# betta had a fight??



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

found the female betta in the 30 gallon this morning with one partially missing ventral fin , ahole just behind her left eye and a couple of scuffed up areas on her body. She has been in the tank since june with no previous encounters.
Tank mates are a large BN pleco, 7 danios, a gourami, 1 emperor tetra and a small platy, rainbow fish
My bet is on the tetra as he is in everyones face. Thinks he can mate with everything.
I assume he has teeth?
No one else is chewed up.


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

I can suspect either the Danios (What type?), the Gourami (What type?), or the Emperor tetra.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

I would guess either the gourami or the rainbowfish (depending on the type of rainbow). Bettas seem to get in fights with gouramis though.


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## Sorafish (Sep 15, 2011)

I was under the impression that tetra were to be kept in a group of +6 otherwise they'll be aggressive and stressed...
Not sure though. Tetra aren't my thing...


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

well I think you are right about the tetras being in larger groups. I was given 3 emperors and have never even seen that type before. The male is separated from his 2 girls as he ws harrassing them and is in the 30 gallon community. My gourami is a pearl and seems pretty mellow compared to her sister who is in another tank. The danios are long fin, zebra and snake skin type. Generally they stick together and tear about the tank.

This betta is quite a shy girl so I am thinking maybe she got picked on for some reason.


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

I can only narrow it down to either the danios or the emperor tetra, but I'm thinking it has to be tetra from what you have described its behaviour to be.

I would just recommend to start watching the tank more carefully and as much as you can to see if any type of bullying is happening. Also, just keep the water as clean as you can and she should heal up in no time


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

I've seen schooling fish like danios and tetras get nippy when they are not in a school. I've not seen them get into an all out fight where they do more damage then some nipped fins. 

Gouramis on the other hand can get mean when they are left alone. A betta could provoke a fight too. Sometimes bettas do not like the larger fins that gouramis have and can start a fight. 

Some rainbowfish are actually aggressive. It would be worth knowing what species it is. 

Any of the fish could have done it though. Even passive fish can become aggressive for no reason.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

today the tetra went after the rainbow She is a dwarf australian and about 3 inches long. The tetra is about 2 inches. I bet he is the culprit.
Don't quite know where to put him as my 'spare' tank is already divided and houseing a couple of other tempermental fish.
The tank is rangy today-- lots of egg spawning from the daniosso I guess the weather is shifting again.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

Is the platy a male? I had a guppy with my female bettas and he tried to inseminate her and she beat him up.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

well this morning one of the blackskirt tetras had a hole in its head too but bigger than the hole the betta had. I have put the emperor tetra in a small floating container as he was chasing after every one today. The black skirt was well yesterday but she has this ugly hole now. The other blackskirt is obviously stressed because it has a few spots of lymphocystic disease on on. My bet is on the emperor tetra being the problem.
The betta is still healing from her attack- the wound was quite deep.
I Just read that emperors have small mouths and are usually quite gentle around their fry. The mouths do look small but what ever is biting into my fish is taking out big chunks.
I can't see it being either the gourami or the rainbow fish as I have had them for some time now. The only new addition was the emperor this early fall.


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

Then it most definitely has to be the Emperor, no doubt about it.


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