Betta attacking cories please help!

[OblivionGamer92]

I have a ten gallon tank that has a young Molly, 2 cories, and a recently added female betta. I thought the betta would he peaceful, and it was the first few days. But then it noticed the catfish, and now it does nothing but hide in its cave and attack them by flaring and nipping their fins. I've put it in a breeder box until it calmed down, but it continued attacking them! What do u think I should do? I have a small 1.5 gallon bowl but I really don't want to make it live in such a small space when I have ten times the space available.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

You've got two options IMO. Buy her a tank to herself or return her to the store. If she's acting like this now I don't see it stopping. 10g doesn't provide enough space for her to escape if she feels threatened. Your right not to put her in the 1.5g. It wouldn't be much of a life.

 

[John-K]

What temperature is your tank? Fish tend to be a lot more active and aggressive at higher temperatures so you could try lowering it down, even a few degrees can help. Also, you could get a tank divider and keep her separate from the other fish.

I've had fish that were complete psychos at first, but after a month or so of easy living calmed way down. Of course, if you keep her that long you would probably be stuck with her.

Good Luck!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I wouldn't divide a 10g with a Molly and cories already in it. Those fish need all the room they can get. They are really not suited for anything under a 20g long.
Turning the temperature down just to 'slow a fish down' is a bad idea IMO.

 

[John-K]

I'm not suggesting anything below their acceptable parameters. I've seen studies showing a huge drop in aggression with only a 3 degree temperature drop. So if the tank is at 80, going to 75-76 would be fine.

 

[omgitzmollie]

Bettas are semi agressive fish they definatley should not be paired with community fish. Bettas also do not mind a bowl, but if it has lived in a tank for a while i reccomend getting a 5 or 10 gallon off the internet, she will be happy in that.

 

[OblivionGamer92]

Well currently I have it in the breeder box, and my temperature is around 80, so I might try lowering it just a tad. But lack of space isn't the only reason I don't prefer bowls. I find that they take to much energy to clean, and lack of proper heating and filtration causes diseases. So I have considered returning it, but I'm not sure if the store I bought from allows returns of fish who are simply aggressive. I bought it from petsmart, and I know you can return dead fish because I've done it before, but can you return live ones?

 

[omgitzmollie]

Only between a two week period sorry and i totally understand about the bowls

 

[OblivionGamer92]

Well I'm pretty sure I have until the 19th so I'm letting it out of its breeder box for 2 days and if it doesn't calm down I'm going to bring it back

 

[LyndaB]

Female bettas are just as aggressive in personality as the males, sometimes more so.

I vote for no bettas in community tanks.

 

[OblivionGamer92]

Well since I'm goin to bring it back, what dish do you think I should get that's a good community fish for a ten gallon?

 

[Reygan2]

Female bettas are just as aggressive in personality as the males, sometimes more so.

I vote for no bettas in community tanks.

I wish I had known. Not only is my new female betta targeting a fish every now and then, she is eating so much that she looks like she might explode. She is the sole surface swimmer, so she has first dibs at the food. Sadly, I regret the purchase. I've read of others on here that did it, so I thought it would be nice to have one. I have a male in his own tank, and he has built an impressive bubble nest. But I still couldn't house them together, right?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I wish I had known. Not only is my new female betta targeting a fish every now and then, she is eating so much that she looks like she might explode. She is the sole surface swimmer, so she has first dibs at the food. Sadly, I regret the purchase. I've read of others on here that did it, so I thought it would be nice to have one. I have a male in his own tank, and he has built an impressive bubble nest. But I still couldn't house them together, right?

No. IMO never house more than one Betta of any gender in a tank (without dividers).

 

[Sisserydoo]

Yes, every betta has its own personality. I've got a male that is totally chill with two male mollies and two glowlight tetras. Even when they pick at him, he just swims away.

I think it would be fine in the 1.5 for a few weeks, until you can buy something else, if you want to keep it.