Betta in a Community Tank

bdobosz

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Jan 2, 2005
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I'd like to move my Male Betta into my community tank but am a little uncertain if it is a good idea. The tank is a 55G with:

4 Pictus Cats
Pleco
3 Neon Blue Gouramis
1 3-Spot Gourami
10 Head/Tail Light Tetras
4 Corys


All of the fish get along very well and there is no nipping at fins, etc. Would the Betta be a good addition?
 
i had my betta in my community tank and it just kind of sat in the corner all of the time but my neighbor has a betta in with his gourami, swordtail and chinese algea eater and his does fine but he did have problems at first because it killed off a couple fish in his tank (a female swordtail and a goldfish that he was keeping in it while his brother cleaned out his tank).
 
Take my word - simply drop the idea.
Bettas are agressive all the time - no matter what the community comprises of.
AND, I guess it doesnt do any good to bettas either mixing them with other fish - they mostly look stressed when with other fish.
If you are really looking for some company for your betta - the best choice would be some female bettas for him - that too two or more - though I personally have no experience of this either.
 
suby7272 said:
Take my word - simply drop the idea.
Bettas are agressive all the time - no matter what the community comprises of.
AND, I guess it doesnt do any good to bettas either mixing them with other fish - they mostly look stressed when with other fish.
If you are really looking for some company for your betta - the best choice would be some female bettas for him - that too two or more - though I personally have no experience of this either.

Whoa whoa whoa, thats not right at all.
First off, I don't think keeping the betta with the Gouramis is a good idea. Like spartan said, it's hit or miss.
Secondly, not ALL bettas are aggressive to all other fish. Male bettas are more aggressive to female bettas than they are to any community fish IME.
Thirdly, they do not all looked stressed when with other fish, a lot of them enjoy the extra company and don't bother the other fish at all.
And fourthly, keeping them strictly with females is not necessarily a good idea, it all depends on the attitudes and aggressiveness of the bettas, and the size of tank they are placed in.
All-in-all, it does really depend on the bettas personality. You should be able to tell within the first couple of minutes whether or not he can be kept in that tank.
Please don't say they are ALL aggressive ALL the time, because that's simply not it. And from myself, a person with this experience, don't keep males and females together unless the living conditions are appropriate.
 
As said before, the Gouramis would be the biggest gamble. However, as you allready have him in a different tank, you could try it, and if it doesn't work out as planned, put him back. It not only depends on the betta, but the other antabids(gouramis). It is possible that it can work!
 
betta's

mabe i was just lucky but everyone of my tanks have a male betta or a few females lol so ya they love comm tanks but becarefull off curent. rember these fish are use too liveing in puddles on the side off the road for weeks at a time.
lol i dought a betta was the one too actually kill anything. bettas actually fight outher male bettas but outher fish all they do is PUFF up there head and glills too scare them off my ild betta use tooo punk out 8-10inch BGK's every day when they got too close to him lol.

when adding him too the new tank iff he targets out anyone chaseing them being all pufffed upp he doesn't like that fish he will keep that up till its stressed and dies
 
I would never keep male and female betta together at all, except for the brief time required to do a spawn.

Some betta will do fine in a community, others not. Making sure they're in with other fish that aren't fin nippers is very important. Those gorgeous fins are a tasty treat and very tempting. Also, betta may confuse fish such as fancy guppies with other male bettas and attack them.

A good idea, whatever you put in with your betta you keep an eye on the situation for awhile. As the newly added fish gets used to it's surroundings they can begin to act differently..becoming more aggressive as it feels more comfortable in it's new home.
 
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