My Beta Needs a Buddy...?

Question

i went to petsmart a couple of days ago and saw that they had a beta in a tank of guppies.. and the beta was fine.. so i got a guppy and tried it with my guppy.. but it didnt work.. my beta flared up and wanted to fight the guppy... why didnt it work with me but they were all fine at petsmart..?

Answer 1

Most likely it was a numbers issue. Bettas can see a guppy (especially a male with long fins) as possibly another betta, and act accordingly. But in a tank of 25 other fish, it would be overwhelmed!

Also, if your betta was in the tank first, it may consider it "his" home. If you wanted, you might try this again, but either introduce females which it would be less likely to confunse with another betta, or introduce multiple (3+) fish if you have enough room. You might try rearranging the items in the tank just before introducing new fish so there is no specific "territory" for him to defend. And be sure to have plants or hiding places in the tank where the fish can retreat if the betta does start to pick on one of them.

Answer 2

At petsmart, was the betta in a larger tank than yours? It can work if the tank is huge. Did the guppy you get have a long, flowing tail? The betta might of thought it was another betta.

I bet you got a male guppie with a long tail and the tank at petsmart had a female with a shorter tail.......

Answer 3

Chances are because Petsmart had them in seperate sections that can be hung on the sides of the tanks. Guppies have flashy tails and that makes the betta get territorial because he thinks the guppies are other bettas.

Answer 4

Hah! Beta with Guppy.. You sound just like me! I thought it would work too. Unfortunately, the guppy's can KILL other fish. Killed two goldfish and another forget what the name is. Only thing I know that Beta's get along with, would probably be bottom-feeders. You can get a shrimp, or a snail, or one of those actually fish who clean the bottom. The reason is, because they don't see those fish as a threat. Also, if you want a real fish, get an ugly one. Guppies are kind of pretty, therefore the Beta feels that as a threat (SP).. Kind of like a fashion compettition .. Or a, 'fish'ion competition.. Tehee!

Answer 5

Well it probably was a large tank that pet smart had the beta in. Beta's prefer a small area because they are from the rice fields in china and they can be very aggressive when put together with another fish when the area is small. I would keep the beta by himself and leave him alone. Don't put a female in there because if they are not ready to breed the male will kill the female.

Answer 6

Can I keep other fish with my Bettas?

Well the answer is complicated, a nice big maybe

1st lets see what you have;
a 5g tank or larger 10-20g being ideal?
1 betta male or female?
A desire to have an amazing home for your betta and other fish?

The tank:
The tank itself should contain 1 or more caves as space allows, plenty of plants, fabric or real. A smooth substrate, fine gravel or sand. A Filter, light and a heater. The filter should be adjusted so the water current is minimal.

I have bettas in various community tanks. I have had only 1 that was not going to be friends with his tank mates and so he lives alone.

So the list of critters I have with my bettas;
Danios, Rasboras, Black Neon tetras, wild guppies, African dwarf frogs, Cherry Shrimp*, Ghost Shrimp*, Cory cats, Zebra loaches.

Things I would never keep in with a betta;
Gouramis, Angelfish, goldfish, most tetras, tiger barbs, cichlids, crabs or crayfish, anything bigger than a betta, anything thats a fin nipper.

Always research any fish before putting it in your aquarium.

In my experience you need to watch the other fish for picking on the betta than the betta picking on the other fish.

When introducing new fish to a bettas tank, let them float for about a half hour, long enough for the betta to investigate them and get bored. Bettas are very curious and will follow and examine new tank mates very closely. Try checking your bettas fish aggression with a colorful and very fast male wild(feeder) guppy, if he kills it you know he is not suitable for a community tank. Odds are he will play chase with it and never actually hurt it. Out of the many bettas I have owned only 1 killed the guppy, she was very determined.

The next thing you need is a backup tank, all prepped and ready to be home. Be ready to move the betta to it if things go bad. Sometimes bettas will just let other fish bully them, sad but true. Remove betta immediately if this happens to him or he could be bullied to death. It is easier to catch and move a betta than other fish.

Remember each betta will react differently to tank mates. Be observant and careful and things will go your way. The larger the tank the less likely your betta will go ballistic on his new friends.

Also remember that no matter how big your tank is, do not place 2 male bettas in it or keep a male with females.

So now that your an educated betta keeper, when people tell you that bettas kill any other fish you can laugh in their faces and tell them they are full of betta myth BS.

Heres some vids of my 20g tank with Vash the Betta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4TUmWSiHhs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4fbTPhlvRA

*Some bettas see shrimp as dinner and will eat them, same for snails.

Answer 7

Though Betta can be happy in a *large* tank with other fish, they do not "Need a buddy" ever. Betta are solitary fish and seem to prefer being alone. They don't make "buddies" even if they are in a community tank. They especially dislike fish with long flowing fins, and aggressive fish that like to nip. And, of course, if you put two Bettas together they will fight.

Answer 8

Some bettas have diffrent personalities and most bettas will mistake male guppies as other bettas, I do not suggest you add any other fish with your betta if its a small tank.

~ GG

Answer 9

That is absolutely normal behavior for a betta, when he's a new arrival

Give him at least 7-10 days to get accustomed to his environment and you will see that he won't hurt them
he will just flare at them once in a while


hope that helps
good luck


EB

Answer 10

I don't know. The other name for Bettas is Siamese fighting fish. I have only seen them alone.