my betta is being agressive helpppp

[autumm]

i have a male halfmoon betta that has been by itself for a while
so recently i but in 2 neon tetras and my betta is attacking them please help! im new to bettas and after doing research online i found out that tetras are usually good tank mates for them. my betta does have slightly frayed fins, but he had fin rot so i cant tell if the neons are also nipping him please help and also how to get my betta to stop eating my neons food? ik it isnt good for my betta so now im concerned

yes, my betta does have an agression streak but i thought he would be fine with the neon tetras. in fact for the first few secs my betta saw my neon he didnt flare, just wandered, then decided to go back and start flaring and attacking the neons. as for how do i know my betta is agressive since this is the first time my betta has had real tank mates since he ate all my aquatic snails, yes he ate the snails ;-;

does water temp have anything to do with it? maybe my betta is stressed since water is too cold and he is taking out on my tetras T-T
also my tank is small, i thought that may be the reason it is a 3-5 gallon tank i think im planning on getting a 10g soon

here is a pic of my tank

 

[fishorama]

Pretty betta!

Well, I kinda answered you in your other thread, but, more decor may help. Those neons look bite size to me & probably to your betta too (eek!) There are several easy plants you might try but, real or fake, you need more plants etc.. I'll get back to you tomorrow (it's dinner time for me, sorry).

I'm not a good little tank guesser. Can you please measure all 3 directions & let us know.? & tell how you maintain the tank. How often do you change water & how much each time? What temp is your tank?...& there will be more questions...I did warn you...the more we know the better we can help...& we do want to help you!

 

[autumm]

I dont know what temperature my tank is, i have recently ordered a heater to make sure it doesnt get too low (im just taking a guess currently it is low 70 maybe?)
i change 1/3-1/4 the water about once every month (somehow i dont get ammonia spikes, the one time my betta got sick was from me forgetting to change the water), and i do have a small tank. it is 9 inches wide, 3 inches in length, and 6 inches tall, i think. im just guessing here but to actually get teh exact measurements i would have to get a ruler to do, but am currently more occupied on keeping my betta from biting the tetras.

 

[autumm]

the neons were the largest my relative could get at the pet store and i think they should grow to about 2 inches (same size as betta without tail). however idk how long they will make it with my betta threatening to bite their fins >_<

 

[autumm]

the fish stopped fighting but there is a problem. the betta seems to be hanging around the top of the tank and threatening the neons whenever they get close. so now i have issues feeding the betta and the tetras. i dont want to just go in and grab the food (and cause my betta stress) if it isnt eaten but if the neons dont eat it will lead to some bacteria spikes. also my neons arent eating since the betta is hanging around the top of the tank. so now i know hte fish wont die from getting nipped, but they might starve which has me concerned.

 

[fishorama]

Bettas do hang out high up in tanks often. It's normal. They can breathe air, part of the reason they can live in smaller tanks or rice paddy puddles.

I have to say your tank is WAY too small for any fish other than the betta...& it's awfully small for him alone. I think it's less than a gallon. I would ask you to return the neons. I know your relative meant well but an adult betta is bigger than the largest neon I've seen. I would say a 10g tank would be the minimum for a betta & a small group of other fish. Think about upgrading...if you can. Or enjoying your betta as an "only" fish if you can't.

You also need to get in the habit of weekly water changes. That way you avoid any water quality stress issues (there's more than just ammonia in the water). & if you miss a WC, it's not a path to disease. & instead of just changing water, you want to vacuum out poo & any uneaten food often.

I would suggest 6 harlequin rasboras in that 10g size tank rather than neons, cardinals or any tetras. They don't have teeth at the front of their mouths like tetras do. So they can't nip, even if they weren't so peaceful. They also have a "taller" body shape so they don't look bite sized to bettas. Espei rasboras are a little bit smaller & a slightly different color but could also work in a 10g. I love rasboras! But, again, that's in a 10g tank not your tiny tank...

You might look on social media for a free 10g or maybe a relative or neighbor has 1 in their basement...ask friends too...I've given tanks away many times & been gifted them too (or almost free). We getting to garage sale season...

Bettas need a temp in the upper 70F-very low 80Fs to be active & healthy. Neons prefer low 70s. Yes, you probably do need a heater no matter how warm your house seems in winter.

I know, a lot of info to take up all at once but we want you to have a happy healthy betta & fish tank. We'll help more as you & we think of more questions. Like most things, there's a learning curve.

I'm sorry this is probably not what you hoped hear...but many of us here have lots!! of experiences over many years & many fish. Learn from our mistakes & successes. We really can help you if you listen to our suggestions. Online you can find anyone +/or everyone that has had "done" any combination of fish & tanks...we look to long term success for the most part here on AC. I'm not happy unless most of my fish live at least 5 years but better 10+...Some very inbred fish live much shorter lives...like some betta strains...but i expect better from fish I keep...You should too!!

