# betta in fish tank



## leogirl (Apr 5, 2006)

HI, can you put betta with any other fish? I've heard the like small tanks and can only be one betta per tank, is this true?? Thanks.


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## Sprite42 (Mar 10, 2006)

I think it mostly depends on the betta. Some will do okay and some won't. I have one of mine in a 10 gallon with some endlers, a baby BN, and snails. 

If you want to put him in a bigger tank, there are a few things to consider....bettas don't do well with a lot of current. As long as he has a place to get out of the filter flow, he should be okay. Also, if you have nippy fish, long flowing fins are a fun target. My Brady came from a tank with two female guppies, they about ate his tail off. After seeing two nips, I knew he had to come home with me.


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## leogirl (Apr 5, 2006)

Thanks, so would you recommed it. All the pet stores say they should be kept alone and in tiny tanks. Is that just one of those things ppl say because the don't really know?


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## Jojo (Apr 11, 2006)

Betta's can be kept in community with alot of community fish. But only keep one male per tank. My tank was 30 gallons when I had them with community fish. And they are not very happy in small bowls like they say.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

As has been mentioned, One male betta per tank. Another thing to keep in mind is bettas dont like a lot of water movement. So you do not want to put a betta in a tank that has a strong filtration system.


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## Echo (Apr 23, 2006)

That's totally a lie, people like to think bettas are happy in small containers but that is not true. Just stay away from Gouramis, Angels or female bettas. Other then that it sorta just depends on your betta and the other fish you decide to put in with him if they will get along or not. Just make sure to keep a good eye on the tank for the next few days after you add him to make sure no one is getting picked on. Make sure you have another bowl you can put your betta in incase things don't work out.


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## RockabillyChick (Nov 18, 2005)

i have seen bettas in 55g+ community tanks. they LOVE the huge space. you just have to make sure that none of the other fish have long flowy fins (betta will fight it, thinking its another betta) AND none of the other fish are fin nippers (will go after the bettas fins)


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## leogirl (Apr 5, 2006)

Wow...thanks guys! I'm completely convinced that petstores know nothing!!! They told me for sure you can only put one in a small tank alone:fish: (lol) ...they did this beore also when i bought my first leo, they told me a bunch of stupid things that i found (thanks to great forums )to be completly untrue Ok thanks a bunch


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## RockabillyChick (Nov 18, 2005)

well, you can't have two male bettas together, but you can have bettas with other fish


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## Ringo (Apr 10, 2006)

you can have say 20 males in a 30 gallon tank, u will most likely have a mean one though...
all the bettas do is mark there terroitoy, get in the occansional scrap,etc.

but i wouldent suggest it...


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## Echo (Apr 23, 2006)

lol, do you mean females?


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## BettaMomma (Apr 20, 2006)

I have lots of bettas. lol I have some of them in 2.5g heated tanks, but some of them are in 1g tanks. I just position them all on shelves and such so they can see other bettas so they have entertainment.
You can keep bettas in larger tanks with other fish, but make SURE you have a backup plan to pull them out if necessary. I have friends on another board who had her betta boy in w/gouramis and woke up one morning to find a murdered betta and a couple of very sheepish looking gouramis. I also myself rescued a poor betta boy that was in a tank at WalMart crouched in the corner - he was terrified of all the other fish he was in with. Oh, and then there was the little dalmation ct (or vt, not sure yet which he really is cuz his fins were all but gone) that was swimming obliviously around in the "plant tank" over at AniMart a few weeks back - he was in with some tetras, kilifish, guppies, mollies, etc. He had NO fins left. So he came home with me.

As it has been said, it does depend on the betta, but do keep in mind that bettas can and do snap, and a fish that seems perfectly comfortable living in with a bunch of other fish can one day turn ugly. But... many people have made it work.


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## BettaMomma (Apr 20, 2006)

Oops, I forgot to mention - a GREAT schooling fish to keep with bettas are white cloud mountain minnows. They do very well with bettas.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

I would have to disagree about the mountain minnows as minnows prefer much cooler water than bettas.


