Assassin Betta?

[momnatur]

I started out with a male and two female Bettas, a male and three female Mollies, and a male and two female swordtails in my tank. Both the male Mollie and the male swordtail have since died, the swordtail abruptly (the Mollie seemed to be getting weak before he died). None of the other fish are ill at all that I can tell, and, with the possible exception of the clown pleco, that makes the male Betta the only boy in the tank. What are the chances that he assassinated the other male fish? Am I just being paranoid, or is this possible?

 

[Wippit Guud]

Any visible evidence?
Betta's won't just stare a fish to death, he'll get aggressive with it.

 

[momnatur]

Not really any evidence, no bites taken out of them or anything. But for the brief time I had a gourami, Roho (my Betta) just followed him around, getting in his face and flaring gills at him. I never saw him do that with either of the two males who died, but that doesn't mean he didn't do it. He's little for a Betta, but of course he's tough. I'm just wondering why the females are all doing fine when the males are dying off. And I'm afraid to replace them for fear the same thing should happen unless I remove Roho.

AZ

 

[Grassguy]

Now, Bettas and gouramis are in the same family, and don't get along well. Since the gouramis finnage is similar to the bettas, the betta saw the gourami as a threat. Could there ve any other possibiloties for the deaths of these fish? What are your water parameters? Did you say that one acted weak before he died, and did the other one act a little strange before his demise?

 

[momnatur]

Yes, my white Mollie acted weak for a few days, swimming at an angle rather than holding his body straight. This is a 20 gallon freshwater tank, and it's been up for months. The swordtail showed no signs of illness. He was just dead.

AZ

 

[snakeskinner]

any male or female bettas I've had in community tanks were associated with the mafia and took out the kneecaps of competitors during the night. Kyle

 

[momnatur]

So should I put the male AND female Bettas into a separate tank, up the Mollie and Swordtail population, and go with that?

 

[snakeskinner]

male and female betas rarely get along either. you'll be better off with separate tanks for each in my opinion. Kyle

 

[PumaWard]

If you're not having problems now, then I wouldn't go do anything. I've never been able to keep male mollies very long either.

I don't think the bettas did anything, and if they are getting along (the males and the females), then I would leave things be. If you notice any real aggression, like the male chasing the females around and around the tank, then I would move the male.

 

[snakeskinner]

I never noticed any agression till I walked by my tank one night to get a drink and found the betta's chasing eachother and pummeling guppies so watch yours some evening too . Kyle