Aggressive Male Betta???

Question

I have 3 male bettas.1 has a 5 gallon tank, the other 2 each have a ten. They are filtered, heated(76-82F), have silk plants, and 1-3 hideouts. My problem is 1 of the bettas in the 10 gal doesnt seem to like tank mates. He terrorized 4 minnows I put in there( now in 29 gal) and when I floated a bag w/ 2 baby otocinclus in there,he flared and kept charging them, so I put them in the 29 gal community tank w/ minnows. I dont want to put him in a different tank so I can put fish w/ him, so would it be best if I had only him in there? Next question, the other male betta was in a 5 gal w/ african dwarf frogs, & was fine w/ them & has had a bag with platies & guppies floating in a tank, I didnt put them in there I was just equalizing the temp so I could put them in other tank &didnt seem to care, so could I put 3 cories & 2 ottos w/ him in the 10 gal he is in now? Now my last question, in the 5 gal, would it be ok to put 5 large ghost shrimp in there w/ the remaining betta?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I was thinkin 2 ghost shrimp in the 5 gallon, typo.

Answer 1

Hey blue...

First, not all bettas are that aggressive as you have seen. Some do better in a community than others though. If your aggressive male prefers to be a loner, that might be best. You might give him the 5 gallon alone, just an option.

The other two that seem to get along with other fish would be good tank mates for any of the fish you list, corys, otos or ghost shrimp. The one aggressive male might even change his attitude if you move him to another tank. He probably wants to breed and is trying to defend a territory. If you move him it will probably confuse him enough that he would accept tank mates.

Sometimes they do throw you a curve ball eh?

Hope this helps

MM

Answer 2

IF the betta in the 10 doesn't like tank mates, then don't put anything with him. Fish have different personalities, like people and all animals do, and it may be that he just doesn't like anyone else. You could try a Chinese algae eater or a couple of short finned danios. If the other betta doesn't seem to mind other fish, you can try putting the ottos and cories in there. Just not the guppies!
I personally would not add anything else to the 5 gallon.. A snail would be all that I would recommend, and just one, and a small one at that.
Maybe put the meanest betta in the 5 by himself and put the one in the five gallon in the 10 so that he can have some tank mates.
Just keep in mind when adding other fish with male bettas, to not add anything with long, flowing, showey, colorful fins, nothing that is real slow moving that could be an easy target for some aggression, and nothing that is too aggressive such as most cichlids, which would kill the betta.

Answer 3

For the beta who doesn't like tank mates. It sounds like he may have become territorial. Try changing his surroundings just before adding other fish. (also give them places to hide) This should put him out of his comfort zone long enough to get used to the new fish. He may never get along with other fish, but this worked well for my tank.

I am not sure about adding the cories and otto's in the 10 gal tank. They should work if the otto's are small. I just am not familiar with ottos and I think they get quite large? If they stay small (1-3 inch) they should be fine.

The ghost shrimp in the 5 gal may be a little much, but just keep an eye on the water levels and possibly change the water a little more often and they will probably do fine.

Best of Luck to you and Happy Fishkeeping

Answer 4

1st Question:
If you don't want to move him, that might be the best option, especially if he has already terrorized other fish. However, I would suggest moving him to a smaller tank. Bettas actually do very well in smaller environments. I've kept bettas for years in less than half-gallon tanks with a little bit of foliage, and they seem to do very well. While they also do well in warmer water, they do fine in cold water as well. They are very hardy and beautiful fish.

2nd:

I would suggest floating them in there for a bit first, and see if he has any reaction/interested in them. If not, they should be okay. I have kept bettas and ghost shrimp together before.

Answer 5

You are never supposed to keep bettas together, they like to be in small bowls or tanks. Males will go to the point of killing eachother when together. They are just naturally aggressive. So I do not think it is a good idea to put any kind of fish with the betta. I am just trying to save you money and the lives of other fish. :)

Answer 6

All beta fish are aggressive. They will sometimes kill one another. They are teratorial. You shouldn't have more than 1 in the same area as another. They fight a lot. I f you want to beta fish keep them in seperate tanks or bowls, or you would need to get a heck of a big tank.

Answer 7

that is odd. i have never seen a mean beta with other fish. hmm. i wouldn't risk putting anything in there with him, if he's going to be mean, let him be lonely. you don't want to wake up one morning and see only a beta in the tank after you put all kinds of fish in there.

Answer 8

I fyou have an aggressive male betta then keep it in a strong separate bowl.

Answer 9

If I understand this right,ghost shrimp would be fine.

However,that other male? I'd suggest leaving him by himself. He doesn't want friends and darn it! You just can't force him! RAWWWWWWRRRRRRR. ~ Compliments,your raging fish.

Answer 10

Bettas were kept in jars and bred by Russia to fight. (they bet on them) That is why their nickname is "japanese fighting fish"... and that is why they are kept in small containers. You should not house bettas together!!!