betta advice.

[ducky27]

Hello all, I'm new here. I know betta's are typically a weird topic where everyone has their own opinions but I'd like to pick fellow fish peoples brains on the subject

I have a 38 gal with cherry barbs, rainbow fish, 2 blue rams, 2 pictus and a betta. Everybody gets along fabalously! I'm very proud of my betta lol
Just some background of my progress: Its been a struggle with bettas for me cause I want to put them in a bigger tank with friends but its a 'try and see what happens' process since everybody either thinks they're evil fish or that it doesn't matter. Cherry barbs were the best I found...now, weather that just has to do with my own betta, I have no idea. BUT, anywho I decided to get a second betta.

So, I asked around and did some research to see what their 'territory size' is or if they even have one. I thought that 38 gal might be big enough for 2 males. It has other distractions (fish) and lots of hiding places. They've been in the tank for about 24 hours now and the new betta is pretty aggressive towards the older, bigger one...which is odd...so maybe it is a personality thing? (blue is new, purple is older) The blue will flare and chase the purple one and the purple one just swims away. I don't know if the purple one is just used to other fish and doesn't care about fighting or what. So I moved the blue one into my 10 gal tank that only has a albino dwarf frog and a balloon belly molly. I'm not a huge fan of having a molly with my betta cause that was one of the fish that were very aggressive to my other betta...but I'm not sure if balloon bellies are less aggressive then regular mollies. I don't want to stress out my purple betta cause I love him dearly but if I could get them living together, that'd be pretty cool. I'm perfectly fine keeping the blue one in my 10gal and keeping them separate but atm I put the blue one in the 10 gal to get him used to sharing his space and then maybe reintroduce the two of them.
I don't want anyone freaking out or telling me I'm wrong. Just tell me what you think or think I should do. I know there's not really a protocol when it comes to fish but I figure more insight with people with real experience certainly couldn't hurt. Thanks very much for reading this wall of words and any help you might be able to offer

-Molly

 

[NigelK8485]

The ancestors of the bettas sold in pet stores today were bred for the purpose of being aggressive towards one another. People would fight them, kind of like dog fighting. They began being bred and sold for colors but they never had that super aggressive trait taken out. As far as bettas being okay in communities, it completely depends on the particular fish. It sounds like your purple one is easy going and is fine. My betta, on the other hand, is extremely aggressive towards anything. The minute it sees something moving it begins flaring and attacking. Two male bettas should not be kept together though, even if individually they do well in a community tank. Your blue one may do fine in a community, but it won't do well with another male betta. Your purple one sounds submissive to the blue, if you were to keep them together the blue would constantly take the purple's territory until there was nothing left. The purple doesn't seem like it'll put up a fight and will end up stressed out and being beaten up by the blue.


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[RackinRocky]

I feel sorry for your purple one if you decide to keep them together. He is being bullied, and it'll only get worse, as Nigel said. I'd be very, very heartbroken if the blue one killed the purple one, and I found it in the morning, past help. I'd keep one of them with the balloon molly. They are all different, but I've never had a balloon molly be mean to anything. In any case, it would be MUCH, MUCH safer to do it that way than to leave two male bettas together and just "hope" that things will be alright. Most likely they won't, and you'll lose your beloved purple betta. Do right by him.

 

[Eggheadfish]

Hey ducky,
I watched some documentary a few weeks ago, and if I remember correctly I think they estimate that bettas cover around 30 gallons of space each as their typical territory size (don't quote me on that, I could be wrong). If you've tried it already and have provided lots if hiding spaces, etc, and already seen aggression, I probably wouldn't try to put them together again. No sense in possibly losing a fish because of it. Good luck!

 

[EthanBeltramo]

It is all the bettas personality. I have one betta that lives with am angelfish no problem. He hasn't flared once. Then I have a betta that is terrified of ghost shrimp it is just their personality.


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[Pipsqueakkk]

My betta loves any fish, he lives with Mollies and Neons and a pleco.


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