Can I?

[Jake]

I have 2 Sunset, and 2 Red Platys along with a Otocinclus, can I add a betta? Will it fight or hurt any of my fish? Do I need special food (Betta) or just Tropical Fish Flakes?

Thanks

 

[iamcowboy]

IMO that tank probably doesn't need anymore fish. Would be overstocked. As far as compatability a female betta would be alright wouldn't get a male.

 

[sclabman]

i feed my betta regular flakes, and sometimes i give em frozen bloodworms as a treat. the betta will probably be fine with your 4 platies, but each one is different.

i dont think it would be overstocked...

 

[Breeze7050]

I wouldn't add a betta. You are fully stocked and a male betta doesn't particularly care for friends. Also, they really do need a more specialized food than what you are using sclab. 9.5 out of 10 bettas will not eat regular flakes - Im surprised that yours does!

 

[MissFishy]

Jake, I know you don't want to hear it, but your tank is pretty much stocked. Platies get large and can be messy fish, so that limits how many you can have in a tank. I wouldn't add a betta, they need special foods such as betta pellets or blood worms. Bettas should not be eating regular tropical flakes. Every betta I've had has refused to eat flakes, so I would question Sclab's assertions that it will eat flakes. I would not add anything else to your tank.

 

[cchase85]

Tank is definitely stocked as is... that said, usually bettas don't mind platies and definitely not otos... they typically tend to go after fish with big flashy fins, like guppies.

As said above, good luck trying to get a betta to take flake food for any length of time. I suppose you could still feed the betta specific food and flake for the rest, but then you're asking for overfeeding.

 

[sclabman]

i tend to overstock i guess... oh well my fish are all alive and well. and my betta eats flakes like there's no tomorrow, i must have a mutant or something.

 

[James From Cali]

I say if your truely dedicated and willing to do water changes then you should be fine with a betta. Like said it depends on the fish because some fish are mean and nasty.

Tank is definitely stocked as is... that said, usually bettas don't mind platies and definitely not otos... they typically tend to go after fish with big flashy fins, like guppies.

As said above, good luck trying to get a betta to take flake food for any length of time. I suppose you could still feed the betta specific food and flake for the rest, but then you're asking for overfeeding.

I had a very sucessful time getting my Betta to except Flake food but the key is a varied diet. Mix it up with blood worms and tubifex worms every week and yuo should be fine!

 

[Toam]

Jake, I know you don't want to hear it, but your tank is pretty much stocked. Platies get large and can be messy fish, so that limits how many you can have in a tank. I wouldn't add a betta, they need special foods such as betta pellets or blood worms. Bettas should not be eating regular tropical flakes. Every betta I've had has refused to eat flakes, so I would question Sclab's assertions that it will eat flakes. I would not add anything else to your tank.

I gotta say, that's news to me. I have a male crowntail betta, and a female, kept in a 1 gallon, and a 5 gallon hex respectively. I've fed them both flake food for over a year? maybe once a month I treat them with bloodworms, or mysis shrimp. I also had another double veil tail male, and a female for almost a year until my cat's discovered a way overturn their tanks(both disappeared the same night, I've since started taping my lids down, RIP). so for almost 2 years now, I've fed my betta's flake food, and never had any complications that I could see. Lot's of bubble nests, and lot's of love. They also go after their flake food rather voraciously, Champ, my male crowntail still jumps out of the water when I feed him.

Edit: the flake food is Nutrafin Max, tropical flake food(so not exactly your cheapest flake stuff. But not your most expensive either.