# First time Betta owner (kinda scared)



## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Alright, so I bought my first Betta fish today, he's really beautiful, black and all red fins, since he looked kind of evil and mysterious, I named him Vladimier(Vlad-Eee-Mi-err). xD Turns out he's kind of a jerk to my other fish... I just plopped him into the tank, and as soon as a fish got anywhere near him, his gills or something would flare up(Scared the crap out of me xD.. and my fish), and would start to charge them... Is this normal behavior? Do they ever adjust? And would it be safe to my fish if I kept him in there until he gets comfortable with all of the other fish?

Since I was scared of the well being of my other fish, I put Vladimier into his own tank for now... but he's not eating the frozen brine shrimp I got him... at all. :/

And I also am having a hard time depicting the age and type of betta this is.. I'll post a picture soon so you guys could possibly help me out.

Thanks, I would appreciate any type of feedback!


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

MsBugg said:


> Alright, so I bought my first Betta fish today, he's really beautiful, black and all red fins, since he looked kind of evil and mysterious, I named him Vladimier(Vlad-Eee-Mi-err). xD Turns out he's kind of a jerk to my other fish... I just plopped him into the tank, and as soon as a fish got anywhere near him, his gills or something would flare up(Scared the crap out of me xD.. and my fish), and would start to charge them... Is this normal behavior? Do they ever adjust? And would it be safe to my fish if I kept him in there until he gets comfortable with all of the other fish?
> 
> Since I was scared of the well being of my other fish, I put Vladimier into his own tank for now... but he's not eating the frozen brine shrimp I got him... at all. :/
> 
> ...


he may have just been frightened/stressed being that he's probably never been housed with another fish before. try putting him in a clear cup and floating him in the tank watch how he reacts and see if he mellows out. some male bettas are just aggresive towards all fish while others are only aggresive towards eachother. rule of thumb: no matter how peacefull the fish or what type it is you can never predict how a fish will react with another one. I like to compare them to dogs... you can have a pitbull that is the nicest thing ever on the other hand you could have the meanest one ever. you could have a chiwawa and it could be either way also it all depends on what you do to curb their aggresion and some things just never help they are just naturally aggresive. really if you think about it humans are the same way lol.


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## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Haha, that is very true.  I put him back in the tank and watched him for a while, he kept flaring and charging but he's toned down a bit, but is still pretty agressive with the male platy I have. I think I'll try that floating cup thing. How long should I keep him in the cup?


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

MsBugg said:


> Haha, that is very true.  I put him back in the tank and watched him for a while, he kept flaring and charging but he's toned down a bit, but is still pretty agressive with the male platy I have. I think I'll try that floating cup thing. How long should I keep him in the cup?


well if the cup has a hole in it he can stay in it for a little while. it needs to be able to let new oxygen in for him.


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## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Hmm.. I don't have a clear cup that I can do a hole in... will one without a hole work for a little bit?


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

MsBugg said:


> Hmm.. I don't have a clear cup that I can do a hole in... will one without a hole work for a little bit?


every half hour to an hour or so open the lid for a minut and close it again only fill the cup about halfway also. i dont really know if this will work but it could jsut mellow him down a bit until you let him out. after letting him out watch what happens if he persists on fighting he will need his own cage.


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## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Alright, I'm gonna go do that now, btw, is it possible for him to kill another fish?

EDIT; It seems to piss him off more xDD


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

MsBugg said:


> Alright, I'm gonna go do that now, btw, is it possible for him to kill another fish?
> 
> EDIT; It seems to piss him off more xDD


they are very capable of killing another fish especially a fish that isn't aggresive by nature and wont try and fight back.


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## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Ohhh, that sucks.  *sigh* Betta's suck. xD Platy's are so much nicer...


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

MsBugg said:


> Ohhh, that sucks.  *sigh* Betta's suck. xD Platy's are so much nicer...


lol bettas are alright just wait til you see your male platy's harras your females to no end.


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## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Oh, my male platy's a creeper haha xD Like everytime my Redwag platy is around he chases her none-stop like he's trying to rape her. xD I wonder why he's only chasing her, when I've got two other females in there with him...


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## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

MsBugg said:


> Oh, my male platy's a creeper haha xD Like everytime my Redwag platy is around he chases her none-stop like he's trying to rape her. xD I wonder why he's only chasing her, when I've got two other females in there with him...


they seem to chose ones they like the most idk why.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

The same reason that you try to hook up with hot girls. They look more attractive to you.

Your betta will likely mellow out, but I would watch him VERY carefully for the next few weeks. Bettas tend to become more aggressive with brightly colored fish, and fish with large fins. 

Also bettas are extremely picky about their food. Just keep feeding the shrimp and he will start to eat it when he gets hungry. Although brine shrimp by themselves are not a healthy food for your fish. They need some variety in their diet. Brine shrimps are also too high in protein.


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## MsBugg (Aug 2, 2010)

Eh, I've decided to give him back to the store... he seems sick. He just floats to the bottom and just stays there, all lifeless until I tap the tank to make sure he's still alive. I mean, afterall, I got him at walmart... they aren't really all about the fish there. And I don't want to have him all separate from the others, plus I'm gonna need that spare tank for my platy fry later.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Just as an FYI the Betta's will flare at new fish as a general rule, it's normal. They get over it. Mine flared at his reflection for over a week. 

While he could cause problems to the platy's the chances are that the damage would be the other way around. The platy can get away easily, Mr Betta cannot. So while he might be able to do quick charges and harassment the other fish will learn to just swim away before he gets near them. The harassment can be stressful so if it doesn't chill out then there is something to worry about. Plus the color of your existing fish are a factor as bml has stated above. 

Betta's sleep in plants or on the bottom of the tank. He may have been sleeping. Or it could be what I said above... the platy's have decided that they should pick on him and he is just staying out of the way. All of this would probably work itself out given time, but maybe not. Giving him back would be fine if they take him. I prefer to keep Betta's alone in a tank, just easier that way.


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## Peeps (May 24, 2010)

Bettas can sometimes be in with other fish and some just can't. I have tried. Some are more mellow then other fish. It just comes down to the individual fish and their personality. Bettas are aggressive.


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