Do any of you keep your betta in a community tank?
- Thread starter skauwt
- Start date
him and my dwarf gourami fought...but this was after 2 months of totally ignoring each other...then one night they had a knock-down fight and Mimi ended up getting bit pretty bad.
How long have yours been together?...what I'm finding out is that everything is fine for a while and then the betta gets fed up and fights happen. He may get cranky at the guppies, after a while they start to consider any long finned fish competition.
How long have yours been together?...what I'm finding out is that everything is fine for a while and then the betta gets fed up and fights happen. He may get cranky at the guppies, after a while they start to consider any long finned fish competition.
K, I have had reports of bettas in community tanks that
- Get Killed by Angels (they don't mix - Angels will gang-up on bettas)
- Fight or Kill or get Killed by Gouramies (both top/level territorial)
- Kill Guppies (males especially like to hunt down guppies at night)
- Kill Tetras (again, mostly at night when they can sneak-up)
- Kill each other (obviously, but even females fight)
- Starve or get sick from other fish eating their food
- Loose fins from fin nipping (ie: barbs, some tetras)
Those are some examples of the more common problems reported to me when people ignore my suggestion of not mixing bettas with other fish.
I think bettas are just designed to have their own space. In a wild environment I am sure betta's would not tolerate any other fish in their territory, except a female betta duing breeding ONLY.
Age plays a big role, the older they get, the more space they seem to want. Sorta like people, first we can share a bedroom, then we want our own room, and eventually we want our own house.
Now, I think bettas don't mind 'visitors', as long as they do not invade their space, so divided or nearby seperate tanks are more then welcome.
But thats just my opinion.
(300 betta's later & still Learning!!!)
- Get Killed by Angels (they don't mix - Angels will gang-up on bettas)
- Fight or Kill or get Killed by Gouramies (both top/level territorial)
- Kill Guppies (males especially like to hunt down guppies at night)
- Kill Tetras (again, mostly at night when they can sneak-up)
- Kill each other (obviously, but even females fight)
- Starve or get sick from other fish eating their food
- Loose fins from fin nipping (ie: barbs, some tetras)
Those are some examples of the more common problems reported to me when people ignore my suggestion of not mixing bettas with other fish.
I think bettas are just designed to have their own space. In a wild environment I am sure betta's would not tolerate any other fish in their territory, except a female betta duing breeding ONLY.
Age plays a big role, the older they get, the more space they seem to want. Sorta like people, first we can share a bedroom, then we want our own room, and eventually we want our own house.
Now, I think bettas don't mind 'visitors', as long as they do not invade their space, so divided or nearby seperate tanks are more then welcome.
But thats just my opinion.
(300 betta's later & still Learning!!!)
possibly breed tame these days here.
More likely the stressful and crowded conditions keep them (and the other fish) in check for a little while. Like how gouramis and paradisefish are kept in huge numbers so that they don't murder each other (with the paradise at least, I've noticed there's always one colorful dominant male though).
More likely the stressful and crowded conditions keep them (and the other fish) in check for a little while. Like how gouramis and paradisefish are kept in huge numbers so that they don't murder each other (with the paradise at least, I've noticed there's always one colorful dominant male though).
I had my betta in the 5 with guppies...after awhile his fins started to get shredded so I moved him to the 1 by himself...he seemed to get a little more bored...but his tail healed up 
To keep him happy I have some snails in with him now and I throw mosquito larvae in there for him or whatever kind of fun stuff I find around
To keep him happy I have some snails in with him now and I throw mosquito larvae in there for him or whatever kind of fun stuff I find around mine is still living ok with my 3 endlers in a 5 gallon and nothing else in there. he swims around and the endlers mind their own business sometimes but usually they like hanging near him. I must have picked a pretty docile one cause he doesn't flare at all in the store and also with a mirror. oh well as long as everyone is happy in the tank i'll leave it at that.
Bettas and goldfish don't mix. Bettas are dumb. anything with fins is another betta to some. I once had a power outage in the middle of winter for over two days and had to move my betta into my 125 gallon goldfish tank because it was the only one not dropping in temp rapidly. The betta flared and went after my 12+ inch oranda who could have eatten him. He messed up duallys tail before he found him self in a breeder net in the corner til the power came on.
Hello fellow Jock!!
Hi
I'd a Betta, some bad CAEs ate him but anyway....
I've a 126l tank and before I put the flipping CAE's in it I had
2 Swordtails
2 Angels - who ignore all the fish
2 Bleeding Heart Tetras
6 Neons
4 Balloon Mollies
4 guppys
2 Cory cats
and the Betta - he was one of the first in the tank and set up home at the heater. He sometimes chased the swordtail, but he really just wanted to show off to himself in the glass and never bothered any of the other fish and vice versa. All the fish seemed settled and happy. I've a stupid looking boat thing in the middle of the tank but the small fish like it to hid in so no harm no foul. The swordtails liked it too, until the CAEs moved in (now evicted from the tank back to the shop).
Try some of the LFS in Paisley Road, in Ibrox Glasgow, there are 2 good and 2 not so good ones but you'll take one look and know which ones are the goodies.
Hi
I'd a Betta, some bad CAEs ate him but anyway....
I've a 126l tank and before I put the flipping CAE's in it I had
2 Swordtails
2 Angels - who ignore all the fish
2 Bleeding Heart Tetras
6 Neons
4 Balloon Mollies
4 guppys
2 Cory cats
and the Betta - he was one of the first in the tank and set up home at the heater. He sometimes chased the swordtail, but he really just wanted to show off to himself in the glass and never bothered any of the other fish and vice versa. All the fish seemed settled and happy. I've a stupid looking boat thing in the middle of the tank but the small fish like it to hid in so no harm no foul. The swordtails liked it too, until the CAEs moved in (now evicted from the tank back to the shop).
Try some of the LFS in Paisley Road, in Ibrox Glasgow, there are 2 good and 2 not so good ones but you'll take one look and know which ones are the goodies.
I've kept a male betta in a tank with WCMM, tiger barb, black ruby barb, blue gouramis, cories, cherry barb, pearl danios.
In another tank I kept a male with red tailed rasboras, and Badis badis , and a female. In that tank he spawned for me three times, but all the fry evenually got eaten.
I would have to say I don't recommend the above mix, but if your tank is heavily planted, and you have lots of unaggressive fish they are fine.
On a side note the tiger barb I kept him with is extremly docile, he eats out of my hand, and I would not suggest anyone try keeping tiger barbs and bettas together!!
In another tank I kept a male with red tailed rasboras, and Badis badis , and a female. In that tank he spawned for me three times, but all the fry evenually got eaten.
I would have to say I don't recommend the above mix, but if your tank is heavily planted, and you have lots of unaggressive fish they are fine.
On a side note the tiger barb I kept him with is extremly docile, he eats out of my hand, and I would not suggest anyone try keeping tiger barbs and bettas together!!