Given the large number of great betta keepers on this forum, I'm hoping someone will have an answer to my question.
I have wanted a betta for a long time, but the fact that my 38 has a blue gourami in it has held me back. I was afraid the blue gourami would kill him. Now though, I have a 10 gallon with some killifish in it, and I thought, "Hey, the killifish are small, I don't think they'll chew on his fins." So I went out and got myself a betta.
He's great! He has a reddish body with blue and green finnage. I put his little cup into the 10 gallon to start acclimating him to the water temp, and then it occurred to me...forget what the killies might do to him, what might he do to my killies???
The killies were curious (if you want to know what they look like, see my pic on the left), and they started to approach him. The betta (male, BTW) flared up at them and kind of lunged. Obviously he couldn't get them because he was in the cup, but it honestly hadn't occured to me that he might not like the killies. I'm so good at this...
Anyway, maybe nobody will have direct experience with killifish and bettas, but does anyone have any ideas? Is the flaring up a sign of aggression? I don't know that he could catch them even if he wanted to, I've read that bettas aren't the best swimmers, and the killies are like greased lightning (just try to catch those little buggers), but I don't want the killies to live in fear. I'll take the betta back if I have to, but I'd like to keep him. Also, am I correct in that the blue gourami in the 38 will not tolerate his presence?
Thanks in advance!
Paul
I have wanted a betta for a long time, but the fact that my 38 has a blue gourami in it has held me back. I was afraid the blue gourami would kill him. Now though, I have a 10 gallon with some killifish in it, and I thought, "Hey, the killifish are small, I don't think they'll chew on his fins." So I went out and got myself a betta.
He's great! He has a reddish body with blue and green finnage. I put his little cup into the 10 gallon to start acclimating him to the water temp, and then it occurred to me...forget what the killies might do to him, what might he do to my killies???
The killies were curious (if you want to know what they look like, see my pic on the left), and they started to approach him. The betta (male, BTW) flared up at them and kind of lunged. Obviously he couldn't get them because he was in the cup, but it honestly hadn't occured to me that he might not like the killies. I'm so good at this...
Anyway, maybe nobody will have direct experience with killifish and bettas, but does anyone have any ideas? Is the flaring up a sign of aggression? I don't know that he could catch them even if he wanted to, I've read that bettas aren't the best swimmers, and the killies are like greased lightning (just try to catch those little buggers), but I don't want the killies to live in fear. I'll take the betta back if I have to, but I'd like to keep him. Also, am I correct in that the blue gourami in the 38 will not tolerate his presence?
Thanks in advance!
Paul