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i just got my first female betta from the petstore, at the store she was with several other female bettas as well as female guppies (so she should be okay with lifebearers). Right now she's in a bag floating at the top f my tank and i have 3 questions
1.)will she get along with my gouramis? (i think my gouramis are all male and i do have some hiding places and live plants in the tank, her other tank mates are platys and guppies)
2.) i have a male betta who live by himself, how soon can i mate them?
3.) I heard that you can see stripes on bettas, either vertical or horizontal. One means she's ready to mate, one means that she's scared, so which one means which?

My female did really well with my pearl gouramis and I think she will do well in your tank. You can breed those bettas when ever you see that the female is fat with eggs and you may be able to see her breeding tube. Vertical means that she wants to breed.

sizes are important mixing bettas and gouramies. conditioning bettas should take about 1 week of frozen or live foods. you can't rush when breeding bettas. if u decide that u want to breed bettas you have to have the time and money to do so. when the stripes go across that means stress stripes and it isn't a problem. when the stripes go up and down those are stripes a female gets when she calms down and if infront of a male or something that makes her want to flare. just b/c she gets stripes doesn't mean that she should get bred right away.

In regard to your gourami... It all depends on the gourami you have.... I had one gourami that after attaining a good size, became quite aggressive toward all other fish! Nipping fins, constantly chasing, etc.... Also depends on your female betta's aggression levels as far as whether she'll get along with your guppys or not..... My experience has been that the "rules" of fishkeeping are not set in stone, they merely serve as guidelines as to the most expected behavior -- there are always some exceptions to the rules..... So my best advice is to go with the guidelines but always maintain a careful watch over your fish until you are certain that things are as they should be......
Hope you enjoy your female betta as much as I have with my females! They might not have the fin structure as the males, but their coloring is just as magnificent!

To thine own self be true...