Can dwarf gourami live with betta?

Dwarf gourami can become aggressive fish when they have small space to live with other fish. At that time, they are not suitable tank mates to fish others.

Can dwarf gourami live with betta? No. Both the fish Dwarf Gourami and Bettas are aggressive species, and when they are kept together, they will have frequent fights. Other gourami species may suit the betta, but dwarf gourami would not be a great companion for the betta fish.

What to do if your betta is Chasing dwarf gourami?
What Size Tank is best for bettas with dwarf gourami?
Can betta fish eat dwarf gourami food?
Can bettas kill dwarf gourami?

How many dwarf gouramis can you keep with your betta?
What temperature do betta and dwarf gourami need?
Can dwarf gourami live with female bettas?

What to do if your betta is Chasing dwarf gourami?

There are several reasons why betta would decide to chase the dwarf gourami fish. Betta is most active in the aquarium. When it comes to showing efforts, the betta will come forward and do something crazy that will bother their owners.

Understand the cause, and you will be able to treat the problem with an effective solution.

Here are a few reasons why betta chase dwarf gourami, followed by the solution to treat the problem.

Male Betta chasing Female dwarf gourami

Male generally chase the female fish. If you have more betta males in the tank, they will become keen to find if dwarf gourami gets impressed with them. Chasing is the standard action that every male does to make the female mate with them.

The only way to avoid them from chasing is to have more female betta in the tank than males.

Every male should have at least 2 to 3 betta females to be busy with their partner. If one betta female does not respond positively, the other will take care of the male interest.

Territorial dispute

Fish are conscious about their territory. Once the fish define their region, they will not allow any other fish to come close.

You must provide them both with sufficient space in the tank. Tank large enough to serve both the fish would not develop this kind of territory dispute among the two different fish.

When dwarf gourami enters the betta’s territory, the betta will do everything to protect their region and keep the dwarf gourami away from their community.

Every betta in the group will fight for the territory without allowing any other fish to occupy their region.

Betta like fins of dwarf gourami

There are possibilities that the betta has eaten the dwarf gourami fins and is now craving more. The fins are made of nutritional substances.

There is much fish that show interest in eating the fins of other fish in the tank. If the betta tasted the fins, they would start looking for more and chase the dwarf gourami in the aquarium.

Betta would find it hard to ignore the dwarf gourami in the tank.

Thus, you should move the betta that mostly chases the other fish from the tank and keep them separate for a while.

So they forget the old habit and develop a new one after a week, put them back in the tank, and observe their behavior.

In most cases, the betta will stop chasing the dwarf gourami and stay calm.

Frequent Encounter

An aquarium with no decoratives or plants would become an open ground for the fish to wander around in the water. This could lead to frequent encounters with each other causing them to develop stress and anxiety.

When the betta is stressed because other fish are roaming around them, they become afraid and start attacking the fish, considering their life is threatened by dwarf gourami.

Densely planted aquariums mitigate the problem and prevent the fish from having frequent close encounters. The fish will roam between the plant, hide behind it, and spend more time hidden behind it.

This will keep both of them away from each other. Also, hiding space keeps the betta calm and relaxed.

What Size Tank is best for bettas with dwarf gourami?

It is recommended that you have a minimum tank size of 10 gallons. Remember that both betta and dwarf gourami proliferate. So consider their size and decide how much large size tank you would need to house them.

They both need plenty of space to survive. If they find less room for swimming, they will develop illness and cause serious health issues.

Also, take the case of the number of fish in each group. Please keep them in an equal number. Try to have more females than males so they would stay comfortable with each other in the aquarium.

Can betta fish eat dwarf gourami food?

Yes. Betta does not have any condition for the food, and they can eat anything that is served to them and eatable. Dwarf gourami consumes small-sized insects and larvae found at the surface of the water. Dwarf gourami also prefers eating algae growing on the plants.

Other than the dwarf, gourami also eats flake food, freeze-dried and frozen foods.

You can also add fresh vegetable leaves to the diet to offer them complete nutritional meals to improve their health. It would be best if you controlled their diet to meet the health requirement.

Betta survives on all these foods, so there will be more special requirements for managing both foods. Whatever you serve to the dwarf gourami would become food for the betta fish as well.

Can bettas kill dwarf gourami?

Yes. There are high possibilities that betta and dwarf gourami have fought and betta kill them. The killing will not happen instantly.

The betta nibbles the dwarf gourami fins and starts making them uncomfortable in the aquarium. They will restrict the food and do not allow dwarf gourami to each sufficient amount of it.

Chasing is another action that betta follows to make the other fish develop stress and anxiety. These actions lead to health problems in the dwarf gourami, and the dwarf gourami may fall sick and die eventually.

How many dwarf gouramis can you keep with your betta?

Take the decision depending on the size of the tank. In the small size 10-gallon tank, you can have 1 or 2 pairs of each species. With every 10 gallons of water, you can add two more fish to the aquarium.

More than that could affect the aquarium, and both will have frequent fights.

What temperature do betta and dwarf gourami need?

Keep the temperature between 72 to 82 F (22 to 28 C). Betta could sustain in a wide range of water conditions. But the dwarf gourami would need the moderated temperature, and else they will develop a health problem.

Can dwarf gourami live with female bettas?

Yes. The female bettas are less aggressive than the male, so there are high chances that the female betta would develop good companionship with the dwarf gourami.

It would be best if you balanced the aggression to avoid a frequent fight. Having more females than males will balance the equation and provide a peaceful aquarium experience for both species.