Went With Gouramis

[africantigerfish7]

I had an empty 55 that I was about to convert to saltwater. My uncle recommend gouramis, so I went to the store, picked up 1 flame dwarf, 1 female dwarf, a male gold, female gold, male pearl, and female pearl, along with my pair of betta. All the fish have already paired off and the golds look like their at the top of the pecking order, followed by the dwarves. Would post pics, but computer is stupid. Should I move the golds to a separate tank, cause they look like they are about to spawn.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Ok, beginner basics: was the tank cycled? You say you were about to turn the tank into a saltwater tank, so that makes me think that it was not being used at the time, and therefore not cycled.
Betta basics: you said pair, did you happen to put a male and a female in together?

You seem to be in a hurry to breed these fish. Do you have proper accomodations/ experience/ knowledge as to what you are doing? Did you buy all of these fish on a whim?

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Ooooh dear. Lovely idea in theory but if you leave them like that you can expect plenty of deaths.
Two bettas cannot live together UNLESS both are female....and even then just two is not a good idea. MAles will fight and kill each other....assuming the gourami don't kill them first!
Having pairs of gourami of different breeds will NOT work either. Sorry. The golds are the most aggressive of those you have and the male will defend his area in every way possible and if that means killing the rest he'll do just that. One male to one female will mean the males will chase around the females for their attention to the point of sheer exhaustion and stress to the females. They will then become prone to illness and disease.
You really need to take these fish back to the store and start out from scratch I'm afraid.
Hugs,
P.
P.S:There are some gourami that can be kept together but you really need to do the research before starting out. And breeding groups are better as just that, as a species tank. Meaning 1 male to 3 or more female.

 

[africantigerfish7]

Of course the tank is cycled. I've kept two male fighters in there for a year and a half, and they don't bother each other. I've moved all the gouramis but the golds because they get along with the bettas. If any problems persist, I will move the golds to my empty 15 gallon. The males are in perfect condition, so I don't want messages telling me that I should separate them. I hate seeing bettas in those little jars . They can't even spread those beautiful fins. Now I'm sure they would tear each other apart if I put a female betta in there.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

No one is suggesting you put them in little jars. I have 6 males of varying ages and they all have good sized tanks each. Ranging from 5-10gallons. More then enough room for filter, heater, plants, bubblenests and flaring aplenty! The only one who has a smaller tank, which is a three gallon, is my blind female betta and that's only because she had considerable difficulty finding her food in the 7g she had previously. Even in this it takes a while, bless her.
I'm happy you've been able to keep the pair together for a year and half. Just maybe these two are an exception to the rule. As it is I saw two in together today at my lfs and one had been ripped up real bad. Naturally I had them seperated asap. But in nature that is what these fish do. They are predisposed to not liking each other and to fighting.
Best of luck with all your fish, really. Just please keep a watch out for injuries and fighting. It's really not worth the lives of these beautiful creatures.
Hugs,
P.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Even if the two bettas get along, who is to say the gouramis will get along with them? And as was stated already, they do not have to be kept in jars. You can easily get a 1+ gallon tank for the bettas, or even a bigger tank and divide it up...

And I asked if it was cycled because you said it was empty--did not mean to offend.

Also, you did not say anything about plans for breeding...

 

[africantigerfish7]

I've moved the golds into a 20 gallon because with them in there, the bettas seemed to hide more than usual. I put a divider in the tank because like you said dib dabs, the male did chase the female around tirelessly. And no fury, I have no plans for breeding the bettas or the gouramis because I can't find an lfs who wants bettas, and they won't pay much for the gouramis.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Sadly tis true. I did manage to sell all my gourami fry but I did so online. So saying I also had the option of my lfs who said they'd have them. Although I doubt I came even close to covering what it cost for the fry tank set up and care over 4-5 months.
Am now about to spawn Teelie, one of my CT bettas with Mystery, one of my male CT bettas. And I expect I will sell them online for the most part too. The upside to Crowntails is that they are popular and sought after. Breeding veiltails is pretty pointless now as there's so many flooding the market.
I do apologise if I or anyone came across as aggressive. It wasn't meant that way at all. Being a lover of both bettas and gouramies and a keeper of both, I just like to see them getting the best they possibly can. And to avoid yourself and the fish going through the misery of fights, stress and disease.
Hugs,
P.