Guppies and Bettas....

Miersix Meerkat

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Nov 8, 2003
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Ok, I know Bettas are highly carnivorous but I am curious what you guys think. Do you think its possible for guppies and bettas to coexist peacefully or will it be a bad bad death thing for the guppies? I wanted to add a betta male to my school of guppies ... any suggestions what kinds of fish will work well with them? I have about 12-15 guppies all having fun together currently.
 
It probably would be a bad idea. I tried it and my betta killed one of them after within a few hours of putting them together. But some bettas are much less agressive than others. If you want to try it then go for it but if you see any problem seperate them right away.
 
If you can find a young male (one that is not full grown) you probably will be okay. I've kept guppies and bettas before, but it's hard to determine what they will do because each betta is different.
 
Atm, I have a 10g tank..not super huge. I'm thinking the guppies will outnumber the betta but who knows. My female guppy is about 2 inches long..almost the size of a full grown betta...hehe. The rest of the guppies I own are not full grown, products of the big Mama hehehe.
 
I just added a divider to my 20 gallon Long because my Betta killed two of three female Guppys. The Betta is a Short Finned Male and can swim very well. The divider has worked out well and everyone seems happy.
 
If you are set on keeping a male betta with guppies, I would introduce the betta with extreme caution. Monitor their behaviour closely for the next week or so. Male bettas can be pretty aggressive towards guppies.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that your 10 gallon tank with 12-15 guppies is already pushing the maximum capacity of your tank, if not already exceeding it.
 
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