Male betta compatible fish

[Fishless cycle]

Hi

I have a male betta in a 19 litre tank and I want to either buy a new larger tank for him say 80 litres... or add him to my other tank but would there be a fight? My large tank has:

Neon tetras
Fancy male guppies
Harlequin rasbora
Dwarf neon rainbow fish
Bubblebee gobies

It's just my betta needs more space... I think that's why they don't live long because they're kept in small tanks maybe

Any advice would be great...?

 

[Deftpunk79]

The guppies would have a bad day. Everything else would be ok.

 

[Deftpunk79]

I have only had 2 bettas ever live less than 4 years. One of those committed suicide (escaped). I don't think they are short lived. 6 Gallon tanks are the smallest I keep them in.

 

[Fishless cycle]

The guppies would have a bad day. Everything else would be ok.

It's the long wavy fins isn't it

Think I need to buy a new tank ... that's another £500 gone! So expensive... At least it's not salt water I guess.

Thanks for your input - I had a feeling there might be a problem.

 

[Deftpunk79]

Yeah, bettas aren't fans of long finned fish.

 

[Fishless cycle]

I have only had 2 bettas ever live less than 4 years. One of those committed suicide (escaped). I don't think they are short lived. 6 Gallon tanks are the smallest I keep them in.

Wow, really! This is my first betta and the lfs said they only last a year!!! I'm really excited now... I've grown really attached to him. Oh while we're on the Betta subject, what do you feed yours. Mine will only eat frozen brine shrimp or blood worms... He won't eat the flakes which the lfs said have all the goodness in. I'm worried about buying live food in case of parasites. Any suggestions?

 

[Deftpunk79]

A year is for people who keep them in 1 gallon bowls and think they eat plant roots. I feed mine frozen brine shrimp and freeze dried bloodworms. I'll give them live mosquito larvae as treats when I find them. Live and frozen foods are their favorite. A lot of people say they are worried about parasites, but still don't mind giving frozen food. Many parasites will survive the freezing process. I currently have 18 bettas and have raised probably around 100. I have had to treat 5 or 6 fish for internal parasites. Stay away from tubifex worms though. They will give your fish parasites.
Bettas need a very high protein diet. I would never give them the flakes. They don't like them. The high quality pellets are fine, I would still give them some frozen or live food every now and then as treats. DO NOT follow the feeding direction on the container(Usually says to feed them what they eat in 5 min, or something similar). Bettas will gorge themselves. Their stomachs are about the size of their eye, so just a few pellets should fill them quite well.

 

[Fishless cycle]

A year is for people who keep them in 1 gallon bowls and think they eat plant roots. I feed mine frozen brine shrimp and freeze dried bloodworms. I'll give them live mosquito larvae as treats when I find them. Live and frozen foods are their favorite. A lot of people say they are worried about parasites, but still don't mind giving frozen food. Many parasites will survive the freezing process. I currently have 18 bettas and have raised probably around 100. I have had to treat 5 or 6 fish for internal parasites. Stay away from tubifex worms though. They will give your fish parasites.
Bettas need a very high protein diet. I would never give them the flakes. They don't like them. The high quality pellets are fine, I would still give them some frozen or live food every now and then as treats. DO NOT follow the feeding direction on the container(Usually says to feed them what they eat in 5 min, or something similar). Bettas will gorge themselves. Their stomachs are about the size of their eye, so just a few pellets should fill them quite well.

That's really helpful - thanks.

I had no idea that parasites could live in frozen conditions. I usually feed him twice a day. He gets frozen brine shrimp on one day and frozen blood worms on the other day. I usually feed him 3 or 4 bloodworms/shrimps. He only eats from my finger - he is a bit dopy and ignores food if it floats past him or falls to the bottom of the tank so i give the tank a 30% pwc each week.I'll try and get some pellets and look out for live mosquito larvae.

Thanks for the tips

 

[Deftpunk79]

One thing to watch for in bettas is constipation. It's very common for them. Pellets and flakes can swell onces eaten causing constipation. With the pellets, make sure that most of the ingredients are proteins (fishmeal, shrimpmeal, that sort of thing) and not too much plant material which the betta can't digest. Frozen foods can be low in fibrous roughage, which also leads to constipation. If he does get constipated (colors will fade abdomen will swell, may stop eating and start swimming cock-eyed), don't feed him for a day or two then blanche a pea and feed him half of it. Should go right through him. It's also not bad to give them a blanched pea once a week or every other week.

 

[Deftpunk79]

sounds like you are going to take great care of him. He should be around a long time.

 

[Fishless cycle]

One thing to watch for in bettas is constipation. It's very common for them. Pellets and flakes can swell onces eaten causing constipation. With the pellets, make sure that most of the ingredients are proteins (fishmeal, shrimpmeal, that sort of thing) and not too much plant material which the betta can't digest. Frozen foods can be low in fibrous roughage, which also leads to constipation. If he does get constipated (colors will fade abdomen will swell, may stop eating and start swimming cock-eyed), don't feed him for a day or two then blanche a pea and feed him half of it. Should go right through him. It's also not bad to give them a blanched pea once a week or every other week.

