You forgotten to mention algae eatting fish in this article i've always had male bettas with either Dwarf plecs or otos and they get along great. And i've never found a snail to be messy just got to watch that the bettas don't start taking chunks out for them.
And i've always had females in a community tank at the moment my four female bettas live great with 5 sparkling gourami and 6 ghost shrimp but i have supplied them lots of plants to hide in. i've found shrimp to be far to fast for bettas to bother with.
You said its unnatural for females to be in a community tank but being in any tank is goign to unnatural and i'm sure inthe wild female bettas don't hang out together!!

Actually, in the 'wild' they live in rice paddies, and (of my knowledge of this) it is mostly just bettas in there. Males have their own 'territories' and only associate with other fish when breeding. And the females may not school in the wild, but they do live toghether

i am NOT stupid. i have a bala with my betta and the bala aint aggressive or anything. so dont start going off on a rant at me because it can work i have proof! i will stop writing now before i get really mad at you.

Bala sharks typically are a bad choice for betta tankmates. You are lucky nothing has killed eachother yet. But not everyone will be so lucky. It is just a matter of time before the shark gets big and decides to have a betta snack.

theres no reason to call me stupid when people dont know me. id like to see them say it to my face.

You're right. Calling you stupid, (and spelling it wrong) was uncalled for, and rude to you. am not calling you stupid, I'm sure you know a lot more than me about fishkeeping, as I am still sort of a newbie, but I am just saying, personally I wouldn't keep a bala with a betta.

This post has been edited by OrkyBetta: Jun 30 2005, 05:15 PM

they are fine at the mo balas still real small but im rehoming him soon anyway

Please don't take offense, but that could change in a heartbeat. After months of having my betta in a community tank I went home to find two of my other fish dead and he was going after a third one before I got him out. I also had one of my zebra danios die the next day from what I believe were injuries from the betta that I didn't notice the day before. I have kept bettas with other fish off and on for over 30 years and never had any problems, but I will never keep bettas with any other fish again. I know a lot of people think they are "only fish" and if one gets killed they just go out and buy another one, but if you do really care about them, get them out of danger before it is too late.

hello kitty- i read your tank specs you need to fix that . remove the betta,they do not go w/ :gouramis,tetras,or sharks. you need to remove the betta imediatly the will kill him the sharks are extreamly agressive ,the tetras are major nippers and if you put a Gourami w/a betta il give you hell. they kill bettas almost all of the stuff in your tank is bad for a betta only one ok are the corys. please dont take this offencably but:DO YOUR RESERCH BEFORE YOU BUY!

Hey, I just decided to nonchalantly bump this back up because I have seen some people lately with unacceptable betta tankmates. Maybe this will be a little hint.

Hey Orkybetta... is this me? The lfs said they'd be fine together since the h. ras. are peaceful and my betta happens to not even hardly flair at my other male betta. And so far they have been... they've actually been playing in the current together!
Anyway, just wondering...

Hey Orkybetta... is this me? The lfs said they'd be fine together since the h. ras. are peaceful and my betta happens to not even hardly flair at my other male betta. And so far they have been... they've actually been playing in the current together!
Anyway, just wondering...

Edit: it just double-posted somehow... sorry!

This post has been edited by fishwatcher: Jul 5 2005, 11:18 PM

No, it isn't you. There have just been a lot of references lately about tankmates. Don't worry, it wasn't aimed at anyone.

Well, just to let you know, Frankie decided to show his true nature and started flaring at the others in the tank at dinner time last night. So, he was pulled out and put back in his 1-gal bowl.
I hate to tease him with so much freedom like that, only to take it away, but at least I did try. I'd rather not take a chance on him killing my other fish though.

He should adjust to the one gallon. Just watch him for signs of depression. Trust me, he'd be a lot less happy if he lived in fear.

Bumped again, for good measure.

What would I do if he did get depressed?

If he did get depressed, try putting something fun in his tank, maybe put in some colloidal silver, and spend some time in the room with him. Make sure he eats and he should come out of it just fine.

I've referred a couple people to this thread over the past little while, but this is the first occasion I've had to ask a question myself.

Bearing in mind that this is completely a whim of mine, and that I have not yet taken so much as a step in this direction (read, don't jump all over me ) I was wondering about mixing 4 female bettas with 6 or so harlequin rasboras in a well planted, liberally-caved 10g. Would they be able to coexist, or would the HQNs be a bit too peaceful for the community?

Again, this is just a thought I had, and if that wouldn't work then I won't be disappointed in the least. I just saw some HQNs recently and wondered, is all. If not, I'll just wait till I can afford another tank