 

[autumm]

my betta has stopped attacking the neons aftr i installed the heater because i found out my water temp was averaging somewhere around 65 (oops). Now the nipping has stopped, but the neons are hanging out in the bottom and i feel like my betta gave them ptsd or smth. currently my tank temp is 76 so i feel like the reason was from cold stress and my betta decided to take stress out on the tetras.

i found a 10g on petco for 12 dollars (50% off sale) and i have decided to get that later. currently i am focusing on decor for the 10g. that gives me a question: is preserved moss aquarium safe? i wanted a cover for the 10g besides gravel but as i have realized the mosses and covers are really expensive. as im kind of on a budget for the tank i thought about using preserved moss and fake aquatic plants so i wont have to use fertilizer (im known to mess complicatd things up) so please let me know if that will work.

as for my betta it is currently trying to play with (or nip?) the tetras. however the nipping (?) has gone down a lot, so i would say part of it was cold stress. also the tetras are moving around a lot more now so my betta cant catch them. thats a good thing because now i dont have to be as stressed, i guess. but still i agree, the 3g is too small. however the tetras are not nipping the betta, the betta's tale is just a bit shredded from a fin rot bacterial infection from a while back (he doesnt have it anymore) and he is still healing from it. thanks for the tip!

 

[autumm]

Bettas do hang out high up in tanks often. It's normal. They can breathe air, part of the reason they can live in smaller tanks or rice paddy puddles.

I have to say your tank is WAY too small for any fish other than the betta...& it's awfully small for him alone. I think it's less than a gallon. I would ask you to return the neons. I know your relative meant well but an adult betta is bigger than the largest neon I've seen. I would say a 10g tank would be the minimum for a betta & a small group of other fish. Think about upgrading...if you can. Or enjoying your betta as an "only" fish if you can't.

You also need to get in the habit of weekly water changes. That way you avoid any water quality stress issues (there's more than just ammonia in the water). & if you miss a WC, it's not a path to disease. & instead of just changing water, you want to vacuum out poo & any uneaten food often.

I would suggest 6 harlequin rasboras in that 10g size tank rather than neons, cardinals or any tetras. They don't have teeth at the front of their mouths like tetras do. So they can't nip, even if they weren't so peaceful. They also have a "taller" body shape so they don't look bite sized to bettas. Espei rasboras are a little bit smaller & a slightly different color but could also work in a 10g. I love rasboras! But, again, that's in a 10g tank not your tiny tank...

You might look on social media for a free 10g or maybe a relative or neighbor has 1 in their basement...ask friends too...I've given tanks away many times & been gifted them too (or almost free). We getting to garage sale season...

Bettas need a temp in the upper 70F-very low 80Fs to be active & healthy. Neons prefer low 70s. Yes, you probably do need a heater no matter how warm your house seems in winter.

I know, a lot of info to take up all at once but we want you to have a happy healthy betta & fish tank. We'll help more as you & we think of more questions. Like most things, there's a learning curve.

I'm sorry this is probably not what you hoped hear...but many of us here have lots!! of experiences over many years & many fish. Learn from our mistakes & successes. We really can help you if you listen to our suggestions. Online you can find anyone +/or everyone that has had "done" any combination of fish & tanks...we look to long term success for the most part here on AC. I'm not happy unless most of my fish live at least 5 years but better 10+...Some very inbred fish live much shorter lives...like some betta strains...but i expect better from fish I keep...You should too!!

also i checked with a few friends they said it was a 3g so ok for 1 betta ig...as for the tetras i searched up online 15+g is good for them but i simply dont have hte room and it would mess up my budget. waiting for better sales on petco still.

if i dont reply but it says im online im sorry i will be back in a few mins... busy at the moment

 

[fishorama]

Look for free or very cheap 10g tanks...but return your neons ASAP. Your current "tank" is really just not big enough for even your betta...I don't believe it's even a 3g. You can & should do better for him alone...Step up your game!! Don't try to justify keeping him in a "lesser" tank. you can & should do better...

 

[autumm]

Look for free or very cheap 10g tanks...but return your neons ASAP. Your current "tank" is really just not big enough for even your betta...I don't believe it's even a 3g. You can & should do better for him alone...Step up your game!! Don't try to justify keeping him in a "lesser" tank. you can & should do better...

i just ordered the 10g on petco it says it will come tomorrow but i am a bit more focused on decor at the moment...will preserved moss be ok in an aquarium? i dont know and when i search the internet it doesnt mention anything around fish.