Betta questions

[Pleco11771]

Hey guys,
so I am taking my TBs back. I have always wanted them but I just don't get why they get fat after I feed, I mean I though one was going to blow up last night but I fed peas shortly after which one almost choked to death. I have a betta but I'm kinda thinking of getting another. So my two qustions are,
1:Can you test a bettas aggression at the pet store like see if he is aggressive?
2:If I get tetras what should I get and should I add them before or after the betta?

 

[adeebm]

Are you talking about two bettas in the same tank? Don't do that. It will almost never work. Even if they don't kill each other, they will both constantly flare and become extremely stressed. If you mean separate tanks, then go right ahead. You can't really "test" for aggressiveness, and the bettas in cups are too weak to show much action anyway. Shouldn't matter whether you add tetras before or after.

--Adeeb

 

[absolutangel04]

How big is your tank and what all is in it?
I agree that 2 bettas in the same tank (assuming they are both males) is a bad idea.

 

[Pleco11771]

How big is your tank and what all is in it?
I agree that 2 bettas in the same tank (assuming they are both males) is a bad idea.

No no no I would never do that my first bettas in a 5 gallon and the other tank is a 20 high with 5 cories and albino bn pleco

 

[severum mama]

There's no way to check for aggression while the poor things are stressed out and in a cup. Some bettas don't care for tank mates. IME the vast majority of them do fine.

You mentioned that you already have 1 betta in a 5 gallon. If you want to try something different in your 20 gallon, there are a lot of cool options for you after you return those barbs. For example, you could keep a dwarf cichlid (or even a pair) like Bolivian rams or Apistogramma. Or, a few sparkling gourami would be nice if you can find them. There are plenty of other options too, but that's just off the top of my head.

 

[Pleco11771]

How big is your tank and what all is in it?
I agree that 2 bettas in the same tank (assuming they are both males) is a bad idea.

There's no way to check for aggression while the poor things are stressed out and in a cup. Some bettas don't care for tank mates. IME the vast majority of them do fine.

You mentioned that you already have 1 betta in a 5 gallon. If you want to try something different in your 20 gallon, there are a lot of cool options for you after you return those barbs. For example, you could keep a dwarf cichlid (or even a pair) like Bolivian rams or Apistogramma. Or, a few sparkling gourami would be nice if you can find them. There are plenty of other options too, but that's just off the top of my head.

Yeah I sorta just want some tetras and a centerpiece fish but at my lfs they are limited on the centerpiece fish

 

[LyndaB]

Check the for sale ads here. There are a few people who sell beautiful healthy fish right here on the forum.

 

[absolutangel04]

No no no I would never do that my first bettas in a 5 gallon and the other tank is a 20 high with 5 cories and albino bn pleco

OK cool. Sorry, I wasn't totally sure what you meant, but it sounds like you are doing research and already know a bit about bettas, so thats good. I agree with severum mama and Lynda. There are some other options for centerpeices as well, but a betta could maybe be ok. If you have an lfs that keeps bettas in community tanks, then you can get a better idea if they will be ok for your community. My lfs and PetCo usually put a couple of bettas into random community tanks. If not, I agree that its hard to really test it at the petstore because the cups limit behaviors.