Male betta chasing platy

[kasperable]

Hi! I'm new to the forum, and fish in general. I hope I'm posting to the right section! I'm pretty worried about my new platy, I just added him to my male bettas 5 gallon tank yesterday and my male betta is flaring quite a bit while chasing him all over the tank. He doesn't appear to actually hurt the little guy, but I'm sure being chased and antagonized is adding to the stress of his new environment.

I've thought about adding a second (or third) platy so my betta won't single one out, but I'm not sure if 5 gallons is enough room for that many fish. I still have my bettas old 2 gallon tank, but I'm a little strapped for cash and won't be able to afford new gravel for a bit (plus it doesn't have a filter) I might be able to get him his own little hide-out decoration that the betta wouldn't be able to fit into. If nothing else, I could return him but he came from a tiny tank packed full of other platies and guppies so that's not the greatest environment either.

 

[Rianyu]

A lot of people are going to tell you the same, but a 5 gallon won't be big enough for more than just the betta and maybe some shrimp or snails.

In general, bettas enjoy living alone. I have one feisty guy who will eat anything he can and even nips at my snail if he thinks he has a chance to catch him poking further out of him shell.

If I were you I'd take the platy back. Platies like to school so you should have a small group (around 5 probably) anyway and there is not enough room in a 5 gal for that. Your betta probably hates having to share space with one already and it may get stressed out feeling like he has to defend his territory all the time!

Hope that helps

 

[kasperable]

That's too bad, but I had a feeling that was the case. My mom really tried to convince me it'd be fine since she's housed bettas with other fish before, but I don't think she knew what she was doing either. Thanks for the reply

 

[Rianyu]

Sometimes it works fine. It really depends on the individual betta and if they are aggressive towards other fish or not. I've seen many cases where a betta lives peacefully with other fish or at least shrimp. Unfortunately mine is super aggressive so I just have to accommodate him You just have to get lucky and get a mild mannered betta...and get a bigger tank if you want to add more fish.

Cheers, I'm glad it helped

 

[Chels10117]

It depends on the Betta. Bettas also only need 2.5 gallons to themselves I'm. So a 5 gal is big enough to add more fish. Also platies are typically schooling fish and should be kept with another of their own kind. If you still want tank mates maybe try some neon tetras like 4 of them and then your Betta that might work. You'd be slightly overstocked but if you kept up with maintenance it could work.

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[Chels10117]

I meant to say imo not I'm. Sorry my phone is annoying sometimes. But I don't think a 5 gal is too small for more fish.

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