Betta with other fish.

[Tetras_Rule33]

So I have heard about people having their fighting fish in tanks with other fish. I have had my male betta Jack alone in his fish bowl for over 16 months now and I am wondering is it possible to add him to my 10g tank.

[jm1212]

it depends on the betta themselves and their personality. some are great community fish, whil others are extremely territorial. he will appreciate the upgrade :)

[Tetras_Rule33]

Thats what I am worried about. I really can't tell if he'd want to pick fights or would be scared or act normal and appreciate it. If he was normal, would my white skirts nip at him? Are they known to do that?

[Garbage]

So I have heard about people having their fighting fish in tanks with other fish. I have had my male betta Jack alone in his fish bowl for over 16 months now and I am wondering is it possible to add him to my 10g tank.

I still think its misleading that these fish are called "fighting fish". They are neither "tough" nor that agressive unless 2 males are kept in the same setup. Betta's are good community fish as long as you keep them with other non agressive fish. Bettas are relatively small and they are weak/slow swimmers. To put them with other truly agressive fish (Cichlids,sharks,barbs) would be a death sentence for the betta. So as long as you stay away from those and make sure that you have only one male betta in a tank, they will make ean excellent community fish with other NON agressive fish:) I think your betta would be fine with the fish you have in your 10G tank:)

[beefsteak]

Agreed. I wouldn't worry much about your white skirts. Some bettas have been known to harass fish that are similar in appearance to another male, but more than likely he'll be fine. Just keep an eye on things.

[muddskipper26]

I say do it.

[Jeff-Like-Beer]

My wife brought her betta home during spring break, the one she keeps in her classroom. And after two days in my 55g and two dead ballon molly's the betta is now in a vase waiting to go home. The molly's were the only thing that did'nt swim faster than the betta is why I'm figuring he went after them.

[Garbage]

My wife brought her betta home during spring break, the one she keeps in her classroom. And after two days in my 55g and two dead ballon molly's the betta is now in a vase waiting to go home. The molly's were the only thing that did'nt swim faster than the betta is why I'm figuring he went after them.

Well, mollies are pretty delecate fish too. Alot of people dont know that mollies are brackish fish and if they were in a setup that wasnt brackish at all, its possible that they werent in the greatest shape to start with.

[aaron_henderson]

you could always remove him like I had to with mine if things don't work out. My huge crown-tail was fine, until he got comfortable and decided he should rule the tank and spent hours of chasing my other fish, one after another. He never caught any of them, but I'm sure it stressed the heck outta them seeing a big huge red monster coming at them every few seconds. I ended up getting my betta his own ten gallon, and he loves it.

[Tetras_Rule33]

I got a mystery snail today. Havn't bought anything for the tank for a while. I guess i'll give it another try with a snail. So I might try to put the betta in soon. I don't know. I kind of want more info first :)

[Kyohti]

It's more likely that the balloon mollies died because they have a similar size and shape and finnage as either a male or female betta. Some bettas are more prone to aggression than others and with some if it even looks like a betta, they'll flare and get mean with it. I had one red female betta who would flare at my guppies and then present herself as ready to mate with them!!! O__O;;

One specific set of rules DOES NOT APPLY to all bettas. It's a hit or miss. Responsible betta breeders are trying to breed out aggression in this species with mixed results... and you can bet those 'mixed results' trickle right down into the pet trade. Because obviously you sell of that which you don't find desireable or don't intend to keep for your own breeding agenda. Hence, some bettas are docile as kittens... others are more easily provoked.

So it's best to say that bettas should be treated with kit-gloves when it comes to introducing them into community aquariums. Most don't have a problem with it as long as they can have some space to call their own, but it's always best to keep an eye out just in case he doesn't play well with others.

I speak from much experience on the matter.

[Mofolepo]

I hope all goes well with your plan. Just to let you know, I bought a betta too for my small little community tank. At first I was concerned being that I have a few scarlet badis in there (who are also labyrinth fish), so I thought they might not like each other, but they're all in there, and they're all fine.

[pobynoy]

If I were to put my betta in my normal tank, with a pair of male and female gourami's would everyone be alright? I think bettas and gouramis are from the same family, should I give it a try?

[Jeff-Like-Beer]

Water is slightly brackish, I put half the reccomended salt in the tank because it was killing my plants. The mollies looked fine to me except that their tails were missing after the betta moved in.

[kw0me]

in my old tank i had a betta and he had his own little cave had no troubles i also had 5 angels a 6 tetras in there along with some catfish things. was a 3ft tank. i tried the same thing again in a 2ft tank he seemed fine when the lights were on but as soon as i turned them of he went into a killing frenzy and killed 2 fish before i noticed and got him out.

pobynoy:
i had 2 blue gouramis in the 3ft. i didnt have trouble with them.

[Tetras_Rule33]

But bettas also eat a different food then the other fish. That might be a pain.

[Kyohti]

Bettas are territorial by nature. People who put them in large community aquariums, where the fish the bettas decide they don't like can avoid their territories, do better than bettas put in smaller or overly stocked aquariums where they might come in contact with other fish more and feel like their territory is under threat.

Again, this isn't always the rule. It depends on the personality of the fish involved, but I do notice that it does play at least a small part in whether or not the betta is prone to bully-ish behavior with his tankmates.

