Angels and Bettas together?

[angeleyes138]

My husband and I just bought a 5 gallon tank, and are definatly geting 2 freshwater Angelfish to place inside it as well as a catfish for algae control. My husbands favorite fish, and the reason for the tank are the Angels. I on the other hand am very partial to the Beta's. I would like to put 2 Beta's in the tank as well. My problem is this. I have been searching online for a diffinative answer as to whether or not these beautiful fish can co-exist. I am certain that when I was growing up my Mother paired the two, but my husband insists they can't share habitat. Some sites say yes they can, some say no they can't. I just need a clear answer one way or the other. I will forfit the Beta's if need be, but I really would like to know if I have to, or if we can take the chance.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

You better off starting a new thread as this one is 5yrs old.

Also 5gallons is very small tank for any fish. 1 Betta and maybe some shrimp or snails is about all that should go in there.

Angels get 6" long and need a much larger tank

 

[Alaris]

Post your question here: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/

 

[Purrbox]

Welcome to AA!

I split your question into it's own thread and placed it in the FW General Forum. It's almost always better to start your own thread, rather than digging up an thread that is several years old.

I don't know whether or not Angels and Bettas will get along, but a 5 gallon aquarium is most certainly not large enough for Angels. They get to be quite large and wouldn't be able to move in a 5 gallon. I would get a Betta for the 5 gallon and get at least a 29 gallon for the Angels.

 

[new2betas]

I have definitely read that bettas and angels do not work because the bettas will nip at the flowing fins of the angels.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Was that a typo? Did you mean 55-gallon?

 

[saffikeagan]

Well, I'd definitely get a bigger tank. What I did to make myself happy was to put my 6.6 at work and have my large tank at home. I haven't heard of any bosses throwing a fit about a fish. I took my 6.6 up to the clinic I work at, set it on the bookshelf at the front desk area and called it our work tank. I do all the maintenance at lunch or after work so no one can claim that I'm using time I'd otherwise use for work to play with my fishies.

My boss, then, was out a few days after I had set it up. The only thing she asked was how long we had it. I never received a follow up censorious e-mail so reckon I'm good

Then you can have your betta at work and have angels at home. I'm a betta person myself having a male at home and a female at work.

 

[Taelen]

Even without the angels you need a bigger tank for what you have listed. And personally based on the personalities of the betta and angel I have, I would seriously doubt you could keep them together, unless maybe you had a massive tank. Certainly not a 5g though.

 

[JohnPaul]

In a large enough tank, there is a chance angels and bettas could get along but it's certainly not a guarantee, so you need to have an emergency plan in place in case you realize a few hours after putting them together that this isn't working. You might have more luck with female bettas; I would be pretty worried about a male betta going after the angels because of their large fins. (You know the way men are--they are always out to prove they have the largest...um...fins.)

As as for bettas themselves, under no circumstances can you keep two bettas in a 5 gal...

1. If both are male, they will fight to the death, almost certainly within the first 24 hours and quite possibly the first instant they spot the other one.

2. If it is a male and female, it is quite likely the male will kill the female as well, or at the very least harass her mercilessly until the stress from it either directly kills her or indirectly kills her (by making her susceptible to some sort of disease).

3. If it is two females, the dominant female will harass the weaker female, eventually leading to the same result as #2.

Assuming you had a larger tank, you *could* keep at group of 4+ females together. They will bicker amongst themselves for the first week or so and then establish a hierarchy. The dominant female still might pester the others but her aggression (if there is any) will be spread out among all of them, so no one single fish will always be victimized.

Note that this is "usually" the case. Occasionally you'll run into a particularly nasty female who just doesn't tolerate anyone and won't be happy until she has a little tank all to her lonesome. It's rare, but it happens. Bettas are notoriously individual in their personalities--one of the reasons I (and many others) like them so much. But if you end up with a real antisocial one, you need to have a plan in place to get her into a tank by herself--both for her sake and for the sake of your other fish.

 

[jrp1588]

I have actually tried this before, a couple years ago. In my case it was actually the betta that suffered. They cohabited fine for a month or so, then one morning I woke up and the betta's fins were torn apart. The only other fish in the tank were mollies.