couple betta questions?

Question

I had my betta in a glass vase that was about 2 gallons. I decided he needed a bigger home so I bought him a 5 gallon hexagon tank with a filter and a light. I was wondering is that big enough?

Also, are there any fish I can put in there with him? I feel bad for him that he's all alone but I dont know if he'll get along with other fish or not. Can I put a female betta in there? Or will they fight or breed constantly?

Lots of good answers. Too many to choose a best. Im going to put it to a vote. thanks everyone for your helpful advice!

Answer 1

I have my betta in a ten gallon tank. The only company he has is three apple snails as I didn't trust him with other fish.
He's fine. He has some plants (fake) to swim around & sit on, which he does, and he finds the snails fascinating & follows them everywhere.
I think your betta is fine to remain alone in your tank. Give him a couple of ornaments to hide under and swim around, and he's all set! If you put a female in there, he will kill her - that's virtually guaranteed. The mating behaviour of bettas is quite aggressive, and once the female has laid her eggs, the male will chase her off. If she's stuck in there with him, he WILL kill her.
Humans think because we get lonely, that all other animals do too, but male bettas are territorial. They like having their own space - so let him have it.
Well done on getting him a bigger tank - I hate seeing them in tiny little bowls. I'm sure he thinks he's in betta heaven!

Answer 2

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 3

Well, firstly, like others have said: no female bettas. Male bettas shouldn't ever be with any other bettas, regardless of gender. They do get aggressive to both sexes.

Secondly, a 5 gallon tank is actually large enough to keep him with a small school of low-waste fish. It's not about the footprint of the tank; it's the size, so that the betta is able to establish his own comfortable territory and get his own privacy away from his tankmates when he needs it; as well as the volume of water in it, so that the waste from more than just one betta can be contained. Tetras tend to nip, so you can try harlequin rasboras or White Cloud Mountain Minnows. A small school of about 3 or 4 should be sufficient. Alternatively, you could put in a snail, as long as it's too large for him to eat; or an African Dwarf Frog. (These are three options...not all are to be used at the same time.)

If you are putting a tankmate with him, do have an extra tank (or at least a container) ready to put the tankmate in just in case things don't work out. (I don't expect any aggression toward tankmates that don't resemble bettas, but some bettas are just particularly aggressive and won't stand for anything in their tanks.) You should also put in lots of plants (real or fake) and hiding spots.

Don't forget to cycle and heat your tank!

Answer 4

a 5 gallon hex is great for a betta. i don't suggest anything else in there. lots of people put dwarf frogs in with a betta -- but a hex isn't good for a frog because there isn't much bottom. i would suggest live plants. i think live plants work in aquariums better than artificial ones -- its introducing more life but not more fish. maybe 2 or 3 white cloud minnows. a few ghost shrimp too. bettas are fine with most passive community fish -- just not other bettas.

Answer 5

That tank that you have at the moment is a good size for just your betta, nothing else. Also, never ever ever put a female betta in with a male unless you are breeding them, but even if that is so, you have to remove one after they are done. The mlae will kill the female. Anyway, there are a few fish that get along with bettas, but with only a 5 gallon tank I would not recommend putting anything else in with your fish. Danios, not the long finned, Corydoras, White Clouds, Dwarf Gouramis, and most Tetras get along fine with male bettas. Just nothing with long fancy tails.

Answer 6

bettas don't do well with other bettas, although my cousin keeps (or kept, since he got a new more aggressive fish which are known to try and eat the bettas - he moved the betta) his in a large tank with several different kinds of fish - try going to a pet store and asking which types of peaceful fish it could live with, though it all depends on the personality of the betta - some like tankmates while some don't.

also, that sounds like a great size for your little fishy. i have a hexagonal tank also, and mine seems to love it. put plenty of plants and things in there for him to feel like he's in a natural enviroment and for him to feel save.

Answer 7

1. male + female betta in the same tank = 2 dead or injured bettas. don't mix the two. when breeding they're only in the same tank for a maximum of 48 hours.

2. a 5 gallon hex is excellent for a betta, be aware that they are a little on the tall side though so give him some tall plants to sit on on the way up and down the tank! i have one of my boys with a hex to himself, and to be honest, i think it's too small for any fish tankmates, the footprint on a hex tank is a lot smaller than a rectangular tank. you could however try an apple snail, or a couple of ghost shrimp.

remember to cycle your tank before adding your fish! and well done on deciding to upgrade your betta to a real fish tank :)

Answer 8

That's great that you upgraded to a 5 gallon tank! That is very big for just one Betta. There are other fish that you can put in with your Betta put you would need a bigger tank than that, a 15 to 20 gallon, because a Betta Fish is VERY territorial. As for the female, if you do put her in there she needs to be ready to have eggs and your Betta Fish should be making Bubbles Nests, other wise either your Betta will Kill the female one, or injure her. You Betta is fine alone because they want they're own space! If you want to make him happy, (even though he is with his grand 5 gallon tank) add some plants to perk him up so he can lay in them and add a ornament, like a castle or something that him can swim through. I have a castle for my Betta with a little hole under neath like a cave and then a hole up above to he can swim through, and he does this CONSTANTLY!
If you get something like this:
http://www.petco.com/product/10543/Aquatic-Gardens-Wet-and-Wild-Aquarium-Ornaments-BR-Ancient-Ruins-Collection.aspx
For you Betta, he'll be happy to swim around!
Add something like that to your tank, and some fake plants or some real ones and your Betta will have fun!
Also you might wanna invest in a water heater, saying that Betta's thrive in warm water.


I hope this helps!



-Capp

Answer 9

with a male betta i wouldnt introduce tank mates in anything less than a 10 gallon... and stay away from fish with long wavy fins and have an aggressive side... for an active healthy betta you should have a heater and have a temp from 74-80 degrees with a low output filter

Answer 10

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