what to add

[joemamauggly]

i gots a 30 gallon tank with one bolivian ram and one swordtail. i kinda want to put a betta in there but am unsure if him amd the ram would get along. i know i need more swordtails or platies but im not getting more than 2 more. what else do you think not to many i dont want a whoe lot of fish. thx

[joemamauggly]

oh yeah fjBVEC k

[Jantaris]

We have two Bolivians with some live bearers and a female betta and they all get on fine. At least they have and they do to this point. Our betta is a great little fish and she seems to get on with everybody. So, yeah, at this point, it's all good. We have a little back up, just in case somebody decides to go rogue...

[joemamauggly]

yeah i like female bettas but im am not sure if a male would be alright all my other bettas ive had have been evil

[Jantaris]

Originally Posted by joemamauggly

yeah i like female bettas but im am not sure if a male would be alright all my other bettas ive had have been evil

The thing with bettas is you never know what's gonna happen. I can tell you I have had success with females and then you go and get one and she's the one that rips everybody to pieces. Then you can get a male that does well in a community tank despite everyone saying Don't do it!. I'd say females may not be quite as risky as males, generally speaking, in a community tank. But you really just never know. Try it but prepared it may not work. You may have to try a few out to get the one that works. I'd say we got pretty lucky to get one that worked the first time.

[t4runnr]

My local LFS sells male bettas. But none of them are in cups. They usually put one male in each tank with either tetras, mollies, or platies. So the bettas I've bought from there have been community friendly from the beginning. Even with my my Bolivian ram.

[Jantaris]

Originally Posted by t4runnr

My local LFS sells male bettas. But none of them are in cups. They usually put one male in each tank with either tetras, mollies, or platies. So the bettas I've bought from there have been community friendly from the beginning. Even with my my Bolivian ram.

I think that makes a difference. I wish my LFS did that. We just get a sad little fish in a sad little cup. Seeing a betta in a tank with other fish, seeing how he reacts to other fish, would probably help a lot if you can find a store that does that...

[Pearly]

Originally Posted by Jantaris

I think that makes a difference. I wish my LFS did that. We just get a sad little fish in a sad little cup. Seeing a betta in a tank with other fish, seeing how he reacts to other fish, would probably help a lot if you can find a store that does that...

How about getting a betta baby boy and just have him grow with other things? Just a thought I just posted on another thread on this forum (companion for betta in 10 gal, or something like it), got 5 male bettas i 5 different tanks, each one with bunch of companions... Curiosity? Yes! Aggression? Never!

[t4runnr]

Originally Posted by Jantaris

I think that makes a difference. I wish my LFS did that. We just get a sad little fish in a sad little cup. Seeing a betta in a tank with other fish, seeing how he reacts to other fish, would probably help a lot if you can find a store that does that...

And the LFS near my parents house (incidentally where I purchase most of my stock) has most of their bettas in at least 2 to 2.5 gallon tanks.

[Pearly]

My lfs has maybe 10-20 of 2.5 gal betta tanks, but most of them are in planted 1 gal cubes which still are much better then those pitiful tiny cups. Then we have the big box stores where of course the cups prevail. There are couple of petcos and petsmarts in my are that actually take prettygood care of their fish, and I stay away from walmart fish department bcs it breaks my heart to see that. It depends on the store manager and individuals who work there just like everywhere else