Betta vs. Shrimp

pwrflpills

pwrflpills

AC Members
Oct 19, 2005
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Delray Beach, FL
Last week I put 2 ghost shrimp in my 2 gal tank with 1 male Betta. I had read on here and had actually been reassured by members that was a good combo. Anyway, the Betta just finished the second shrimp for breakfast today. The first one he ate seemed like a full size ghost shrimp. I know they're sold for food, but I was told this would be fine. The Betta gets fed twice a day and water is A O.K. What's the deal?
 
Sorry you were assured they would be okay together. Bettas vary in personality, from laze about fish that don't care about anything else in their tank, to very aggressive fish that will quickly make a snack of anything they can--or shred it trying. I've had bettas that were fine with shrimp and small fish, and ones that I wouldn't trust in with a large, aggressive fish.
 
Thanks. I forgot to add that he seems very docile. I've NEVER seen him flare at either me or at other Bettas in the store where I got him. Guess he just likes to eat.
 
Sometimes moving food is just too tempting. :) I tried putting some ghost shrimp in with my black paradise--he ignores the snails, but is butthead to everything else, so I knew it was a risk.

The shrimp didn't even last all of 24 hours. 6 of them, one eaten before it even hit the bottom, one that was fuly half the size of the fish. Persnickety bugger!
 
totally agree with orion girl. All fish have their own personalities, sometimes contradicting what you might read.

For example, the most evil fish i have ever kept was a male dwarf gourami! Other than flake, his favourite foods were caudal fins and eyes (in that order)

Fish are like people, some of them are just dicks. ;)
 
Yep, Jakers doesn't touch the stupid little pond snails in his tank. Just ignores them. Even if I crush them against the sides, nope. He bugs the behoojers out of the otocinclus sometimes. I wouldn't put shrimp in his tank.

As a contrast and to give you an example of personality, we have a Hammer's Cobalt Blue lobster (crayfish) in my son's tank. Many crayfish will eat bottom dwellers and slow fish and destroy plants. I put shrimp in there, he doesn't touch them. Mystery snail, nope. Pleco. Nada. The other fish in the tank? Nope, no way. Plants? He uprooted *one*. The silver dollars did more damage to my plants than him :)

Fish are like people. Regardless of race, creed or color, everyone is different -- and, as was previously mentioned, some are just dicks :)

Roan
 
I had 2 bettas, one I thought would be good in the community tank, one I thought was too aggressive. I tried both in a community tank, poised to grab out the fish if there was a problem. Turns out the one I thought was too aggressive did much better and remained in the community tank.

You have to try things out with individual bettas to see what will work.
 
Yeah, it seems the Betta more than most fish can vary quite drastically. I have my guy in a 10 gallon with 2 females, 5 corys and 4 harlequin rasboras....no issues at all.
 
Get this guys - ok, I mentioned he ate both shrimp, well, the second one I was able to remove about half of it before it was eaten. At the time I noticed that the water was now cloudier than I had ever seen it. I just checked the levels and everything was fine. Suppose the shrimp caused an ammonia spike or something (this is in my office and my test kit is home). Today I did a regular water change, but now the Betta, is lying listlessly on the bottom of the tank, only coming up for air. He's never acted like this before and I'm now afraid he's on his way out. It's been days since he ate the first shrimp, so assume it's not from gorging himself. Any suggesttions?
 
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