Non-aggressive bettas

[romeoharvey]

Has anyone, or does anyone know someone who has tried to breed the aggressivnes out of male bettas? I'm asking because while looking for a betta, I came accross many fin variations, if someone spent all that time to get fins right, it's only logical to conclude that someone may also have tried to "fix" thier (bettas) reactions to other fish in the same tank.

In nature, these fish had no barriers between them, yet they survived. Could it be that since they were domesticated, only the most aggressive individuals were chosen to have offspring? If so, could this be undone? Might continually choosing the most tolerant (almost docile) betta to reproduce result in a betta that could live with other fish?

About how many years would this take? Bettas are lovely fish, and I do believe people would pay more to have one that they can mix in with their tank, as opposed to having one in a small container. This would also lengthen the fishes life span, as it can be derived that since they are in a larger tank, they're more healthier.

Agree with me? Anyone? (Sorry if someone already asked a simialr question.) I dind't look in the gourami/betta section because I don't have a specfic issue about a betta, and I thought this would reach a larger group of people, as opposed to a special interest section.

 

[UP UP AND GUPPY]

That is a good point. I know that I would pay extra to have a betta live with many fish without any boundries. Great question.

 

[bighit22]

i imagine it would take quite some time to out breed the aggressiveness of bettas, however, if you succeeded, it may be worth he effort. I agree with you on your logic, but it might take some work to prove, or even find someone who has. good luck

 

[Fishckabibble]

i think the closest the have gotten is the betta imbellis, it is known as the peaceful betta but has shorter fins and usually less color, and although they can sometimes be kept together it is usally not possible, it is a natural instinct for a betta to defend to the death, and natural instincs cannot be bred out of any animal imo and should not be tried, take them as they are, and enjoy them for being one of this worlds many beatiful creations, mother nature made them a certain way for a reason, and it was not for our personal pleasure.

 

[romeoharvey]

Sure, natural instincs can't be totally bred out but they can be toned down, or up. I mean every animal out there (including humans) have instincts to fight, to defend their territory from invaders (example: war).

From what I've read on other sites, it was toned up in the betta. In fact it was altered so much you would not recognize a wild betta as having any relation to the ones people keep in their offices and such.

I appreciate (as do many people) your point on keeping animals the way mother nature intended, but the fact is humans have been altering nature to suit their needs/wants for centuries.

 

[romeoharvey]

Sorry, didn't mean to get off topic. Also, didn't say I would like to see if I can find two very tolerant betta imbellis, maybe they can be kept together in a large tank.

 

[PlecoCollector]

That's a really interesting point!

I don't think it'd be possible to completely remove the fighting instinct from Bettas, but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to water it down.

 

[paku]

think it is too much of a natural instinct to breed out. It would be like trying to breed out bubble nesting. It’s just natural. They live in the wild with no problems because they aren’t stuck in 2 gallon bowls, in the wild they wouldn't fight to the death. The looser would simply swim away. And yes wild Bettas look very much different than those bought at our local fish shops. But not so different that you couldn't tell it was a Betta. I have never had a Betta that was aggressive to anything other than his reflection. They make great community fish if you know what kind of fish to pair them with. No Gouramis, Guppies, other male Bettas, any fish with long flowing fins. In fact, you should be worried more about what might pick on your slow moving Betta. In theory you could breed out aggressiveness to a point... but I don’t see why anyone would want to. That is one of the quirks that make Betta Splendin such a great species.

 

[romeoharvey]

Good point paku, about how they wouldn't fight to the death in nature. The thought did come to me about them being in danger from fin-nippers, but I concluded that if a fish can live with other long-finned variations, they could live with a betta. I guess that would depend on the individual fish.

Humans are conditioned by their enviornment, betta fish, where they originated, and in other places around the world were conditioned to fight each other.

I have two paradise gouramis, that once lived in a divided tank with a male betta. The gouramis came first, and there was never any aggressive behavior toward one another. After a few days of seeing the betta flare at them through the screen, I saw that the gouramis had begun to mimick the flaring (although it didn't work quite as well with them), and had in fact begun trying to ram into, and bite each other. They learned this behavior from the betta, who most likely learned it from the fish next to it at the breeders', and probably had a genetic predisposition to do so.

*I separated the gouramis into separate tanks for a few weeks and put them back together, without the betta, and although they attempted to flare every once in a while, they never attacked again. Gouramis don't have a "family history" of being aggressive (at least not in the same sense the betta is) to really drive in the new skill they learned, so once a little time had passed, they forgot how to.