I have a male betta and I put a Dwarf Gourami in with him, the betta is agressive towards it, why?

Question

I looked at a compatiablity chart is it says that Dwarf Gourami should have no problems with a betta...this betta also attacks the Ghost Shrimp in with him. I haven't seen him attack the Dwarf Gourami but he shows his fins when he see it, where he does not usually show his fins to the shrimp, he just nips at thier legs

I looked at a compatiablity chart is it says that Dwarf Gourami should have no problems with a betta...this betta also attacks the Ghost Shrimp in with him. I haven't seen him attack the Dwarf Gourami but he shows his fins when he see it, where he does not usually show his fins to the shrimp, he just nips at thier legs

UPDATE:
I have since put the Dwarf Gourami in another tank with a different beta and they are doing just fine, no agressiveness at all, the other betta has also stopped nipping at the shrimp since I took out the Dwarf Gourami

Answer 1

Gouramis and bettas are cousins, and some male bettas will exhibit territorial behaviour towards male dwarf gouramis because they think they are other male bettas.
If you have enough room for both of them to have a territory (minimum 20 gallon tank), give them some time and provide lots of plants. It's fine for them to flare occasionally, but if your tank is too small, they may never get along and always be stressed, and you should probably return the dwarf gourami.

AS for the ghost shrimp, your betta is probably trying to eat him. The Ghost shrimp will outgrow the betta possibly trying to eat him, but be careful; of the betta does manage to eat the ghost shrimp, he'll have one heck of a tummy ache.

Also, fish keeping is a science but it's also art and finesse and, well, fish personalities. Some fish will get along even if a compatibility chart says they won't, and vice versa. As always, you need a backup plan - ie returning the fish, having another tank, providing more cover, etc.

Answer 2

I personally wouldn't keep the betta with the gourami, but if all he's doing is flaring, as opposed to actually chasing or attacking, they'll probably do fine. Before deciding to keep them together, make sure neither fish is showing signs of undue stress; hiding, clamping, fleeing, etc. You might want to give them more room as well.

I don't know much about happy gouramis, but if the betta is building a bubblenest, that would be a sign he is not stressed by the gourami's presence.

The betta is trying to eat your shrimp, and once he succeeds, it is unlikely that any other shrimp will ever be safe around him. That said, I have yet to see a betta successfully nip a ghost shrimp. In my experience, the shrimp are just too fast. However, if your betta is actually succeeding in nipping legs, it is likely only a matter of time before he succeeds in disabling the shrimp enough to eat him.

Answer 3

The basic issue might be that dwarf gourami and betta are related, and they are both aggressive towards their own species. Male dwarf gouramis tend be very peaceful toward everything other than dwarf gourami. The same can't be said for male bettas. Some are peaceful, while others will even kill snails. If the other betta isn't flaring at the gourami all the time things should be good.


PS- My betta call ghost shrimp snacks. Generally ghost shrimp don't survive their molt with my betta.

Answer 4

you could shop many different fish with male betta, yet a dwarf gourami is frequently a undesirable concept. they're heavily suitable fish, and look very comparable, so the betta would attack it. The dwarf gourami is a enormously fiesty little fish too, and would combat decrease back. Who gets killed? %. some unrelated short finned community fish. Platies, cardinal tetras, cory catfish etc. Molies may be extremely aggressive, they'd actually %. on the bettas long fins. however betta have a acceptance for being aggressive, surely they cant combat their way out of a moist paper bag and maximum larger semi-aggresive fish will beat them up. In my massive tank a betta could be fortunate to hit the water till now it replaced into eaten. Ian

Answer 5

The shrimp is food to the beta. He shows no aggression because he is simply zoning in for a meal in their case. With the gourami, he has competition. Most gouramis sold at pet stores are male, and your beta is a male... reason number one for a fight to break out. They are also both surface breathers, so near the surface of the tank is the area they consider to be their territory. Try fish with him that inhabit lower levels of the tank like the mid and bottom regions rather than other top dwellers. I would avoid most tetras though as they will enjoy nipping the fins on your beta.

Answer 6

Male bettas are sometimes territorial, meaning they will claim an area of the tank as theirs. When another fish is introduced, the betta may act aggressively toward it to defend its territory. It could also be that there is not enough room in the tank. Although the chart may say the two species are compatible, every fish is different, and may act different as well.

Answer 7

There are always expections to every rule. Even if the chart says they can go to gether that dose not mean the betta read it!! ha ha I had bettas in several community tanks and every once in a while I would get one that hated everyone in the tank and others would be fine. Good Luck

Answer 8

betas also have the name "Chinese Fighting Fish" They are extremely territorial thats why they are sold in seperate containers. He would do best by himself. Get a large vase fill the bottom with colorful stones and then put a water lilly on top and he will be so much happier.