Okay so I've been doing research on male bettas and who they get along with (considering putting one in my new 55gal at some point). And on a variety of differrent sites I've found different opinions as to whether male bettas do well with angelfish and gouramis....anyone have any experienced opinion they can offer?
betta tankmates
- Thread starter tessalion
- Start date
Bettas have the capacity to be VERY aggressive to the point where some of them can't be kept with anything else....BUT there have been cases where they are calm enough to keep with even the fish we always suggest not to keep them with.
They are all very different from each other, so we can't really tell you that a betta can or can't go in your 55. However, like Stevie and upguppy said generally bettas dont go well with gouramis (since they're from the same family, can have sort of the same attitudes) or any brightly colored, long finned fish because they can see that as a challenge and attack them (guppies etc) or any overly nippy fish like tiger barbs or danios that may annoy or chomp on the bettas fins.
They are all very different from each other, so we can't really tell you that a betta can or can't go in your 55. However, like Stevie and upguppy said generally bettas dont go well with gouramis (since they're from the same family, can have sort of the same attitudes) or any brightly colored, long finned fish because they can see that as a challenge and attack them (guppies etc) or any overly nippy fish like tiger barbs or danios that may annoy or chomp on the bettas fins.
heres a good example, i have 2 bettas (veiltails) and satch, my older betta, hates other fish he even goes so far as to flare up at the tank next to him with tetras in it, but napoleon, the other betta is very clalm and passive and is in my 55 gallon community tank with platties, a molly and rainbowfish. and he keeps to his own, he is actually a bit timid of the other fish. so it really all depends on the individual betta.
I have betta in a community tank...he gets along well with my neon tetras, more or less ignores them. He also gets along with my corys, rubberlip pleco, bristlenose pleco and pair of cockatoo cichlids (bettas won't be good with the larger more aggressive cichlids but the cockatoos are less than 3" and arn't very aggressive).
I also had my betta in with two dwarf gourmais. As you've read elsewhere, gouramis are not the best tankmates and you have to be very careful mixing them but it does depend on their personalities....my sunset gourami was docile and small thus kept getting picked on by the betta, I had to take him out. My larger powder blue dwarf gourami has a personality very similar to the betta and stands his ground. The two of them get along fine...they each mind their own business and rarely flare up at eachother.
As mentioned above some bettas are more aggressive than others. Mine is pretty docile and cute...more concerned with food than the other fish. When I bought him I held his bowl up to other aquariums of fish in the store to see his reaction. When I held him up to the tetras he got excited but didn't get all upset and aggitated/angry and start hitting the glass.
I've read that fish with long fins like guppies arn't as good because they remind the betta of his own kind, might nip at their tails.
I also had my betta in with two dwarf gourmais. As you've read elsewhere, gouramis are not the best tankmates and you have to be very careful mixing them but it does depend on their personalities....my sunset gourami was docile and small thus kept getting picked on by the betta, I had to take him out. My larger powder blue dwarf gourami has a personality very similar to the betta and stands his ground. The two of them get along fine...they each mind their own business and rarely flare up at eachother.
As mentioned above some bettas are more aggressive than others. Mine is pretty docile and cute...more concerned with food than the other fish. When I bought him I held his bowl up to other aquariums of fish in the store to see his reaction. When I held him up to the tetras he got excited but didn't get all upset and aggitated/angry and start hitting the glass.
I've read that fish with long fins like guppies arn't as good because they remind the betta of his own kind, might nip at their tails.