View Full Version : Betta & Guppies - Marriage?
beastie_boy
07-04-2003, 7:18 AM
I would like to add guppies to my existing aquarium but my lfs said "nope, guppies release harmful gases to the batta so either the betta will kill the guppy or the guppies will kill the betta".
i have just visited lfs number 2 and they have tanks with these living together. I asked him and he said "yeah, it's fine maybe a few arguments over territory and colour but should be fine"
So I put this question to the board - YEY or NAY?:confused:
My guess is that it will depend on the size of your tank. If it is too small the Betta will probably take on the guppies with their big colurful tails, potentially seeing them as rivals. A big enough tank with plants and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. I don't know anything about a harmful gas being released, but maybe their guppies need less fiber in their diet. ;)
Faramir
07-04-2003, 8:13 AM
Originally posted by beastie_boy
I would like to add guppies to my existing aquarium but my lfs said "nope, guppies release harmful gases to the batta so either the betta will kill the guppy or the guppies will kill the betta".
Where do these shops get their weird ideas - bettas dying of guppy fart?
i have just visited lfs number 2 and they have tanks with these living together. I asked him and he said "yeah, it's fine maybe a few arguments over territory and colour but should be fine"
So I put this question to the board - YEY or NAY?:confused: [/B]
The second shop's wrong as well. It's nothing to do with territory. Simply that bettas tend to lash out at flashy fins, and will have taken a chunk out of the guppy's tail before checking on species.
SwedishFish
07-04-2003, 10:03 AM
The gas thing being released??? thats crazy anyway WIll the betta go with the guppy... it depends on the betta really some betta's dont mind guppies with big flashy fin (even though bettas tend to strike out at other big fin fish) MY betta didnt care that my fancy guppy had big fins he just treated him as a normal fish. On the other hand some betta's will bite the guppy maybe even kill it but usually the owner notices them fighting before any serious damage is done and 1 of the 2 is removed. So you should jusy try it out. I think that your betta wont mind the guppy('s) being there. :D
wetmanNY
07-04-2003, 1:17 PM
If the betta were voting...
A. Would you like a floating plant?
B. Would you like a guppy around here?
Every betta will vote for the plant. "It's the betta way, man.'
No betta is ever "lonely." It's the tailless apes that pine in solitude-- including the hairless one.
thom336
07-04-2003, 1:21 PM
Id go for a guppy meal...
beastie_boy
07-08-2003, 2:51 AM
Well I after all the posts of stating that the Guppy V Betta feud was all rubbish and there was no "Bad Blood" I bought three from my lfs.
2 Tuxedo Guppy
1 Male Dragon Guppy.
My gorgeous Betta Elvis died the next day. I am not saying this is because of the guppies but it is a coinscidence.
I also bought a plant last week that has some snails on - could the snails have caused this, I doubt it.
Elvis was quite large now and I had, had him for over a month and a half. Maybe it was just time for him to visit the big aquarium in the sky. He will be missed.
I know many fans will agree here - R.I.P ELVIS
tricksterpup
07-08-2003, 12:06 PM
See the problem arose when you bought guppies that belong to the notorious Guppy Mafia. They had dear Elvis rubbed out man.
All joking aside, I have kept Betta's and guppies together for years but only in larger tanks (29 gallon tanks). The betta would chase someone around every blue moon, mainly because he was curious. So in the long run, never lost a single fish from fighting. Except for a female betta to a male.. he didnt like her at all. I dont think he was in the mood for love.
jim
OrionGirl
07-08-2003, 12:57 PM
Re: Elvis--it is possible that the disurbance of the substrate during planting released nasties that killed the Elvis. There are a number of things that could have killed the fish--being harrassed by male guppies is among them--no gassing involved.
Guppies and betta don't always exist peacefully. Both compete for females by being flashier than the next chump--and taking a few strips out of a competitors tail is well and fair in the competition.
Regarding toxic gas--why on earth would it apply only to bettas? Why not gouramies, or female batta? That's some classic silliness there.