Betta in a community tank?

[chappers]

I have been wondering what to add to my tank, another user in here recommended a Betta, which I assumed (like many other beginners) thats they would be overly aggressive (probably because of the name) but it appears not along as they are kept individually.

Anyway, me being a good boy i have been doing some research online and there is a lot of contrasting information. Some say that Betta's work great in a community as long as there are no fin nippers and others say no, they should be kept alone in small bowls/tanks.

So here i am once again looking for some advice from the pros (thats you!)

I have a well planted 260l/68g as below with neons, b plecs, mollies and corys

 

[IchthyChris]

You could keep one male betta but anything with flashy colors my set him off. Neons are small so he probably wouldn't feel threatened. It's hard to say as they all have their individual personalities. Female bettas can be very colorful and once they establish a pecking order they are pretty docile. You can also keep more than one female together and they don't seem to be bothered by a current as much as the males are with their longer fins.

 

[LyndaB]

Every betta is different. This is one case where no matter how much research you do, you don't know until you try it what the result will be. The only thing you MUST do is have a solid backup plan if it doesn't work out.

Personally, I do not recommend bettas for community tanks as they seem to be much more at peace when kept alone.

 

[Pton46]

Well, this is funny. I will probably trying it very shortly. (After the Tank cycles, should be quick since I am using seeded filters and Stability) I was going to move my Male Betta into a 36 Gallon Hex tank I picked up with some Oto catfish, rosy danios and maybe some Neon Tetras. Will Let you know but could be a while.
If it doesn't work as LyndaB said I have a back up plan.
My Betta is already with a Oto now in the 5 gallon I'm just going to keep that tank running for a couple of weeks.

 

[Cynic]

Never had any success with bettas in my community tank, always looked stressed and worried.

 

[maestromad]

I have my betta in with 12 chili rasboras. He doesn't bother them at all! Good luck

 

[TankerJs]

Bettas can definitely be great center piece fish in a tank like that, but how strong is your filtration? What about water current? A betta may not even be suitable for that tank even if it was in there alone. There are many other fish that can go great as center piece fish. A really similar fish is a Dwarf Gourami. They are a labyrinth fish just like bettas (this means that they have an organ that allows them to breathe air from the surface). If you want something a little bit bigger Paradise Gouramis have really cool caudal fins and if kept if small fish should do just fine. Good luck!

 

[chappers]

Thanks for all the replies.

OK some im getting that every betta is different and I need a plan B if all does not go according to plan. I have a 10 gallon tank that is currently home to a hand-full of molly babies so that is there if needed.

Will get myself a Betta and see what happens, is there anything I should be looking out when choosing my fish in the LFS?

 

[maestromad]

When you go to get him watch to see how he behaves in the tank. By me he bettas are kept in with other fish so it's easier to judge their temperament. When I picked mine I looked for one who didn't flare at me when I approached the tank. Also look for a healthy one with good fins. Gods luck!

 

[chappers]

When you go to get him watch to see how he behaves in the tank. By me he bettas are kept in with other fish so it's easier to judge their temperament. When I picked mine I looked for one who didn't flare at me when I approached the tank. Also look for a healthy one with good fins. Gods luck!

Thanks, unfortunately the Bettas by me are kept in very small tanks alone from everything else so its much more difficult to judge!

 

[Fishandmusic81]

Thanks, unfortunately the Bettas by me are kept in very small tanks alone from everything else so its much more difficult to judge!

The ones in my area are also kept alone when I picked my betta the first one I got was way too aggressive the same day I took him back to the lps and got a different one I had in mind and this one was much more calm doesn't bother fish at all just curiously looks at them can't blame him he's been stuck in s cup for who knows how long but he doesn't flare or anything

 

[ocminpin]

My female betta is okay in with Mollies & Otos in my 29g. It took some acclimating and patience on my part... There was some chasing on and off for a couple weeks but no fun damage to anyone...

 

[a.tetreault]

another thing to mention is that some bettas will have trouble if a tank is too tall, since they like to breathe from the surface of the water. your tank is quite large for a betta so i would keep a close eye to see how he does with breathing from the surface.