Some Betta questions.

[mike47517]

Yeah i think they should be fine it wont hurt him i know that so if he eats them i would go ahead and give him some. Most betta foods are alot like chichlid pellets anyway. I have had a couple bettas before and they all did fine on walmart's betta food. it was cheap like $3 and it last me about 4 months.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

kk

 

[deskbetta]

I just got three fish 'given' to me when I went to buy the 5 gallon tank off of craigslist. One is a blue betta, one is a neon tetra, and one is a tiger pleco. *sighs* I guess the neon and the betta have been together for a while, so I figured I'd give it a try. Well, today, I see that the betta has completely nipped the poor neon's tail. Like, bloody stump fin nipping. So, my take: better not chance any fish you LIKE in with a betta.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Yes it is a risk.

 

[bluerose]

Funny... usually it's neons nipping the betta...

Granted, I have a female in with my neons (3) and glolight, and everyone gets along... well, swimmingly. She's definitely supreme ruler of the tank but everybody lives happily.

I haven't had a problem. It is a moderately planted tank with driftwood and pots though-- places to hide and whatnot.

 

[mike47517]

Neons are scared little fish when they're all alone, and what happened to your neon doesnt really surprise me. if he had a couple of buddies he would have been the one nipping the betta.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Don't know about the mike, they could easily all been killed and as easy as all of them nipping at the fins.

 

[rallykid]

I kept my previous Betta in a 29 gallon with 2 Iridescent Sharks, 2 Balas, a Red Tail Shark, a Pleco and a Khuli Loach with no problems. My current Betta is in a 30 gallon with a Pleco, 3 Khuli Loaches, 3 black tetras and 3 Tiger Barbs and has no problems. A lot of it depends on the fish. Bettas have very unique and amazing individual personalities. I had one that would get mad and hide if I did not stick my fingers in the tank and pet his fins when I turned the light on in the morning and when I came home from work at night.

 

[mike47517]

Don't know about the mike, they could easily all been killed and as easy as all of them nipping at the fins.

Oh I know. Bettas can just about kill any fish smaller than them. But they usually dont want to waste their energy killing a couple. 1 is just alot easier.

 

[deskbetta]

Yeah, there's no way I would have put that poor fish in there, but they had apparently been living that way for some time. I suspect that the little neon originally had some friends, and they were getting picked off one by one...the people I got the tank and the fish from didn't strike me as very observant of what was going on with their fish.

 

[mike47517]

Oh well. Now you know to study the fish for a second to make sure no one is picking on another before you buy them.

 

[deskbetta]

Well, If I had actually bought them, I would not have gotten any of them! *laughs* I went to pick up a used 5 gallon tank for the betta I already have. When I got there, the lady said her fish came with it. It was a betta, a neon, and a pleco! Yikes, not the mix I would choose for a 5 gallon tank!!! When I said I didn't really want them, she said she would just flush them. *sighs* So, I took them. The pleco wil have to find a new home soon, but for now he is OK. Very young and small, but he'll soon outgrow the setup.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Yeah, you'll def have to get a bigger aquarium or give him to a better home.

 

[mike47517]

Yeah. If you dont have a larger tank you could always trade or sell him to your LFS.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Yup