My other fish are dalmation mollies, swordtails, neon tetras, diamond tetras, and a algae eater. There's plenty of room for him, but I don't want him to attack the others.
I've always heard they have to be alone, so I thought I'd ask before moving him from his lonely tank by himself.
2006-12-30 08:46:43 · 23 answers · asked by DeAnna 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
On the other hand, if you looked around you might find petstores who house bettas with certain fish, you just need to know which ones. There are hobbyists who will put a betta in their tank too. I personally don't see a problem if the tank is a nice size, like a 30gallon with places to hide. Your neons might get chased if they're little, and the diamond tetras might nip the betta's long fins. But there shouldn't be a problem with the rest of your gang. I would try it.
Your mileage may vary, of course.
2006-12-30 08:56:01 · answer #1 · answered by Bluebear 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well it's going to depend on the betta in questions temperment. Some bettas will be fine. Some will go nuts and attack every thing. Others will hide all the time. Generally good tank mates are fast, and don't look like a betta. My concerns in your tank on 2 levels.
If the molly are showy with big fins, and sails. They might be a target of attack, but in a large tank a betta with a lot of cover a molly other than a ballon molly would simply out swim a betta.
Also tetras and barbs can be fin nippers.
I'd try putting the betta tank against the main tank. If the betta doesn't go completely psycho. Try him out in the tank. Honestly in your tank it's more likely the other fish will pick on him than he will hurt them.
2006-12-30 17:55:12 · answer #2 · answered by Sabersquirrel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh my goodness some of these people are idiots. There are lots of people who say no. They have it all wrong. I keep a betta happily in my 55 gallon goldfish tank. How many times do i have to say this?
DONT PUT A FEMALE BETTA WITH HIM. Unless they are mating he will kill her. They only hurt other bettas.
Im not sure if you should try it though. Neon tetras are small and he might eat one. Not to say that he'll kill other types of fish but... ya know when a fish will fit into anothers mounth he usually ends up there.
i have never kept him with fish smaller than he is so....
2006-12-30 17:10:12 · answer #3 · answered by Heather 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do what's best for your betta. Keep him away from other fish. Either he is going to get hurt or the other fish are going to get hurt.
Even if your betta isn't violent he or the other fish could get distressed if you put them together. Some fish may even tend to nip the other fish and rip fins and tails.
When I had my male betta fish I thought he was lonely too and often thought about putting another fish in with him. I never did though, and he died happily of old age.
I wouldn't risk putting the fish together.
2006-12-30 20:03:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a general rule, bettas are not community fish. You've probably already read by now that male bettas are agressive towards other bettas. You are not depriving him of company by keeping him alone. In fact, he probably prefers being alone.
However, a community tank IS possible, but it really depends on the individual male's temprament, as well as the tempraments of your other fish.
A big thing you need to keep in mind before attempting this is compatibility. The other fish in the tank also need to be TROPICAL fish (so absolutely NO sharing tanks with goldfish! Goldfish are cold water fish, and bettas need water that is 75-80 degrees) that thrive in warm water, and it's a good idea that the fish you keep him with have short fins (a male betta might confuse a long-finned guppy with another betta) and are docile.
Another thing to consider is the size of your tank and the space requirements of each fish you add. Bettas need at least 2 gallons to themselves (I can explain the 'puddles in rice paddies' misconception if you would like), not to mention the needs of your other fish. Be absolutely certain that adding the betta will not overwhelm your bioload.
It seems like your betta will probably be okay. Please monitor your tank closely after you add him, as tetras can have tendency to be nippy. If your betta is being picked on, or he picks on other fish, put him back in his old tank.
Good luck and happy tank-keeping!
2006-12-30 17:37:18 · answer #5 · answered by bettalover 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Male bettas are only aggressive with other bettas, and other labyrinth fish, such as gouramis. Some have been known to be fin nippers with other fish, and sometimes it's the other fish who nip the betta's long fins!
I have a male veil tail betta in a 20 gallon long tank with three Harlequin rasboras, two otocinclus catfish, and two khuli loaches. They lived quite happily together in a five gallon up until three days ago, when I upgraded their digs.
Good luck!
2006-12-30 17:10:39 · answer #6 · answered by Lady G 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can, but there is no guarentee that he will get along with your other fish. A common misconception is that Male Betta fish will kill any fish you put it with, it is only guarenteed that your betta will attack if it is paired with another male betta, but it still could attack other fish, you just have to be careful and watch. Bettas have varied personalities, one may not be like the other, so it is based purely upon what kind of attitude your betta has. Also, you can't put a female betta with your male unless it is breeding season, otherwise he will kill her.
2006-12-30 17:05:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
My male betta is quite happy in my community tank. His tail gets a little nipped every once and while (from my angel fish) but he is very healthy. They only have to be kept away from other male bettas because they will fight. My beta isn't agressive with any other fish in the tank.
2006-12-30 19:18:02 · answer #8 · answered by joeanonymous 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each betta has its own level of aggressiveness. My betta is a little jerk, he's killed one of my algae eaters and maimed another one. Typically they can be housed with non-aggressive community fish, though they shouldn't resemble a betta in any way (no flowy fins). Your swordtails and mollies might be a problem. I would keep him isolated for the sake of your other fish.
2006-12-30 17:08:36 · answer #9 · answered by dolce 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It has been safely done before, but there is no way to guarantee everyone's safety 100%. Every fish is an individual, and behavior does vary.
If you try, make sure there are plenty of hiding places for everyone. Betta's are very territorial.
2006-12-30 16:56:10 · answer #10 · answered by Matt 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