haven't shown aggression towards each other in a long time.
The bettas used to shove each other around a bit, but haven't shown aggression towards each other in a long time.
