Betta and guppies?

[vero]

Hi,

Can one keep one male betta and 4 male guppies in a 20gal tank?

I thought that the male betta would see the guppies as other males (because of their fancy fins) and attack them. But then I looked at the liveaquaria compatibility chart an was surprised to see they are compatible.


Thanks

 

[Rach101]

It depends. Alot of bettas do attack guppies, it really just depends on the individual fish. Like, how some male bettas can be kept together fine..Yet Most can't be.

 

[rich311k]

I have always heard that you can not keep male guppys and bettas together. It would make sense to me since fancy guppys have all that finnage.

I have not personally tried it. You could always try it, as long as you have a backup plan, if you have to take the betta back out of the tank. I would do it when you have time to sit and watch the tank for a few hours.

Rich

 

[willowthepoet]

I put my betta in with a pair of guppies just as a temporary thing while I was cleaning his tank. By the time I was done cleaning out the betta tank (maybe 15-20 minutes) I had a female guppy and half a male. I think he's a little overly aggressive, though.

 

[severum mama]

I have tried it, and I'm sorry that I did. I put 3 beautiful male guppies in a 10 gallon with my betta a while back, and most of their fins were gone by the next day. One died and I returned the others to the LFS- I had no space for them in any of my other tanks and the LFS took them back because I added the guppies on their advice. I felt so horrible about killing that guppy!

Jeez, I am so long winded sometimes! Basically, it is possible for that to work out but IME it probably won't. Why not choose some colorful tetras instead? Neons, gold pristellas, green fires, cardinals, glowlights... all those guys are very peaceful and would look great in your tank.

 

[Rach101]

Just make sure that they arent fin nippers if you decide to go with tetras.

 

[vero]

Hi,

Thanks. The answer is very clear!

I'm planning on putting some tetras (maybe 4) with my 4 guppies, but I was also looking for a "center piece" fish.

Thanks everyone

 

[severum mama]

Just make sure that they arent fin nippers if you decide to go with tetras.

That's why I listed those particular species. They are very mellow, as opposed to serpaes or something. BTW rummynose tetras would work too.

If it's a centerpiece fish you want, what about a dwarf gourami? They are so pretty! I've never kept one before so I don't know about their compatibility with guppies, but since they do not have the long fins of a male betta I would guess it would be ok. One more thing- the tetras will appreciate it if you bump up your school to 6 instead of 4. Don't worry, you'll have room.

 

[fearlessfisch]

I have a betta with guppies, but they are in a 55-gallon tank, so that probably helps.

 

[vero]

Hi,

I looked into the gouramis as a center piece. I like the honey dwarf gourami (up to 2"). But it will be pretty much the same size as the guppies (up to 2.5"). I was looking for something a bit bigger, but not as big as the gouramis (not dwarfs; the pearl gourami goes up to 6"!) as my tank would be too small...

I really like the swordtails (up to 4"). Could I keep only one male? They're cool looking.

I'll get 6 tetras instead of 4. I found a tetra (I think it is a tetra) that looks like a black phantom tetra in shape (the fins are similar, especially the one on the belly, close to the tail, which is long) and has the same black spot behind the gales. The only difference I could note was that it was orange instead of gray. A smoky orange. What is it?

Thanks

Vero

 

[willowthepoet]

I have honey gouramis and, while their length is around the same as a larger guppy, they're much bigger and (I think) more eye-catching. IMO, they'd be a good centerpiece fish, but of course I'm probably biased.

 

[Acer]

i had seven fany guppies and 2 gourami's in a 10 and they were all fine..

 

[fishfairy]

I have had a bad experience with this too.

Back when I was like 10 years old and knew nothing at all about how to care for a fish tank or that I actually needed to research fish first before placing them together, I had a 10 gallon community with several guppies and a betta.

The betta singled out one of the guppies who became his "prey." He fed off this guppy little by little, yes literally eating him alive slowly, until the guppy died. And then I guess the betta was a picky eater because once his dinner was gone, he refused to eat anything else and died himself.

(Yes I was a total idiot back then, but what can I say. I was only 10 years old..)

So yeah.. probably not a great idea.. lol