Female Betta in community tank?

[CoyoteWildfire]

I'm not planning on getting a betta by any means, but I am curious, do you think a female betta might go well with my 32g stock?

Red Neon Dwarf Gourami
Glass Catfish x3
Serpae Tetra
Rosy Tetra
White Skirt Tetra x2
High Fin Tiger Stripe Danio
Peacock Gudgeon x2
Hillstream Loach
Common Plecostomus
Mystery Snail x2
Black Rabbit Snail
Ghost Shrimp x4

I have a planted aquarium. Only lightly planted, but enough plants to give lots of coverage and places for fish to hide in.

 

[neilanh]

While there's always exceptions to the rule, I doubt it. That many fish in there the betta would go nuts.

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Yeahhh, that's what I was thinking too. While I do think Bettas are pretty cool, they are called a fighting fish for a reason. I want to stock my tank with peaceful fish, personally.

Had too many (and by too many, I mean two) disasters with even community fish nipping and attacking each other. I wouldn't want to exacerbate it.

But say, in the event that I were to get a female betta. Out of my stock, what would match best? And how many would I want to keep with it in total?

 

[siva]

I have a female betta in a 29 gal community and a 20 gal community so it can work. In regards to your stock list, tetras like to be in groups of 7 or more, so having just one of different kind of tetras isn't going to work. For danios I go with 7+ as well. I have a hillstream loach in my 29 and while I he is my favorite fish, as I'm learning more about him I know now they are actually a cold water fish, and will not thrive at the temp the rest of your fish need to thrive. A common pleco gets much too large for a 32 gal tank. I would replace that with a bristle nose or other dwarf pleco. Glass cats, like most catfish, thrive in a school of 6+. I think if you modify your list a bit to have proper group sizes and eliminate a couple, like the danios which would likely stress a betta, you could add her.

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

I actually have a home for the pleco when he gets too big.

In my experience regarding Tetras and schools, it's ended more in disaster than it has anything else. Had a lot of territorial behavior, fin nipping, and assault, especially with the black skirts this past weekend. Had to take them back.

The glass cats will be filled out to a school of five, eventually. I'm familiar with the schooling regarding this species as well as the others in my tank. To be brutally honest, trying to fill out schools has stressed out the fish more than anything else. So while I'm sure it's a rule of thumb to fill out schools for these fish, I've had nothing but bad experiences with it in the past.

Not that I'm advocating people just ignore their schooling needs. Just that for some reason my tank has not worked in that way. Parameters are right, and I try to provide a good home for them, close to how they prefer the water temperature, water changes, feeding... I do my research before adding fish, but it just seems it hasn't panned out for me.

 

[siva]

Ah I understand that I love female bettas, have 8 of them. The only one I see nipping at the betta in your tank is the danio. It's possible the gourami and her could have probs since they are cousins, but mine are doing ok. When I floated my female, the way her and my dwarf gourami interacted through the cup worried me, but they have done fine together. Females will let you know if they are stressed with black horizontal lines running down their sides, so if she's not settling in after a few days and continuing to stripe all the time you'll know she's not right for your community. Of course it's ideal anytime you are trying community living with a betta to have a back-up plan, just in case it doesn't work out. She might eat the ghosties but of course they are so cheap anyway. I did have to move my female betta from one community to another when new colorful shrimp came in that she couldn't resist..weird since she never bothered the ghosts. For the most part they are great community fish. I would try it

 

[Shadowraven]

From my own experiences, male or females bettas can work in a community tank it they are not crowded, and you have a crowd. The only problem I've had with keeping them in those situations is that some of their tankmates may have trouble resisting the urge to nip those nice flowing fins.

 

[CoyoteWildfire]

Thank you both! I really appreciate the information and opinions. I don't really have a backup plan, so "trying" a female betta wouldn't really be the best idea for me. Furthermore, my tank does have a crowd as you mentioned, Shadow, and I don't really want to take a risk in putting a beautiful fish like that in a subobtimal environment.