can bettas be comnunity fish?

[tomoisawatergod]

Can bettas get along in a community tank?

I was told o the american side if this site that putting one in is a big taboo. Is this true??

 

[ddipsydavid]

Im from UK to. Some advice on here (which is.very welcome) is from American side and they do things different over there. This seems a very American site/phone app.

Betta or male fighters as i call them are fine in community tank but you have to be cautious with what other fish u put in there. No male guppies betta may think they are competition and fight them, no barbs (red cherry barbs normally ok) no black widow tetras and a few others. Only because betta will get fin nipped. hope this helps a bit.

 

[BluePlanetGirl]

Hey, I'm from Oz, I've had fighters with Tetras, Mollies, platys, cherry barbs, swordtails, and recently dwarf Gouramis, (Though be careful with the gouramis, I got a bully but the one he's in with now is fine.)
I DID have him in with guppies (just for a while the tank he was in filter broke) but they started to eat his tail. I put a divider in and late got rid of the guppies anyway.
Be careful, but in experience you don't have to worry about THEM being aggressive, but more OTHERS being agressive to them! Fighters are BIIIIIIG sooks, all bark no bite, they really are pathetic in a fight except with that of their own kind. So I say a Big Yes to them being community fish, though I'd choose a community around them, that consists of non fin-nippy fish.

Hope this helps and good luck

 

[tomoisawatergod]

Thank for the advice, that is good i shall continue to get one. What about a female with the male??

 

[BluePlanetGirl]

I personally wouldn't. Some people do but Males can harry a female to death if she is not ready to spawn but he is. There is a LOT of work and experience involved in breeding fighters And even if she is ready you wouldn't want spawning in a community tank. I would stick with just the one male.
The females aren't very pretty anyway I find.
He will be quite happy in a passive community tank. What are you planning to put him in with?

 

[tomoisawatergod]

Currently i have some sword tails corys and a few neons..... currently its a peacefull tank.

 

[ddipsydavid]

You would need to have at least 2 females really so he can spread his attention but as mentioned they aren't as colourful as males.

 

[BluePlanetGirl]

He'll be TOTALLY happy in that. Mine was so happy when he was in with my Cherry Barbs & Swordtails, though I did move the Cardinal tetras with him into his new tank.

 

[BluePlanetGirl]

As with anything I think caution must be used. I personally am scared of putting females with males, my friend put a female in with her male and he killed her within 2 days just would not stop chasing her, He must have just exhausted her, she took her out but it was too late, the damage was done and sadly she died.
Though don't believe everyone you hear, I have whats called an "Aggressive community" in my large tank. Everyone shot me down, but I used caution, and had a back-up plan if it didn't work but turns out it all worked out fine.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Hi there,
I'm from America so I'm not sure how it is over the pond, but here it's generally recommended that you only have males and females together for a short period of time if you're attempting to breed them, otherwise it's the equivalent of having two male bettas and the male will kill the female. If you wanted to try a female sorority of six or more you could do a thirty gallon tank heavily planted. However be aware that females don't always get along so be sure to have a back-up plan to put them in different tanks if it's not going to end well.
Hope this helped, good luck!

 

[tomoisawatergod]

yes thanks. I went to my local aquarium supply shop just now, to which i noticed a tank of over 20 females, with a male amongst them. I ask the lady operating the shop if this was ok.. to which she assured me it was.

I can only supose that she does not have the correct knolledge on the species.

As for my own tank, i think i will just have the one sex.

 

[Bettacrazy]

they can but I guess it matters on the betta's personality. I've had sweet betta's and not so sweet betta's

 

[jetajockey]

I have a male betta in my 125 with discus and angelfish.

 

[Samba264]

It all depends on the personality of the fighters, generally females are fine in groups of 3 or more but in saying that I keep all my females separate because two are rather aggressive.
One female has successfully killed two of her siblings and 2 zebra danios in her short life, though the healthy danios can easily out-swim her.
I find that often the higher water currents that are often in community tanks can take some getting used to for a betta and if they are aggressive the other occupants will generally learn to use that to their advantage when getting out of the way.
I also like to have them in planted tanks to break up lines of sight.
One male on his own in a large planted tank with the right tank-mates should be fine imho.

 

[siva]

Can bettas get along in a community tank?

I was told o the american side if this site that putting one in is a big taboo. Is this true??

I have many community tanks with bettas in them, both male and female. Bettas should not be in a tank with another betta, but in my experience, other fish are usually fine. I have had a couple males that needed to be kept solo, but most have been community safe. I've had so many females over the years and I've never had one that wasn't a good candidate for a community, though they do exsist as well.

If you want to try to add a betta to the community, as a general rule, it's good to add the betta last. That way there aren't any established territories set up for it to defend. Also avoid mixing it with other labyrinth fish, such as gourami's, if you want to be on the safe side. Also to be avoided are fish with long flowing fins. Especially in the case of the males since it may trigger their insinct to fight other male bettas. Fish that may be attracted to nip at long fins should be avoided as well. Because they are labyrinth fish that rise to the surface to breathe, I recommend floating plants, especially if there are zippy schoolers around. Bettas love to nestle up into the floating plants for easy access to the surface air, and it will help them feel more secure in a busy community setting.

Bettas are often short-changed and labeled as "fighters" that must be kept alone, usually in a small tank. They love to be in larger tanks, and in general, are model community citizens. Still, that being said, it's wise to have a back-up plan in case the mix of fish you decide on doesn't quite work out.

 

[siva]

Thank for the advice, that is good i shall continue to get one. What about a female with the male??

IMO a female and a male should be combined only under supervision for breeding, and even then sometimes it turns ugly. Females should only be kept together if they are sisters that have never been apart and show zero signs of flaring/aggression towards eachother.