Betta in with other fish?

[kaitym]

Was thinking about putting my betta in with my guppies. Getting a larger tank (probably a 10 gallon) in the near future. Is it possible to put a male betta in with other fish and have them live peacefully? Or should I just keep him in his own tank?

 

[kora_the_lone_koi]

I've heard that's it's safe to put in bettas with guppies but depending on the amount of fish in the tank you may want to go slightly larger.

 

[kaitym]

I've got 4 guppies in the tank I have right now. The betta would make 5 fish in the ten gallon I want to get.

 

[darkmule27]

I've heard mixed things about bettas and guppies, but mostly negative because male guppies resemble male bettas and most will attack the guppies. I personally wouldn't risk it.

However, you can have a male betta with some fish (I have one with 2 otos and another at home with a whole menagerie of fish, both with zero problems), but it is largely dependant on the personality of the betta.

 

[mike47517]

its always a question with male bettas. some are fine but othrs are jerks and will kill your other fish. females are almost always safe but males on the other hand well it matters about there personal. get one for a few days and see how it acts. if it stresses your other fish than go try a new one until you get a nicer one but always be aware it has the ability to kill any guppy around even if its nice.

 

[kaitym]

How do I gague the personality of the betta exactly? He doesn't seem very interested in the other fish (the tanks are somewhat close together.)

 

[mike47517]

just set him in and watch for a few minutes and see how he does.

 

[mike47517]

oh and i just thought about it and if you are planning on breeding the guppies then you will have alot less fry unless you seperat the female from the rest of the fish. as the betta will snag them up 10x faster than the average guppy adult.

 

[kaitym]

Just an add on..

Was curious if anyone could tell me what kind of guppies I have? The males have a combination of red, blue, and yellow. The females have blue in their tails.

 

[mike47517]

not tryin to hijack this thread or any thing but while were on the topic i need some help with identification too. heres 3 ofmy male guppies that im unsure about.

 

[Phoenixphire55]

wow, your guppies are beautiful mike. I have a male betta living with my mollies and cories and I've never seen any aggression at all except when the male sailfin molly is displaying. However even when my betta displays back it never goes further. I think your betta will be fine in with the guppies unless you have some especially flashy and colorful guppies. Although all bettas are different so just try it out and see.

 

[kaitym]

any idea as to what kind mine are? been trying to find pics that match mine but have been unsucessful...

 

[colematthewmalaka]

Never put a male betta with guppy's especially fancy ones. He'll mistake the large colorful tales for another bettas and will attack it. I know this from personal experience.

 

[kaitym]

My guppies have smaller tails, nothing big/flashy about them. Their tails are bright red but thats about it.

 

[mike47517]

wow, your guppies are beautiful mike.

Thanks

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Yea, male bettas can be iffy.

I have a 5 gallon tank with a male betta and several amano shrimp. I basically never see the shrimp because they have to hide all day long. If the betta every spots one of them, he will chase it. He doesn't go looking for them, so they generally stay safe hiding under some drift wood. Occasionally the betta will cruise through the drift wood driving the shrimp out. But when they are out from under the drift wood, they are hiding under plant leaves and scurry back to the wood when the betta isn't looking.

On the other hand, one of the LFS has a 30+ gallon community tank with one male betta, and the betta cruises around bothering no one.

 

[strokinbyeu]

i was courious also i have a 20 gal tank with a bala shark,a rainbow shark,a red fin shark, 2 gouramis( an all red one and a half red half blue) a striped blue cat fish, and a red thi crab. i was wandering if it would be safe to put a male beta in the tank

 

[HooKooDooKu]

i was courious also i have a 20 gal tank with a bala shark,a rainbow shark,a red fin shark, 2 gouramis( an all red one and a half red half blue) a striped blue cat fish, and a red thi crab. i was wandering if it would be safe to put a male beta in the tank

While I can't speak to those fish in particular, I can say that the you have to also consider the other side of the coin... fish that attack or nip bettas.

Bettas are generally slow moving fish with huge tails. Lots of other fish like to nip at those long flowing tails.

So not only do you have to consider if your fish are safe from the betta, but is the betta safe from your fish.

Hears a link to an article from a forum specializing in bettas
Betta Tankmates - UltimateBettas

As a quick summary, the only fish specifically listed as "Unacceptable" are:
Fancy Guppies,
Gouramis,
Cichlids,
Mollies,
Platys,
Swordtails,
Chinese Algae Eaters,
Common Pleco,
Goldfish,
other Bettas (with possible exception of a sorority tank).

 

[darkmule27]

I can't speak from personal experience, but mixing anabantoids (bettas, gouramis, etc) is generally a bad idea, so probably no, especially in a 20 gallon.

 

[humdedum]

The top left looks like a leopard male.