# bettas and others ?



## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

how well will a betta go with an eel and pleco and catfish and chilids ?


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

You need to be more specific. What size tank? What kind of eel, pleco, catfish, and cichlid? Male or female betta?


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## thatsfishy (Jan 18, 2005)

Not. Bettas are very territorial and are best housed on their own. They do not get _lonely_, or _bored_ or are in need of _interlectual stimuli_. Despite the fact that some folks try to make them an "ideal community tank inhabitant", they are not (females are just as territorial as males). If you really want to keep betta, keep them solitary and if you wanna fill a big tank with lots of colorful fish, go with the rest of your list. :wink:


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I've kept bettas in community tanks with no problems. They are only aggressive in certain conditions. I would never keep a betta with long-finned fish like guppies, or with other labyrinths. They tend to be very aggressive towards these types of fish. Other than that I would be more concerned about the other fish picking on the betta. They are frequently victims of fin-nippers because of their long fins, and the fact that they can't swim very fast.
I think most cichlids are probably too aggressive to keep with a betta.


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

In either case, a betta should not be kept with cichlids. DIfferent water chemistrys and the agressiveness of either species will lead to problems.


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## thatsfishy (Jan 18, 2005)

> They are only aggressive in certain conditions


Yeah ... when they're dead! :lol: A healthy betta is always agressive and ready to defend its territory. Just because some of those Walmart veils don't show any spunk doesn't mean it is a trait of the species. In addition, just because some people have had luck in the past of successfully keeping a betta in a community environment with suitable tankmates, it should not be made a guideline for beginners. And it sounds to me that bsmith is still exploring his/her options what to put in a tank and given his choices, a betta just doesn't mix!

Btw, bsmith, here is a site that has some stocking suggestions based on various tank sizes that include cichlids and plecos, as well as other schooling fish that do well together: http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/cichlidrecipe/crp22.htm


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Thats the link I was looking for in all my bookmarks!


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

hey man thats an awsome site, i got that boomarked but what does a " 1 trio Labidochromis " mean, i just dont know what trio means ?


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## thatsfishy (Jan 18, 2005)

Trio means 1 male plus 2 females of a kind (a reverse trio be 2 males/1 female each). It can help to cut down on the agression level of a species keeping them that way or during breeding i.e. put 2 females together with an over-agressive betta, he can dish out to both of them instead of almost killing just one.


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## bsmith (May 6, 2005)

ok thanks guys !


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