# Can I mix a Betta and gourami in the same Aquarium if large enough?



## miogpsrocks (Sep 3, 2015)

Hello. 

Can you keep a Betta and gourami together if the Aquarium is large enough? 

I believe these 2 were listed as caution on the fish compatibility chart but I know I have seen youtube video of them fighting with each other however it was kind of a small tank. 

If you have a 75 gallon planted tank, could these 2 be housed in the same tank?

Thanks.


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## dasit88 (Mar 13, 2015)

Male bettas are aggressive fish, and they are kept by themselves for a reason.

I wouldn't risk putting a betta with anything, no matter the tank size.


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## DMAXNAZ (Sep 30, 2015)

I have two community tanks right now with a beta in each. No issues for this type of setup in over 4 years. Keep in mind each beta has their own personality though. I tried adding one to a 40G I had a few years ago and all he did was hide. I put him back in his 6G community and he was happy again. I've had them with crabs, shrimp, mollies, plecos, catfish and tetras with no issues. They say to keep them with short finned tank mates. I have one with a small school of Danios in my specV right now. He couldn't be happier. The one in my Edge is a little lazier. There are only corys with him though.


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## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

I wouldn't, they are related to each othet, and Gouramis can be more aggressive than you think. They would find each other and try to kill each other.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

I've had male bettas in community tanks several times and never had an issue. I haven't found them to be an aggressive species at all except with their own kind, and with fish that look like them. That being said, a betta actually is a gourami and I don't think I would try them together.


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

I really don't think its worth the gamble if you're adding a Gourami. You might get a rather mild Betta that will only go so far as to flare out his fins or you could end up with a murdering psychopath. I've kept a Betta in a community tank with no behavioral problems at all whatsoever but it is a roll of the dice. However, Bettas and Gouramis are related--they're both Anabantoids--so your chances of creating a successful community tank are decreased dramatically by throwing these two into the mix. Maybe a 75 gallon is big enough if you provide enough places to hide but there's no guarantee.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

You didn't state the type of gourami. Some are more aggressive than others.

B splendens isn't suited for a big community tank. They are slow feeders and starve most times.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I would not mix Anabantoids in the same tank. 
They are aggressive, territorial fish that will claim and defend their space. 
As noted above, some are more passive than others. In this situation the more aggressive fish will claim the whole tank, perhaps even the lower areas. 

I do not think a 75 gallon tank (surface area probably about 4' x 1.5') is big enough, even with territory markers such as tall plants, or branches that are at the top. To paraphrase an old concept:
"This tank ain't big enough for the both of them"


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## big b (Jun 3, 2015)

dasit88 said:


> Male bettas are aggressive fish, and they are kept by themselves for a reason.
> 
> I wouldn't risk putting a betta with anything, no matter the tank size.


That's sterotype. Some are aggressive and some are not. Some females are WAY more aggressive then males. I have had tetras with multiple bettas in a 10 gallon tank before.
I think that any 2 fishes can be put together as long as the tank is big enough and if it is planted. But the real question is how big would it have to be for them to be able to live together. If I put a betta and a gourami in a densely planted 10 foot tank then I could guarantee you that they could live together.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

The vast majority of male bettas are more aggressive than other fish, as B. splendens was first bred to fight and then bred for color. They quite simply cannot be kept with other male bettas or anything they will interpret as a potential threat, and gouramis are on that list. 
Also, most gouramis will attack bettas. 
Technically, yes, it's possible. But you'll need a massive, very heavily planted tank, and a 75g simply isn't going to work. Pick one fish or the other so you don't end up with battered or dead fish.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Betta splendens were specifically bred for aggression for several hundred germination-they were called Siamese fighting fish for a reason, though they're mostly bred as pets now the aggression is still there. While there are some exceptions they are not a good candidate to keep with other betta nor other Anabantoids. Before bringing up betta sorority as a counter argument, know that all of them either have to be dismantled by the owner (separate them) or end in disaster. They're very fragile and easily fall apart and end in death/extreme damage to the betta females... maybe not in the first weeks or months but they simply won't last peacefully for their(the betta splendens females) natural lifetimes... same thing for putting males and females together long term (not just to breed then separate), multiple males, or males with gouramis. Its just not a good idea.


