Will a betta eat a neon?

[vanillarum]

Strange things happen in fish tanks ! A month ago, I bought 5 L260s on line. Acclimated them, and put them in the 10 gal QT tank. 2 days later, 1 died, so I removed it. Figured I had 4 left: 5-1=4, at least in the math I learned. A week or so ago, after continually seeing only 3 fish, I decided to check. Took everything out of the tank. 3 fish left ! Checked everywhere within a 10' radius of the tank - nothing ! Now this is a 3 1/2" fish ! Not easy to miss. Still have no idea where it went ! Good luck with yours.

 

[catnipgal]

Do you have a seperate tank you can keep the betta in? Then watch and see if the neons stop disappearing?

 

[owl]

IMO betta may killed the neon and corys (cats) got rid of body quickly ...

 

[kjr928]

I can't see a betta being fast enough to catch a neon with all those fins. But maybe I'm wrong.

 

[dirtydawg10]

I highly doubt the male betta ate the neons. It could have killed them but wouldn't have eaten the whole thing. The others in the tank may have had something to do with the disappearance. Neons can be tough to find after they die.

 

[abcdefghi]

IMO betta may killed the neon and corys (cats) got rid of body quickly ...

Cory cats are in a different tank, in this tank its only the betta and the neons. It is a really weird situation, I can't move the betta anywhere, and the only other tanks I have would have the neons eaten for sure (angels in my other tanks).

In an odd way I don't mind if the betta is eating them, I just find it hard to believe that he is catching and eating them, but at the same time am running out of explanations for why every few weeks a neon completely disappears.

 

[dirtydawg10]

Do you have anything else in the tank? snails?

Snails can make quick work of a neon carcass.

 

[suburbsteve219]

i used to have a beta in a 10 galon with some neons and ive seen mine kill the neons but never ate them so im thinkin that it could have possibly got sucked in the filter or is in the rocks

 

[owl]

mine was a serial killer too ( before i put him in community tank ! ) i lost the track of his murders ! but never seen a betta eat a dead fish now and before ...

 

[abcdefghi]

Well, it was the Betta. I went in to feed them last night, and saw the Betta hunting the neon's (he was hiding behind some java moss and then chased after them) so then I looked at the 3 remaining neon's and noticed they had ragged fins. I then noticed one of the missing an eye.

So after thinking about it I moved the 3 neon's to my 55G. Before anyone jumps on me about the angel in there eating the neon's, I realize that is a possibility, but my reasoning was that clearly the betta can't kill them outright/quickly, so rather than them suffer until he manages to kill one, if the angel tries he is so big he will probably kill them instantly. There are also more hiding places in the 55G, and a bunch of other tetra's for them to find shelter with.