I read about feeding fish peas and I did feed my other fish with a pea once and they loved it so i will do that for my betta too. I'll look for some pellets and check out the ingredients first.

Thanks again. I only took up the hobby at the end of December but I find this site more useful than the local fish shop at times!!

 

[Fishless cycle]

sounds like you are going to take great care of him. He should be around a long time.

I hope so... I love him to bits - he's such a character! I want to make sure he's healthy and happy

 

[Deftpunk79]

Depending on the shop, the LFS can be horribly misdirecting. I once had a guy trying to tell me I could put a fish in one of my 10 gallon tanks that I knew would be 8-10" long in a year and well over a foot fully grown.

 

[Fishless cycle]

Depending on the shop, the LFS can be horribly misdirecting. I once had a guy trying to tell me I could put a fish in one of my 10 gallon tanks that I knew would be 8-10" long in a year and well over a foot fully grown.

I get that impression. It's all about sales for some of them. I've tried to research as much as possible and I actually spoke to a customer that was just walking out of Pets At Home. He had come in to get his water checked and I could see he had ammonia and nitrite at high levels and the staff said 'that's fine.' Unbelievable! I encouraged him to buy the API liquid test kit and he went back in and bought it. I also told him about this forum...

I'd like to write a guide for newbies - maybe get API to sponsor it. There's so little information out there - it's all about money... if fish die then the shops sell more... sad. Anyway I'm on my soap box now! Thanks again for your help. Really appreciate it.

 

[Deftpunk79]

Any time. Feel free to pm if you need any help.

 

[Fishless cycle]

Any time. Feel free to pm if you need any help.

You're a star! Thank you

 

[BettaBabe]

Hi

I have a male betta in a 19 litre tank and I want to either buy a new larger tank for him say 80 litres... or add him to my other tank but would there be a fight? My large tank has:

Neon tetras
Fancy male guppies
Harlequin rasbora
Dwarf neon rainbow fish
Bubblebee gobies

It's just my betta needs more space... I think that's why they don't live long because they're kept in small tanks maybe

Any advice would be great...?

I've kept bettas for along time and one thing that I've learned is that their personality is extremely unique. I have a tank with 5 female bettas ,6 male guppies, ghost shrimp, snails and a male betta. Although I would never recommend that combination to any one my male is fine and even at the bottom of the pecking order. However I also have a male that will attack every thing from fish to marbles and stays housed in a lonely 10g I also have a male that keeps one female and around ten ghost shrimp in a 20g as company but will not tolerate anyone else including snails. My purple male eats shrimp but is okay with frogs and lastly I have a pain in the butt female that also must be house alone. The only way you'll know is to give it a try. Who knows your betta could be a lover and not a fighter.

 

[BettaBabe]

If you do decide to introduce your betta I would recommend that you acclimate him to the water in a way that he can't see the tank and fish until you actually drop him in. The easiest way to do this is to get a plastic cup that is solid in color and float it in the tank. I noticed that they often get to overwhelmed with the sudden appearance of so many fish and will just go pick a place that is theirs to collect and eventually protect instead of chasing everyone the moment you let them loose.Also don't forget to add a little bit of your tank water to the cup at a time to prevent ph shock.

 

[Fishless cycle]

I've kept bettas for along time and one thing that I've learned is that their personality is extremely unique. I have a tank with 5 female bettas ,6 male guppies, ghost shrimp, snails and a male betta. Although I would never recommend that combination to any one my male is fine and even at the bottom of the pecking order. However I also have a male that will attack every thing from fish to marbles and stays housed in a lonely 10g I also have a male that keeps one female and around ten ghost shrimp in a 20g as company but will not tolerate anyone else including snails. My purple male eats shrimp but is okay with frogs and lastly I have a pain in the butt female that also must be house alone. The only way you'll know is to give it a try. Who knows your betta could be a lover and not a fighter.

That's interesting. My friend says I should just put him in the big tank and see how they get on but I really don't want to risk it. I added two apple snails to his tank and he doesn't even notice them - he seems very soft but even if he was okay with the guppies and then in a few days a fight occurred I'd be gutted

I am tempted to buy another tank... it's just the cost!

 

[Fishless cycle]

If you do decide to introduce your betta I would recommend that you acclimate him to the water in a way that he can't see the tank and fish until you actually drop him in. The easiest way to do this is to get a plastic cup that is solid in color and float it in the tank. I noticed that they often get to overwhelmed with the sudden appearance of so many fish and will just go pick a place that is theirs to collect and eventually protect instead of chasing everyone the moment you let them loose.Also don't forget to add a little bit of your tank water to the cup at a time to prevent ph shock.

Okay thanks for the advice. Will have a think about it.