can you put a beta fish in a tank with other non-beta fish? will they get along??

Answer 1

I am running a 5 gallon tank in my office. I have a very nice male crowntail Betta named "Charlie". I added 2 cory cats which he likes. I added 4 fancy tailed guppies to keep Charlie happy.

While I was warned to watch the guppies against nipping at Charlie's lovely finnage, that was not the problem. The guppies went after each other. Two orange tails made their own gang and slowly killed the two blue tails. With only two orange tails left, one attacked the other until I had to step in. This left one orange tailed guppy with Charlie and the cats. This worked well for a couple of weeks. But the guppy was getting bold on Charlie's territory and starting to even feed right next to him. NOT a good idea since Charlies loves his snacks.

I came to work Monday morning to find my remaining guppy hiding in the plants and terrified. I finally got him to come out and his fins were all eaten up. I had to help him along to the big fishbowl in the sky.

I am thinking about getting two more Corys but perhaps a pigmy variety I have heard of. Charlie will be the only top dweller in this tank for as long as he is here. He loves his tank and dances around every square inch of it. It is Charlie's World.

Answer 2

There are two answers to this question: Yes and no :)

NO: If you have a tank of less than 10 gallons, I would not recommend it. It is simply too small and the fish will become stressed and more likely more aggressive. If you have a betta in a tank this size, you can try 3 or 4 cory catfish, the betta usually won't attack them, but it's hard to say in a small tank. Also, a big NO to fancy guppies or any other fish with long flowing tails no matter what the size tank is. Also, other labyrinth fish such as gouramis and other bettas (male OR female) would not do good as tankmates.

YES: If your tank is 10 gallons or larger, you can try to slowly add a few more fish. Add 2-3 at a time, and don't rush it. make sure you have plenty of places for the fish to hide if they're stressed out (rocks, live plants are the best, driftwood). Any type of non-aggressive fish (NO cichlids, oscars (a type of cichlid) or barbs which may nip the bettas fins)). Some recommendations: platys, shorter finned mollies, white cloud mountain minnows, cory catfish, possibly danios, ghost shrimp... I have a 55 gallon tank set up that has a male betta, gold barbs, zebra danios, platys, cory catfish, yoyo loaches (great if you have a 30 gallon or larger tank), and a clown pleco. They all do fine. Betta are generally NOT aggressive with fish other than other bettas. It is a common misconception that bettas are extremely aggressive fish. My betta is about the most peaceful fish in the tank. Throw another betta in with him and that would change :) But as long as he is the only betta, he'll be peaceful.

So, the short answer: If your tank is under 10 gallons, probably wouldn't be a good idea to risk it. If larger, get peaceful fish that don't have long fins like the betta, and definately do not get any type of goldfish (they are cold water and a betta is not).

Another consideration: Fin nipping fish should not be housed with a betta. The long flowing fins will be a target for them. For that reason, avoid fish such as barbs or tetras. I keep barbs with my betta, but that is in a 55 gallon tank and there is a school of 7 of them. They pick on each other and leave the betta alone. Bettas also do not like strong currents. They are slow swimmers and the current can stress them. If you have a hang on the back filter, keep the water level in your aquarium high so there isn't too much of a current that will harm the betta. Also, with bettas, gravel isn't such a good idea, as it can easily fray the fins. Larger, smooth pebbles are a much better idea, even aquarium sand. Rocks and decorations with sharp edges are also likely to tear the bettas fins.

One final note: All male bettas will produce bubbles on the top of the aquarium if they are healthy and adults. This is NOT a sign that they need or even desire a mate. These are called bubble nests, and are where the females would lay eggs for the male to take care of. However, in an aquarium, if the male and female are housed together permanently, the male will most likely severely stress and/or kill the female. So do NOT take the buble nest as a sign that you need to get your male a female!

Good luck!

Answer 3

yes you can, as long as they are not aggressive or school fish that tend to harrass the Beta. They get along with fish like
Mollies, Platies, and smaller non aggressive fishes. They dont do well with the Chiclid groups like Oscars, Firemouths, and certian Gouramis. I have had several males (one at a time) in my tanks of other fish and never had a problem, I think really its based on the size and the amount of other fish that are present as to how aggressive your male betta will be towards them.

Answer 4

Yes. Bettas also known as siamese fighting fish are actually quite docile. The only fish they do not like are other male bettas. In fact you want to make sure you put him with community fish or the other fish will tear him up. And Do not listen to people that say it's not possible they do not know what they are talking about.

Answer 5

male bettas will only attack other male bettas, or other types of fish with large fins that may seem threatenning to them. other types of fish will not be harmed by the betta, however many fish often find the long flowing fins of the male betta to look very delicious and will nip at them, leaving the betta mangled and debilitated.

also, bettas can sometimes become stressed in a community tank, not only because of the possibility of being bullied by the other fish, but because of the currents made by the filtration system necessary for a community tank. a betta's natural habitat is in shallow waters with little water movement, which is one reason they thrive in bowls and small unfiltered tanks.

in general, it is best to keep them by themselves

female bettas however are non-aggressive and do great in large groups. they also have short fins so they often aren't a target of foul-play

Answer 6

Male bettas need to be kept away from other bettas, not necessarily away from other fish. Suitable tank mates for bettas include platies, swordtails, cory cats, neon tetras, cardinal tetras, white cloud mountain minnows, zebra danios, cherry barbs, rasboras, angelfish. You just have to add them slowly until you reach the desired population for your tank. Put in maybe two fish every week. if you put too much then they will die.when you know that a male needs a mate they start producing lots of bubbles that's when you know that they are ready to mate.

Answer 7

the beta fish is a very aggresive fish and to my knowledge is not compatible with any aquarium fish my answer to you is if you want beta fish keep them seperate from your other fish i don't even think beta fish get along with each other.

Answer 8

If they are about the same size or they betta is the larger fish there is very little to worry about. It's the other fish you need to worry about, not the betta. Bettas are quite peaceful and are really rather slow swimmers so they won't pick on other fish, other fish will pick on them. You want to stay away from aggressive fish, like cichlids or one's known to be fin nippers like tiger barbs. Do a web search for each fish to be sure.

Answer 9

No you can not, Beta fish are fighting fish.

Answer 10

I tried that once and the betta got the crap beat out of him. Had to remove him from the tank.