Betta and Sparkling Gourami compatibility?

Carla G

AC Members
Nov 17, 2007
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NSW Australia
I put my betta in the 50 gallon tank because I needed his 8 gallon tank to isolate someone. He is putting on such a show I am considering letting him keep the tank and putting in small schooling fish with him. I am considering sparkling gouramis and spotted blue eyes.

http://www.aquagreen.com.au/plant_data/Pseudomugil_gertrudae.html

Would a betta see these as competition? They have pretty showy fins and are very small fish. I don't want any fights.
 
I found those before...They are beautiful. I was thinking about keeping a pair with my bettas and decided against it thinking they might fight. All the tanks here have bettas in them so nowhere for them to go if they fought. Well except my breeding tank and I don't want that setup permanently.

If you get some, can you post here if they are getting along with your bettas?.
I suppose your bigger tank would help if there were issues.
 
Well, IME it depends on the betta. Some bettas are ok with some fish, but others just need their own place. I have had luck with small, placid schooling fish like neons and rasboras (het & espei). I would think that anything with longer fins is added incentive for a betta to be belligerent. It's always good to have a "Plan B" with bettas.
 
Gouramis and bettas do not typically get along. Male bettas and fish that resemble them, such as gouramis, guppies... arent the best to mix. As well as the gourami and betta are both labrynth fish, so theyll have to share the surface.
 
I have never been able to keep any of my Bettas with anything other than themselves. I guess I always just end up with the Bettas with nasty 'tudes.

I had a betta in a community tank before and he got along with everyone including a pair of dwarf gourami's and a pair of pearl gourami's. But I was probably lucky.

The one I have now is new but he seems pretty cool. He's in the tank with a female platy. He shows some mild curiousity about her from time to time but not aggressive. I had to give his quarantine tank to the male platy who had harrassed one female platy to DEATH and was terrorizing the other one so she wouldn't come out of hiding. Peaceful platies. So much for that generalization.
 
i would not risk putting sparkling gouramis in the tank with him. if something were to happen, the sparkling gouramis would just not stand a chance.

I agree not to put them together, but it's the betta that wouldn't stand a chance IMO. Bettas are slow and inbred they don't stand a chance against the speed and hostility of the sparkling gourami. Maybe we should hold this event on Pay Per View. :rofl:
 
I agree not to put them together, but it's the betta that wouldn't stand a chance IMO. Bettas are slow and inbred they don't stand a chance against the speed and hostility of the sparkling gourami. Maybe we should hold this event on Pay Per View. :rofl:
Oh dear. Sounds like a potential problem here. Where's our sparkling gourami expert? Lupin?
 
I'd be reluctant to mix gouramis and any betta, but I bet he'd look pretty with a school of r. heteromorphas. :thm:
 
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