Adding Betta to my Tank with Platys and Mollies?

[Dade21]

I was at Pets Mart this afternoon to get my water tested and I was told I could add a betta with other community Fish. I am hesitant to take this advice. Is it a safe idea? Or will the Betta become aggressive toward the other fish?

 

[DreaminginBlue]

First of all, how big is the tank, how long has it been established, and what are the current parameters? This plays a part in whether or not your tank can have a betta.
Some people have successfully kept bettas with other fish, but some bettas are too aggressive for this. It's all in their personality. So you'd have to see what your betta's personality is like and have a back up plan if it turns out he can't go in the community tank.
Also, be aware that bettas can be especially aggressive towards brightly colored fish; nippy fish should also not be kept with bettas due to their delicate fins.
Hope this helps

 

[Dade21]

First of all, how big is the tank, how long has it been established, and what are the current parameters? This plays a part in whether or not your tank can have a betta.
Some people have successfully kept bettas with other fish, but some bettas are too aggressive for this. It's all in their personality. So you'd have to see what your betta's personality is like and have a back up plan if it turns out he can't go in the community tank.
Also, be aware that bettas can be especially aggressive towards brightly colored fish; nippy fish should also not be kept with bettas due to their delicate fins.
Hope this helps

Hi ..and Thank you for replying

The Tank is 10g
Amonia is at .5
Nitrate 0
Total hardness of water 75
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 20
pH 6.6

The Aquarium has been up and running since last Saturday 4 fish added Monday. I know the Amonia is not where it should be. I have been reading and discovered that the feeding the fish too many flakes in one pinch can contribute to that. I also added Top fin Water conditioner as well as bacteria supplement. A water change was completed yesterday (also on advice of Pets Mart after I noticed water getting cloudy and fish not being active.) I also vacumed the gravel. Tank also contains 2 fake plants and a shipwreck ornament. Today, at Pets Mart I was advised to try API ammo lock to get the Amonia down which I applied accordingly. I am happy to say the fish do seem more active but my main concern is the Amomia level. I don't want to add anymore until I get that settled.


I am leaning toward buying a separate habitat for a Betta but since I was told it may be possible to add to a community tank I was wondering if I should try.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Personally, I think many bettas are more personable in their own tanks. I've had a few over the years and they like to be the star of the show.
That's just my two cents

 

[nirbhao]

Since you're working on cycling your tank, wait a bit before adding any more fish.

What kind of fish do you have?

A betta could fully dominate a 10 gallon tank.

 

[Dade21]

Since you're working on cycling your tank, wait a bit before adding any more fish.

What kind of fish do you have?

A betta could fully dominate a 10 gallon tank.

2 mollies and 2 platys so far.

 

[Tyrsdottir]

With 2 mollies and 2 platies, your tank is fully stocked. Add to that the fact that they like to be in groups of 3 or 4. And if the two you have are male and female, your girls are going to get chased to death. And, unless you have all males, you're going to have fry to deal with, too.
If what you had was 4 platies, I'd say it was possible, after your cycle is fully settled, to try a betta, but be prepared to put him in his own tank if he's too aggressive.
With what you have, a betta will over stock you, and would also feel crowded. He'd either be too aggressive, or too stressed.

 

[Dade21]

With 2 mollies and 2 platies, your tank is fully stocked. Add to that the fact that they like to be in groups of 3 or 4. And if the two you have are male and female, your girls are going to get chased to death. And, unless you have all males, you're going to have fry to deal with, too.
If what you had was 4 platies, I'd say it was possible, after your cycle is fully settled, to try a betta, but be prepared to put him in his own tank if he's too aggressive.
With what you have, a betta will over stock you, and would also feel crowded. He'd either be too aggressive, or too stressed.

Thank you. That pretty much validates what I thought would be likely to happen with a Betta added. Im going to get a Separate habitat. I was thinking a 5g aquarium setup so the Betta would be able to move freely around. Maybe a fake plant or 2 or a rock

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Sounds good, he'll love that. Just be careful that fake plants and rock can't cut his fins. Silk plants are the best. Live plants are fantastic if you're willing to give them a try. Best of luck!

 

[flchamp89]

Mollies and platys need at least a 20g.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

@Dade21
What genders are your mollies and platys? If you have both genders of either you'll end up with lots of baby mollies or platys.

 

[Coursair]

I recommend 30g of larger for Mollies as they can get pushy and are big Eaters and poopers.

A couple of male Platies may be ok in a 10g, but that's pretty small for them. 20g or larger is better.

Some store employees are knowledgeable, many are not. Always do your own research before buying.

With such a new tank and such heavy stocking you may need to do PWCs twice weekly to keep Ammonia down.
Buy Prime when you can. It will be much cheaper to use in the long run. 2 drops per gallon. It detoxifies Ammonia for 24 hours also.

 

[ColoradoMollies]

I have just a few young/small mollies together with a sort of agressive male betta. It's 20 gallons. I agree that your 10 gallon one is full, and adding a betta would probably be pretty bad news.

So, I learned a few things while deciding who would be roommates in my 2 separate 20 gallon tanks. I did a lot of research and truly believed bettas can certainly share. I believe the info that says size and color (of other fish) makes a difference in how the betta responds to them.

Initially, I put Mr. betta in with neon tetras and a medium sized Molly who is orange and black. He hated her-- that Molly. He flared and followed her around. Pissed off, he was. That was obviously was not going to work, so mr. betta came out and went back in his own (previously established) 5 gallon for the time being.

We brought home more mollies and they were settled in their own 20 gallon tanks before we tried moving betta in again. This time, we moved Mr. Betta in with 3 much smaller/young (not tiny babies) first. They were TOTALLY fine. He isn't the least bit concerned about dominance/territory. Most likely due to size.

Then we moved in a Molly who is about his (betta) same size but SILVER, and not only is he not bothered by her, but I KID YOU NOT, they stay close to each other and Brush up against each other. NO issues. It's so weird. Most likely due to non-flashy color?

So, size and color are factors I found in research to pay attention to, and in my experience it worked.

Our creamsicle mollies and larger black mollies are in the other tank. He didn't and won't respond well to them.

Hope it helps. It can be done. BUT you really do have to have a back up plan and know what behavior to look for because it can backfire. When it works, it's fun to see them all together.

All that said, you need a bigger tank to do it. Bettas are indeed perfectly fine alone, so putting them in together is more of a preference for enjoyment of the owners. Female bettas have been said to share better, but all same precautions apply.

Of course, betta goes in LAST after other tank mates are settled in. I'm sure the store told you that (I hope).

 

[SquishyBoo12]

I'm also wondering that exact question because I have 2 mollies and 3-4 platy in a 10gal tank. I really want to add one betta to the mix so I can have more room for another when I get everything settled but I'm so hesitant. someone pm me or help me

 

[fishinstaller26]

I have a rose tail mail betta in my 10 gallon he is housed with 6 harlequin rasboras and a platy

The betta does fine no aggression issues but he is not very active