[Tetras_Rule33]

Well I changed my avatar to my actual betta. He is a lot bigger of a betta than a normal one though. I just want to hear more stories on people with their bettas and putting them into fish tanks with other fish before I put mine in. Well I'll tell you more about him. He is about 1 and a half years old already. He seems to get angry sometimes and trys to pick a fight with me through the glass. And when his water is changed he is more active and seems to open his gills more.

[Sovran]

I have 5 female and one male betta in my community tank, and they all get on fine with each other and the other citizens. One thing I have noticed though (through experience - we have 17 bettas in the house!) - the redder or darker the betta, the more aggressive they seem to be. The ones in my big tank are all lighter veil and crowntails. The darker reds and blues have to have their own tanks because they seem to be very aggressive, and we have had to have a few rescues.

Seeing as the family seems to be addicted to bettas, I am considering renaming our house "The Alpha Betta Place" :)

[rodinia]

I've kept a betta with every community tank I've had. I currently have a betta in my 37 gallon with 6 sparkling gouramis and 9 harlequin rasboras. He hangs out by himself and bothers no one and is very friendly toward my hand when it's submerged in the tank! Won't know till you try how he'll react.

[ChuckP]

I've had a female betta in my community tank for a couple of weeks now (with platies - added some cories this weekend), all seems okay.

the only inhabitants who need worry are the small ghost shrimp.

[DaveinSF]

I have 5 female and one male betta in my community tank, and they all get on fine with each other and the other citizens. One thing I have noticed though (through experience - we have 17 bettas in the house!) - the redder or darker the betta, the more aggressive they seem to be. The ones in my big tank are all lighter veil and crowntails. The darker reds and blues have to have their own tanks because they seem to be very aggressive, and we have had to have a few rescues.

Seeing as the family seems to be addicted to bettas, I am considering renaming our house "The Alpha Betta Place" :)

Actually, I believe that the darker color is not the cause, but the effect of dominance.

My girlfriend had a mildly stressful experience with a three-female betta tank in which they were always fighting for dominance (bad advice from the LFS). We would occasionally take one out if it was bullying all the others. Sure enough, the next fish on the pecking order would start bullying and shortly after start to darken in color.

Stressed, submissive bettas get really light in color. In general, I'm convinced that bettas are happier being the only betta in the tank, male or female.

[beefsteak]

I've seen and heard of groups of females getting on fine together. Like everyone is saying, it all depends on the size of your tank and the individual personalities of the fish in question.

[MarkSmith]

I have 3 males and 4 females’ bettas in a 40-gallon tank and only one of the males has a tattered tail. The males have picked out a small section of the tank for themselves and make attempts at defending it. The make semi aggressive charges at the other males then go back to there hiding spot. They rarely charge at the other fish (angels, cardinals, gobies) and they kind of tolerate the females (like people). This is my experience anyway; your mileage may vary...

[Kyohti]

I agree with DavienSF. I've had them with others of their species, I've had them in my community tank (30 gallon tall) and I've had them in singular containers and I have to say they seemed at their best when kept solo. The males I spaced 6 inches apart or else kept opaque dividers between them. The females I'd just sit side by side unless one of them seemed unhappy and discolored. Then I'd divide her from whoever was bothering her.

I've kept bettas on and off since I was eleven, so I have what I consider a lot of experience and research with them. The bettas I had when I was a kid were so much more aggressive and antisocial, the females were stubby, short-finned, and mud-brown. You were lucky to find a female with pretty fin colors on her murky little body, let alone the long-finned vibrant beauties you see today! I remember when double-tailed bettas were brand new!!! I feel so old. ^_^;;

So I've seen them become prettier, fancier, less hardy, and more peaceful as I've gone along. It's amazing to see this as I've gone along in the hobby and I'm thrilled at the idea of eventually having bettas that are docile enough to be housed in community aquariums with other fish and bettas peacefully. BUT... a part of me is sad to see a fish who's traditional origins and very first reason for being IN the hobby turning into something so unlike how it began. I can understand the good in it, but it's sort of depressing to see bettas who don't flare and flash their fins at any opportunity.

I can't imagine a male betta who wouldn't... but I've seen them now and I don't know how to feel about it. They just look lethargic and bored!! Not the bettas of my childhood.

[Death Pony]

I have a female betta with 3 oto cats in a 6 gallon. She didn't like them at first, but now she just ignores them. I might try some scarlet badis or a blue ram. Any advice?

[serissime]

If a betta in a bowl with no heater flares at you all the time, I'm not sure how he would take to tankmates. Bettas in bowls tend to be very lethargic. I think it would be a great idea to upgrade him to a heated, filtered 5 gallon or at least a 2.5 of his own :)

As for your existing 10 gallon, cory cats really do better in a group of 6 or more; however, three is doable too...

Tetras are always happier in groups of 6 or more, but I am unfamiliar with the sizes of those types and can't comment on stocking your tank with more of them... (no idea)

anyways, sorry for that unsolicited advice :)

[sleepyskater]

This thread is a year old :)

[serissime]

Dang! I didn't even LOOK since it was at the top in the new post list!!

[sleepyskater]

:D