Should I get a gourami?

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But, bettas need soft water, don't tend to do well with guppies, and do better in horizontal tanks...
I live in Arizona where most ā€œsoft waterā€ fish are raised in hard water with a higher ph. I know column isnā€™t ideal but Iā€™ve learned nothing really is ā€œidealā€ in my tank. Before I even told the fish store owner my ph or hardness he warned me they were raised in a ph of 7.6 and hard tap water. Again I know some guppies canā€™t do well with bettas but Iā€™ve seen many instances where theyā€™re all good and sheā€™s a very shy and gentle female and my guppies looked at her and left her alone. They leave each other alone so far and everyone is peaceful. I appreciate the help but Iā€™ve done a large amount of research for days on end and decided this is the best match :)
 
I live in Arizona where most ā€œsoft waterā€ fish are raised in hard water with a higher ph. I know column isnā€™t ideal but Iā€™ve learned nothing really is ā€œidealā€ in my tank. Before I even told the fish store owner my ph or hardness he warned me they were raised in a ph of 7.6 and hard tap water. Again I know some guppies canā€™t do well with bettas but Iā€™ve seen many instances where theyā€™re all good and sheā€™s a very shy and gentle female and my guppies looked at her and left her alone. They leave each other alone so far and everyone is peaceful. I appreciate the help but Iā€™ve done a large amount of research for days on end and decided this is the best match :)

If you believe the guppies and the betta will work, then go for it. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the possible problems that could occur.
I agree with @NCaquatics on the white clouds though. They are cold water fish while bettas and guppies are tropical.
 
And white clouds are cold water (less than 75F). Bettas need 80F
Again I know thatā€™s the normal but Iā€™m in Arizona and they were kept with tropical fish so theyā€™re accustomed to 78 degree water
 
Again I know thatā€™s the normal but Iā€™m in Arizona and they were kept with tropical fish so theyā€™re accustomed to 78 degree water
They may be 'accustomed' to it but it will speed their metabolism and age them faster
 
All sorts of fish are kept in not ideal conditions, especially if it will make the businesses more money
 
If you believe the guppies and the betta will work, then go for it. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the possible problems that could occur.
I agree with @NCaquatics on the white clouds though. They are cold water fish while bettas and guppies are tropical.
Iā€™m aware of the possible issues but my guppies are surprisingly calm and not aggressive and my betta is super chill they came up to her and no nipping or biting occurred they just said ā€œhelloā€ to each other :)
 
All sorts of fish are kept in not ideal conditions, especially if it will make the businesses more money
Thatā€™s not good ): I definitely thought he was a good fish keeper as he also told me gouramis wouldnā€™t be good and neither would barbs and deterred me from certain fish so I wasnā€™t feeling pushed. He did say neons but Iā€™m scared of them due to tetra disease ):
 
My white clouds were raised in 80F, they even did very well when temperature of 85 F hit both of my tanks. Still very colourful, very active and curious. So I disagree with nc, it all depends on how they were raised
 
@Salty&Onion

Its the longterm affect that you need to worry about. Fish can handle *temporary* high or low temps out of their range. But they are cold blooded and have evolved in certain habitats. When kept outside of their natural range, you put stress on their bodies.

1. It messes up their metabolism, as mentioned. Speeds it up in hot temperatures so their bodies have to work overtime to keep up or slows it down in too low of temperatures and backs up their systems.

2. It is a constant stress on their immune system. This may not kill them outright, but it makes them more likely to become sick where an unstressed fish would remain healthy. If disease or parasites is introduced, they would be the first affected. And, you should know some pathogens are naturally present in our water, waiting to affect compromised fish. This stress wears down on their lifespan as well in the long term and they will not live out to their full potential.

3. You cannot change evolution easy. Just because it's born in captivity in those temperatures and kept that way for a couple decades, it does not change millions of years of evolution.

As fishkeepers, we take these creatures out of their wild habitats and make them live and breed in little glass boxes. It is our responsibility to make sure theyre given the conditions they were evolved to live in, a suitable thriving habitat, and give them a life worth actually living. Many millions of fish go to homes who don't know any better. Those of us who choose to actually research the fish in our care and are in this hobby have a responsibility to the fish in our care.
 
@NCaquatics

I know what you are talking about.
Those 7 white clouds I have were raised from eggs in my lfs and they always were fine hotter temperatures.
I know that their metabolism gets high and shortens their lives.
 
@NCaquatics

I know what you are talking about.
Those 7 white clouds I have were raised from eggs in my lfs and they always were fine hotter temperatures.
I know that their metabolism gets high and shortens their lives.

If you know it will shorten their lives, then why not put them in an environment that will allow them to live as long as they are meant to?
 

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