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

If you want bettas (yes, plural) in a community tank, look into wild bettas. They tend to have reasonably specific requirements, but a community involving wild bettas is much more doable, as they tend to be much less territorial and aggressive. I currently have 3 B. albimarginata in a tank with a few other species of small fish such as pencils. No issues aside from some initial chasing as they got everything figured out.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Betta132 said:


> If you want bettas (yes, plural) in a community tank, look into wild bettas. They tend to have reasonably specific requirements, but a community involving wild bettas is much more doable, as they tend to be much less territorial and aggressive. I currently have 3 B. albimarginata in a tank with a few other species of small fish such as pencils. No issues aside from some initial chasing as they got everything figured out.


Hows feeding with a wild betta community tank? Do you feed in a few spots to make sure everyone gets foos or stock the tank with live food that doesn't die fast so everyone can forage through the plants/hardscape for food?


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## schnebbles (Jan 10, 2015)

I totally think it depends on the betta. I've had them in community tanks before but the one I have now will barely tolerate anyone/thing else. He flares at snails even. He was ok with my first cory but that one got stuck in the filter and i got another and he hated it, I should have taken it out because it didn't make it and I felt really bad for being stupid. I thought it was just shy


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

AquaAurora said:


> Hows feeding with a wild betta community tank? Do you feed in a few spots to make sure everyone gets foos or stock the tank with live food that doesn't die fast so everyone can forage through the plants/hardscape for food?


My albis aren't terribly fast, but they come zooping out of the plants when food shows up, and they tend to just hang around the edges of the frenzy. I feed a micro pellet food that sinks pretty fast, and I just disperse it over a small area of the surface so that the others can't hog it all. The albis are also willing to pick food off the sand, so they get the stuff that's invisible to everyone else. The smaller female albi never joins the actual feeding time, she just picks up scattered food and probably eats a lot of micro-bugs. 
If I had cories, the albis would probably have a harder time getting enough food, but my only bottom-feeders are a couple of amano shrimp.


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## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

Every betta I've ever owned (upwards of 20) has been in a community setting of some sort. I've never kept a betta as the solitary creature in his tank. I've never had an issue with bettas being aggressive to anything else. That said, gouramis are in the same general family as bettas, and are one of the fish that typically do not get along with bettas. I did have a plakat and a dwarf gourami that coexisted peacefully in my planted 46, but I know that was an exception to the general rule. I have no qualms about putting a betta in a community tank as a general rule (depending, of course, on the specific fish - no fin nippers, etc.) but I wouldn't bank on it working with the gourami.


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## thegirlundertherainbow (Aug 12, 2004)

Depends on the betta and the type of gourami.
For instance.. Pearl Gourami are very peaceful and I've never had issues with them and bettas.
I've even kept up to 4 female bettas and a male with 6? Pearl Gourami. in a 6ft tank.. but half was planted and lit half was dark and they spent MOST of the time on one side.
The issues I've had with SOME male betta in larger tanks is their fear. Some just can't adjust and do better in a 10gal smaller.
I've also had some blue (not dwarf) and 3 spot gourami (varieties) that were in this tank that were OK. .
but had one? Blue or opaline (it's been too many years) that was not peaceful (toward other gourami it's size it ignored the bettas).
Now.. I tried various DWARF gourami (blue, sunset,etc..) and some of them were VERY nasty. I ended up pulling them.

Recently.. I have started a 20g long (HEAVILY) planted that I have a male betta in.. and tried some sparkling gourami (juvenile at that).. and at first he went after them.. so I removed him for a few days to let them settle in. But when I tried to put him back.. they went after him 10x worse.. then even later went after an otto (that was and had been totally still by the way) so the little sparkling gourami now have their own tank.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

I certainly would not put it with a dwarf gourami. I have only heard of once where that worked in another discussion with a member on here somewhere.


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## terror lover 11 (Dec 11, 2015)

Usually, gouramis are very colourful, so that may trigger aggression in a betta. Also, gouramis have been known to bully smaller fish! So my answer would be no. But there may be some exceptions. I don't know any, so try someone else. Good luck!


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