Community tank+Bettas??

S

Sunny

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Jun 24, 2004
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Texas, USA
excoboard.com
Hi! I am new to the aquarium hobby world, and very excited about my new tank we are getting this weekend. This will only be a medium size aquarium to start with, and I have been reading a lot on how to set it up and the types of fish to put into it.
I have two Bettas, a male and a female, and have run into a few problems with these two. My husband wants to put the Bettas into the new community tank and I am not too sure if this is such a good idea.

How will Bettas (a male and a female) behave in a community tank? Will they harrass other peaceful fish, like, catfish, goldfish or angelfish? Will they still attack each other or stay out of each other's way?

Thanks in advance for your advice! :)
 
Mixing a male and female is not a good idea. The male will pay too much attention to the female, and may kill her. Adding either one will depend on the other fish in there.

Goldfish, bettas and angels will not work together--goldfish, even fancies, need cooler water than the other two, and are so messy that it's best to keep them in their own setup, to deal with all the waste.

Bettas and angels can work, but often the angels will nip at the long fins of a male.

Catfish--well , it depends on the type of catfish. Some are very predatory, and capable of eating an adult betta easily.

What size tank are you getting?
 
Bettas are usually compatible with fishes that are not too active, are not fin nippers, and do not have long flowing fins. Some bettas may be nice enough that they can live with other long flowing finned fishes while others are just anti-social and will attack anything.

Male bettas are territorial against other anabantids (paradise fish, guaramis, etc) or other fishes that have long flowing fins like fancy guppies. If you have a big enough tank then it isn't a problem but a small or medium tank doesn't have enough room for the fishes to stake out territories and run and hide if need be.

Some goldfishes have long flowing fins and will be attacked by the betta. Additionally, bettas prefer warm temperatures of 78 and above while goldfishes are coldwater fishes that prefer temps below 72, so they're not compatible.

Fishes that nips fins, like some tetras, will find the fins of the male betta a nice target and rip it to shreds. Active fishes will just annoy the betta and stress them out.

A male betta will usually tolerate a female if there is enough room for them. You probably don't want to keep a pair in anything less than a 20 gallon tank.
 
Wow! I am very impressed with the knowledge that people on this forum have! So glad I found you and thank you for your replies!

We are getting a smaller medium sized tank for now. I thought that it would be best to start with something not too big and get experience.
The strangest thing is that (as I spoke on another thread) my female Betta turned out to be more agressive than the male, and I was forced to separate them, a very bad experience for a starting hobbyist, I guess. :sad

You mentioned about the temperature differences between Betta and Goldfish. How do some people manage to keep either one in a bowl with room temperature water?

I read in a book where the writer says that if you live in a warm climate and keep the room relatively warm you don't have to have a heater for the aquarium. Is this correct information? The aquarium we are planning to buy will have a complete started kit including the heater and the pump, etc.
I am looking forward to having a nice variety of fishes. What would be your suggestions about which are the best to get for a beginner and which will get along well with each other in a medium size community tank?
 
Gallons? 'Medium' doesn't mean much--what I consider medium (55-75 gallons) would be big to others, small to some.

People who mix fish from different temperature preferences often deal with more diseases and shorter lived fish. Some fish are tough, and will live, but they seldom thrive and live their normal lifespan.

Tanks in rooms that will keep the temperature in the right range, and stable, can work. The trick is being stable. A fluctuation of many degrees several times a day is rough on the fish. A heater prevents drops in temp-other methods are used to prevent spikes. So, while it can work, it's not really the best idea. Many fish will be prone to diseases if kept too cold or too hot, and swings between the two are tougher on them.
 
If you haven't bought the kit yet may I suggest going with a Marineland tank kit. The ones I've seen have better filters and heaters then the All Glass ones I've seen. I have a male betta in a 29 gallon tank and he seems to be ok. He did attack my Bronze cory catfish when I first got it but now they leave each other alone. As everyone has said avoid fin nippers and long finned fish and you should be ok. I have Neon Tetras and White Cloud Mountain Minows in my tank and aside from my hand the betta doesn't attack anything ;) . The thing I have read is that even a betta that has lived peacefully in a comunity tank can just snap one day and go on a rampage. They're definitly a fish to watch in a tank but a real nice addition non the less.
-Neo Sithlord
 
My brother's betta did attack one of his groumais and one of my common goldfish (at the time he was keeping the betta in a cold water 1.5 gallon tank and I let him borrow a goldfish). If they are given room and, like everyone else says, you avoid other long-finned fish you should be fine.
 
That betta has since been removed into an empty 10 gallon tank at my advice.
 
In gallons the aquarium we are getting is only 10 gallon, and it will be plastic with everything included. I'd like to have a bigger tank later when I am used to caring for it. My husband is insisting on buying a couple of Angelfish. I now have only one Betta left, a female.
What would be a perfect 10 gallon tank with peaceful coexistance of different fish types? Which other fish would you add? And should I place that female Betta in it?
 
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