Betta picks on gouramis

--I currently have a 10 gallon tank set up with 2 male dwarf gouramis, 3 juliI cory catfish and 1 male halfmoon betta. We just introduced the betta about 12 hours ago and so far he has seemed oblivious to the cory catfish but he picks on the gouramis every now and then and I'm afraid he's going to stress them out. Any ideas? I would be ok with returning the betta if I needed to to make sure my gouramis will be alright.
--Now for problem #2 - One of my gouramis hardly ever comes out of the rock cave, even before we introduced the betta. It seems that he is afraid of or is being bullied by the other gourami. As a result I'm afraid he's not eating when we feed them or is getting too stressed out.
--So to sum everything up, I've got a mess here.
Would you recommend leaving the betta in the tank or returning him?
How would I keep one of my gouramis from picking on the other? I've considered adding other fish, but what kind?
--Keep in mind: Our tank is pretty well planted and there is a rock cave in there so the fish have adequate hiding places. We test the water once a week and everything checks out normal and none of our fish show any signs of disease or illness.

 

Welcome to fishlore!

You've got a couple problems with your stock. Firstly, 99% of the time, bettas and gourami do not mix. Secondly, dwarves should not be housed more than one to a tank in small tanks, much less one in a 10 gallon tank. Cories are also debatable in 10 gallons.

I would return a but the betta (or even him too) and start over from scratch

 

I've only ever had bettas before so the gouramis are new to me and I just love them. If I were to have just one gourami in the tank would I be able to add any other small fish in with him?

I appreciate all the help.

 

You can try just one DG. They really prefer to have a bit larger tank though. Try some Endlers or neon tetras with it. A warning though, DGs are know to go crazy when cramped up. You could end up with a fish on a killing spree! Either that or a fish you never see.

Why don't you look into Honey Gouramis? They are a better fit for a 10 gallon. One honey and a couple small fish would make a great community tank

 

Welcome to fishlore!

Yeap you have A problem..

1.) Some say 1 DG for 10 gallons BUT 1 Happy DG= 20 gallon... 2 Happy DG's 30+

2.) Drive to the store or go on Craigslist to find the BIGGEST Tank you can get!


Problem solved... Now your betta will be a happy camper in the 10g.... O0

 

If you can get a larger tank, that would be excellent. Otherwise, a 10 gallon tank makes a good home for a betta by itself. Alternatively, it could hold one dwarf gourami, but I wouldn't want to put anything else in there with it. 10 gallons unfortunately just isn't large enough for what ya got.

Bettas are all different. Some don't mind tankmates, others will harass, attack and/or kill them. And they can change how they feel about tank mates at any time, even after sharing space for months or years. It's never suggested to keep bettas with gouramis though, as they are much more predisposed towards aggressive behavior towards them.

 

to FishLore!

 

Both gouramis are back at the store. I hated to part with them but we're working on a 55 gallon tank at the moment so maybe we will get one for that tank. At least we now have a happy betta

 

I just wanted to say that I had 2 dwarf gouramis in a 40 gallon breeder. one would chase the other into a corner every time he say the other. dwarf gouramis really should not be housed together imo. if I were to try it again it would be a huge tank.

you can get honey gouramis for your 55g. I had 3 of them in that same 40 gallon and they all got along. even the honeys can fight but they are much better then the dwarf's.

 

I'll definitely look into the honey gouramis. I got the two dwarf gouramis because the associate recommended getting two and she had always been really great to us every time we went there, but you live and you learn. At least now we know better lol

 

Never walk to into a pet store expecting to buy something without being armed with research first! Lol I like to play dumb and ask the employees things I know they can't answer properly just to see what they say XD

For sure look into honeys! Either keep the betta and a school of smaller fish or get two honeys and a school of smaller fish. Or get the betta his own 5 gallon and keep him AND the honeys