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## BettaMomma (Apr 20, 2006)

They actually do very well in betta tanks - in the mid 70 degree range. 
My tanks generally hover around 76 - 78 - and that's fine for wcmms.


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## Rebecca (Apr 6, 2006)

*Fish friends for bettas*

Hi! I have a gorgeous betta splendon in a 10 gallon with white cloud minnows and albino cory's. 
They all enjoy each others company and swim and eat together.
My tank is kept in the mid 70's


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## kaybee (Aug 12, 2005)

I had my betta in with my platys for a few months and lost a platy per week on average. Within a few weeks of removing Mario from the platy tank the platy population started booming! He was beating up the males in order of their dominance or so it seemed.

I keep my bettas in 1g planted, heated, filtered tanks.

Kay


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## meyerhaus (Feb 27, 2006)

SpoiledFishies said:


> you can have say 20 males in a 30 gallon tank, u will most likely have a mean one though...
> all the bettas do is mark there terroitoy, get in the occansional scrap,etc.
> 
> but i wouldent suggest it...


  :sad: Spoiled, I had to burst your bubblenest, but you would have about 15 dead fish in 1 day. :rip:

Minimum to keep 2 males in one unseperated tank, IMHO, is 125 gallons with LOTS of caves and plants. Even then, they need to be closley monitored. I would not put 2 together...ever...


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## Rebecca (Apr 6, 2006)

*2 males*

Hey, Jon, just wanted to agree with you. I read on some betta website a while ago, that one time 2 males were in the same outdoor pond, (not sure where this was, but obviously somewhere warm,) and they fought until 1 died. This was a POND, with all kinds of hiding places, plants, etc.
In some countries people still fight these fish, like tiny pit bulls, and place bets on them. 
Horrible, but true.


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## girth vader (Apr 24, 2006)

meyerhaus said:


> :sad: Spoiled, I had to burst your bubblenest, but you would have about 15 dead fish in 1 day. :rip:
> 
> Minimum to keep 2 males in one unseperated tank, IMHO, is 125 gallons with LOTS of caves and plants. Even then, they need to be closley monitored. I would not put 2 together...ever...


agreed but also with 30 females in there as well to keep both males skirt chasing the whole time. but that a lot of tank just to prove it could be done. 125g makes a great reef tank


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## Guest (May 22, 2006)

Harlequin rasboras make great betta tank mates. I have my male betta in a 10g with 6 harlies. He chased them a little when I first added them, but they are too fast for him. Now he is extremely happy and makes atleast 1 bubblenest a week. When he was by himself in a 5g, he made no bubblenests. He is one happy boy.

Peaceful tetras also make good tankmates. Stay away from the nippy ones though, like Serpaes, Buenos Aires, Red Eyes, Blue tetras and Black Widows. Tetras like neons, glowlights, black neons, lemons, pristellas, and rummynose make good tankmates.

Also, like stated before, stay away from other bettas (male or female), gouramis, angels (its iffy), and danios (nippy).

Bettas can successfully live in larger community tanks, if you take the right precautions. Make sure the current isn't too strong, or atleast that their is an end where it is not strong. They like plants and will sleep on plants.

Good luck!

And yes, the petstores will tell you that you cannot keep bettas in a community tank. I was told that when I bought my harlies...but I had to correct them.


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## FishGuy1564 (Oct 18, 2005)

Wow! Thanks a bunch for that info! I have my female betta in my community tank with cardinal tetras and a guppy and a gourami and they get along great! I keep my male betta in my breeding tank though because I don't want the female to see him and get nippy at the others.


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## darkfalz (May 7, 2006)

Pet stores know a lot! They know exactly what lies to tell you to get your sale, before you have to come back in later to buy a bigger home and more supplies, obligated by your pet purchase (customers with a conscience, that is).


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## SkipT (Jun 15, 2006)

girth vader said:


> agreed but also with 30 females in there as well to keep both males skirt chasing the whole time. but that a lot of tank just to prove it could be done. 125g makes a great reef tank


The last time I tried that it was 1 male to 3 females and the females killed the male  So unless you are breeding then keep females with females and males alone.

After they reach breeding age females need to be kept alone also.


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