Beta in my tank?

[enrique4jc]

I have a 29 gallon tropical tank that houses fancy tail guppies, neon tetras, headlight/taillight tetras, mixed fruit tetras(?), tiger barbs, algae eater, and a few ghost shrimp. I know the tiger barbs are supposed to be aggressive, but all of these fish live peacefully together. Would it be safe to add a colorful beta to my tank as a sort of centerpiece fish?

[jm1212]

1) how many tiger barbs do you have?
2) no, no matter how peacful the tiger seem, none of your fish have long fins that would get nipped

[icecubez189]

your betta will definately attack and nip the fins of the fancy guppies. the tiger barbs will also attack the betta. i would find a way to remove the tiger barbs from the tank, as they will become more agressive later on. you seem to have a mixture of a lot of species, which could be a bad thing unless balanced right. also, what do you mean by "algae eater", that could be anything.

[sarcare]

Tiger barbs are tricky to house with any other fish, even each other. If one dies it throws off the whole shoal, and they can turn their agression outward. I have a sick tank with tiger barbs, and as one dies the rest fight until things settle down or another dies. Though I have another tank with tiger barbs, where they school together and don't fight. Neither of these tanks have any other fish--I would even hesitate to put snails in. My barbs have been known to kill snails as large as mystery snails, just by harrasing them to death.

[enrique4jc]

Sorry...its just a little sucker fish you get at Walmart, I dunno what it is for sure.

[fishcatch22]

chances are good that it's a common pleco. return it or you're in for some trouble.... amd not to be insulting or anything, I mean this strictly in an informative sense and am saying it in a friendly manner, but it's pronounced and spelled betta, as in, bet-ta.

[bettagurl]

I have a 29 gallon tropical tank that houses fancy tail guppies, neon tetras, headlight/taillight tetras, mixed fruit tetras(?), tiger barbs, algae eater, and a few ghost shrimp. I know the tiger barbs are supposed to be aggressive, but all of these fish live peacefully together. Would it be safe to add a colorful beta to my tank as a sort of centerpiece fish?
I agree,take the pleco back,they can get up to 20",way to big for your tank.
as for a betta,if you get rid of the tiger barbs then maby,I have kept bettas that live happily with fancy guppies and other that tried to rip thier tails off,it depends on the betta,have a back up plan if the betta doesnt like the guppies.

[Flaringshutter]

it definitely depends on the personality of your tigers. i have a tiger that i have kept for years now, with various bettas, and i haven't had any problems. However, he does chase one of my blackfin tetras around pretty regularly. But I've never seen him harassing the bettas. It may also help that he's fairly small and has never really grown much, though he has the room. They're much larger than he is.

[CaptnDan]

Bettas can be unpredictable when it comes to other fish, especially fish with flowing fins. I wouldn't recommend a Betta with fancy guppies.

Tiger Barbs are another one that can, and frequently does become a problem. As noted by others, they can become aggressive and chase / nip other fish until they eventually kill them, either directly or through stress.

As to the sucker fish from Wal*Mart, I'm not going to jump to silly conclusions that it must be a common plec, because with no more information than that, it is absolutely impossible to determine what it is. The Wal*Mart store here sells common plecs, but they also sell SAE's and frequently Rubber Lip plecs.

Try Googling Siamese Algae Eater, and also Pleco and see if you see something that looks like what you have.

[enrique4jc]

I do believe it's a chinese algae eater. They sell them at walmart as simply "Algae Eaters."

[maryeldo]

A veil tail betta should not be placed in such a large tank. As I'm sure you know they breath from the surface. They get really tired lugging those big fins around. That can lead to stress. Consider a female betta or a plakat male. I had a female in my planted 10 gallon and the neon tetras nipped her finnage.

[fishcatch22]

A veil tail betta should not be placed in such a large tank. As I'm sure you know they breath from the surface. They get really tired lugging those big fins around. That can lead to stress. Consider a female betta or a plakat male. I had a female in my planted 10 gallon and the neon tetras nipped her finnage.thats false. bettas LOVE large tanks. I have my male in my 10G and he's very happy and has fantastic color, indicating that he is NOT stressed. bettas can live for 3-5 years in good sized tanks vs. 1-2 in small ones, sheerly due to how much happier they are. finnage weighs almost nothing, and it's no heavier than hair for a fish. they do not always breathe from the surface and can and do breathe water, and only come up for air as supplemental oxygen once every 2-3 minutes. not all neons will pick on bettas, but it is a bit of a gamble.

[maryeldo]

Taken from
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/zmagazine/article.php?articleid=46

Bettas are Anabatoids meaning they have a special Labyrinth organ allowing them to breathe air from the surface of the water. This means they can live in conditions, such as in rice paddies, stagnant ponds, ditches and slow flowing streams, which would most likely be fatal to other fish. Bettas must have access to the surface of the water to breathe. They can actually drown without this access. Studies have shown that a Betta with its Labyrinth organ removed, even in oxygen saturated water, will die.

Bettas are one of few fish, possibly the only type, which can be kept in very small tanks, bowls or even the infamous Betta Vase. This is due to their capacity to live in poorly oxygenated water and lack of activity. It is said that Bettas can be kept in bowls or cups of 4 litres or even 2 litres but many argue that that is too small - the Betta may survive but it will not thrive. Until recently it was common place for Bettas to be sold in a vase with a Peace Lilly on top. Owners were told the fish would eat the flower's root and that water changes were not necessary. Conversely, Bettas do not like very large tanks either, possibly due to the fish 'patrolling' their territory and becoming tired and stressed. Many owners, kindly liberating their fish to a larger tank, have found themselves moving their fish back into a smaller tank again as their fish was so unhappy in its new home! Ten to 12 gallons in big enough for a fish on its own although people have successfully kept Bettas in larger community tanks.

