Why do Betta's eat other fish?

Question

Are they carnivorous? Are they safe to have around children?

Answer 1

BETTAS ARE TOTALLY SAFE! LOL
If you mean :
will they bite you? no
can you put betta fish with other fish of a
different kind ?
Although many experts do not recommend this, I have had success integrating a betta into a community aquarium. I have kept a male betta with various Tetras (typically strawberry, blueberry, Buenos Aires, black neon, and head-&-tail-lamp), algae eaters (plecostomus), and various Mollys (I honestly don't remember, but I think the ones I had the best luck with were called Marble Sailfin...sorry!).

The reason many people do not recommend bettas in a community tank is because of the chance of aggression towards the other fish, especially if the other fish's fins are similar to those of the betta (my male lyretail molly had fins like that). At worst, you can try it, but be sure to observe the community; if you notice any aggression, you will have to move the betta into his own home.

Interesting results were obtained in the trials that were performed for example; it was shown that the presentation of such an aggression-eliciting stimulus will act as an unconditional stimulus in classical conditioning, and as a reinforcer in operant conditioning. It is as if the fish beta finds the opportunity to attack another fish rewarding.
Their aggressive behavior appears to stem from the male Bettas need to protect his territory. For this reason, males should be kept separate at all times. However, both male and female Bettas adapt well to community tanks, provided that there is only one male Betta in residence.
Females, on the other hand, tend not to be antagonistic at all and will do well when placed together. A pecking order will be established in the community tank. One fish will establish itself as dominant and the others will act in submission to the ALPHA fish. As long as there are no new additions placed in the tank, there will be peace.

Talk to any Betta enthusiast and you will learn that Bettas each have their own personalities. They are friendly, curious and will get to know their caregivers. Some enjoy swimming into a hand and being raised out of the water to be stroked. There have been cases of Bettas who have suffered from depression and after sulking for a time, will starve themselves to death. This can occur if a male is removed from the tank immediately following spawning. In addition to their graceful beauty, these personality traits are what make Bettas ideal pets for people of all ages.

If you have ever seen a male Betta when it is “flaring”, you will understand the attraction to these exquisite fish. Flaring is a manifestation of their aggression and occurs when a male Betta’s territory is threatened in any way by another male. Bettas tend to become more aggressive as they mature, so don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.

Answer 2

Male Betta's are very aggressive and two can not be kept in the same tank without them fighting. All fish are by nature predators and prey. All fish will eat small fish if not well feed or if there is a large difference in size. Some fish are less aggressive by nature than others. Community fish are common fish that tend to be non aggressive. Swordtails, guppies, platies, tetras, zebras, and barbs are considered community fish. But a 2 inch swordtail will make a snack of a half inch neon tetra. Cichlids are aggressive by nature example of these fish are Angels, Oscars, Jack Dempsey's, jewels, convicts, and kribenses. The fish well stack a territory and chase or kill other fish.
I have had no problem with having female Betta's (they are less aggressive than males and you can have more than one in a tank)) in a tank with community fish. Actually I have had a male Betta in a tank of swordfish and the swordtails have torn the males fins.

Answer 3

My betta fish has never bitten me, just nipped me a little. His mouth is smaller than the end of a pair of tweezers--the damage was minimal. Come on! Of course they're safe to have around children! It's not South Park--what, are some killer betta fish gonna jump out and bite people in the neck?

Bettas eat betta food or food for freshwater fish--I fed my whole aquarium frozen bloodworms (mosquito larvae grown in some fish food facility) until the store ran out, and then I fed them frozen brine shrimp. I'll go back to bloodworms when the store gets them back in stock. I started with a betta fish, then got a tiny little dwarf African frog (the cutest little frog ever!), a red-and-green aneus catfish, and two white clouds. The other fish are peaceful--just make sure when you get other fish that they don't like to nip long-finned fish. Bettas don't always like, say, plecostomus or fish with long fins. And don't get a male and a female unless you want betta babies.

Of course, if you only have a female, they're much less combative and don't fight much with other fish (but they're not half as showy as the males and are way smaller.) My betta fish has always been kind to all the other little animals in the tank (sometimes I also have ghost shrimp, and he was nice to them, too.) The frog jumps on the fish and the catfish sometimes tugs on his fins, but he never gets mad at them. He's a great fish. Try one. But get a proper tank with a filter--you can get little filters for fish bowls that work on tanks that are not even a gallon in volume. Or clean his tank religiously if you only have a betta--some other fish need filtration, though (and frogs definitely need good filtration.) Bettas can still get sick, even though they're hardier than some fish. Yay, bettas!

Answer 4

Bettas are carnivores and eat bug, and small fish in nature. (Note most fish happily eat other fish if they are small.) Bettas are territorial and are best kept alone. I wouldn't keep a betta with other fish unless the tank was 5+ gallons.

There is no way a betta can hurt a child. My bettas, and other fish have nibbled on my arm. It tickled.

Answer 5

Bettas eat other fish because they are not made to be in groups like other fish can. They are most definetly are safe to be with kids. They are perfect to have if you only want one fish becuse the fact that they can only be in one a tank. They are beautiful and colorful.

Answer 6

Yes, they are carnivorous! In their natural habitat, they eat larvae (bloodworms), small insects, and fish smaller than them. However, you need not worry about having children around the betta. Bettas are NOT piranhas -- they have more to fear from your children than your children from them!

I hand-feed my bettas and they have never nipped me! ;-)

Answer 7

ur kidding me right, u didnt just ask if they were safe around children, that freakin fish is like an inch big and has no teeth, my son plays with ours all the time he catches it and lets it go oh yea but the water is clean, theyre dirty fishes so clean it before u kids touch it

Answer 8

bettas fish r the most agrisive fish u could have do not put to males togeather and when u have male and female togeather take female out when she lays her eggs cause male will eat them

Answer 9

they dont eat other fish...there just better as single fish...you can put them only one though..in a tropical community *with like neon tetras...*

they just fight with other bettas

they are fine with children. there a pretty fish to watch.

Answer 10

they don't in real life they eat misqito larvae