Tanks need to be heated to a constant 24-29 C (75-84 F). Water temperature is a key factor in keeping your fish happy and healthy. Any current caused by filtration should be minimal so as not to stress the fish, this will mimic their natural habitat. Also, Betta fish are not usually strong swimmers due to their heavy finnage. Bigger tanks need to be filtered but many keepers who have smaller tanks do not have filtration and keep the water clean by doing regular (usually daily or bi-daily) water changes of up to 50%.

[fishcatch22]

Taken from
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/zmagazine/article.php?articleid=46

Bettas are Anabatoids meaning they have a special Labyrinth organ allowing them to breathe air from the surface of the water. This means they can live in conditions, such as in rice paddies, stagnant ponds, ditches and slow flowing streams, which would most likely be fatal to other fish. Bettas must have access to the surface of the water to breathe. They can actually drown without this access. Studies have shown that a Betta with its Labyrinth organ removed, even in oxygen saturated water, will die.

Bettas are one of few fish, possibly the only type, which can be kept in very small tanks, bowls or even the infamous Betta Vase. This is due to their capacity to live in poorly oxygenated water and lack of activity. It is said that Bettas can be kept in bowls or cups of 4 litres or even 2 litres but many argue that that is too small - the Betta may survive but it will not thrive. Until recently it was common place for Bettas to be sold in a vase with a Peace Lilly on top. Owners were told the fish would eat the flower's root and that water changes were not necessary. Conversely, Bettas do not like very large tanks either, possibly due to the fish 'patrolling' their territory and becoming tired and stressed. Many owners, kindly liberating their fish to a larger tank, have found themselves moving their fish back into a smaller tank again as their fish was so unhappy in its new home! Ten to 12 gallons in big enough for a fish on its own although people have successfully kept Bettas in larger community tanks.

Tanks need to be heated to a constant 24-29 C (75-84 F). Water temperature is a key factor in keeping your fish happy and healthy. Any current caused by filtration should be minimal so as not to stress the fish, this will mimic their natural habitat. Also, Betta fish are not usually strong swimmers due to their heavy finnage. Bigger tanks need to be filtered but many keepers who have smaller tanks do not have filtration and keep the water clean by doing regular (usually daily or bi-daily) water changes of up to 50%.I already know everything in there. and this may sound shocking to you, but it's been proven that how a betta's fins hinder them is they are so long that they cannot get adequate thrust from their tails unless they do it in short bursts of speed. if you watch a betta swim carefully it makes sense. bettas actually like strong currents IME, my betta loves swimming right under my filter, and has no problems or anything. and some of that stuff in there contradicts your own advice, like it says that they do better in large tanks and will only survive in small ones. and 70%-80% of the people here would totally agree with me that you should not keep bettas in anything under 5 gallons.

[maryeldo]

I have no desire to get into an argument of any type with anyone. That is not what this type of forum is for. Alot of things posted on here are opinions and experiences other have had. What I wrote was based on personal experience, things discussed in the Betta Group I am a member of (http://www.azbettaheads.com/), experiences the other members have had, and IBS material. So our opinions and experiences do not match?

And yes I was shocked at how you chose to respond.
Lets both just chill out.

[fishcatch22]

I have no desire to get into an argument of any type with anyone. That is not what this type of forum is for. Alot of things posted on here are opinions and experiences other have had. What I wrote was based on personal experience, things discussed in the Betta Group I am a member of (http://www.azbettaheads.com/), experiences the other members have had, and IBS material. So our opinions and experiences do not match?

And yes I was shocked at how you chose to respond.
Lets both just chill out.it wasn't an argument, it was a debate. I was not getting angry, BTW. if you don' want to debate, fine with me.

[CaptnDan]

I do believe it's a chinese algae eater. They sell them at walmart as simply "Algae Eaters."I've never had the pleasure, but I understand that as they get older, Chinese Algae Eaters get quite large, stop eating algae, and become aggressive.

Lots of info on them in the forums here on AC.

[icecubez189]

thats what im thinking too. SAE's are hard enough to find and distinguish from CAE's, so its more likely a pleco or a CAE. then again, it could be a harmless otocinclus.

[NinjaPirate]

bettas actually like strong currents IME, my betta loves swimming right under my filter, and has no problems or anything. and some of that stuff in there contradicts your own advice, like it says that they do better in large tanks and will only survive in small ones. and 70%-80% of the people here would totally agree with me that you should not keep bettas in anything under 5 gallons.

I'm going to mostly agree with fishcatch22 here. While bettas come from a small current environment, many of mine will happily play in flow from the power filters on their 10G tanks. So long as there is a relatively calm section of the tank they'll do fine. In rectangular tanks bettas will often sleep in the corners of the tank where the flow is minimal. I even have one crazy bugger who sleeps 100% vertical in the corner farthest from the filter at night. Been doing it ever since I got him, and he's certainly healthy and happy.

The only time I've ever had bettas have exhaustion problems were after breeding, where he spends 3 days basically going from the bottom of the tank to his bubblenest non-stop over and over. The recoup time from breeding is the only time I ever feel the need to leave his filter off for a few days.

Bettas can survive in very small containers because they get most of their oxygen from the surface. All that really means is that it takes bad water conditions longer to affect a betta. It doesn't mean the betta appreciates it any more than any other fish would. I hardly call what goes on in most fish stores "thriving".

As for space requirements for a betta, they can thrive in anything as small as 1/4 a gallon when they're younger, and I've had fully grown adults thrive in 1G environments. It takes a lot of work on my part to maintain a quality environment though. That's why for your average fish keeper I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a fully contained/heatable tank.