Betta Personalities

[WaterBallet]

Hello!

I am still at the planning stage (and getting more confused with everything I read!)... Anyway, I was thinking about tank mates - and most of the posts suggest that in the end this comes down to the individual personality of the betta.

I was wondering how did people's bettas act in the shop compared to when they settled in at home? I was looking at a lovely fish today that seemed docile but curious (comparred to the other bettas they had in). If my tank had been set up and ready I'd deffinately have taken him home

Thanks!

 

[Sacred]

I assume your talking males here?

Well I am far from an expert on these fish, I'm a noob myself but I have had 2 of these so far and both have/had different personalities

First one I didn't see properly in the shop. He was hidden in one of the tanks. When I was getting other fish I spotted him by chance (an I was really wanting one and they had none left in the little biorbs they tend to be in at the garden centre I get my fishies from)

When he was in the tank though, he was abit of a stroppy fish. He loved to flare out his fins and puff out it's gills, often to his own reflections in the glass but also to other fish. He didn't attack the others (got peeved with a male guppy who kept trying to 'attract' him) Hence I nicknamed him Big Daddy *grin*
Here is a photo of him which his fins all flared out

Sadly I lost him, within the week but I think it was my fault because the tank was still new and only just finished cycling

My second one, I got just yesterday. Total opposite.

In the shop, this time there was about 6 to choose from (reds, blues and icky white with blue fins) I always like the blues.

As I said above they keep the males in little biorbs, and odd few in tanks. It's hard to tell with the seperated ones, just not masses of room or other fish to show how it will behave.

Mine came from a tank. I saw right away he was not like big daddy. This one seemed to like staying around the back out of the way, swimming quite happily back and forth in the planting. I chose him.

Get him home and he is the same, loves swimming about the back mostly amoungst the plants. I have not seen him flare out once yet, even to his reflection. He has puffed his gills out a few times to his reflection though. He seems abit shyier. Just hope this one lasts abit longer

So yes I hope it helps somewhat, two very different personalities

 

[Lacuna]

I have two bettas and in my opinion it is very hard to tell how they will be with tankmates. Both of mine have been put with pygmy corys and both ignored them to begin with and later, after about three months or so, became more territorial and started flaring at them, chasing them etc. So even if a betta is with other fish in the shop and seems fine, there's no guarantee whether he will get along with your fish at home, and behaviour can change after a while anyway. Although my boys flare and occasionally chase, there's no nipping, so it's manageable. But my oldest betta seemed really docile in the shop, he wasn't flaring at the bettas next to him like the others were, but he's actually very feisty and flares all the time now. Grumpy git

 

[loraxchick]

in my experience bettas make just fine tankmates. flaring and chasing are perfectly fine. so long as there is not fighting (which ive yet to see). its just the males way of being territorial. they generally give up the game after a while as they become used to the buddies in the tank. and if youve got lots of hidey holes and other things to break up the line of sight, it is less of an issue.
all the best!
cheers

 

[zophie]

Well, my betta, Kenji, is very active. When I got him, he was flaring, and wiggling his little body, trying to get attention. He's never changed. And beleive it or not, I got him on the dis#37### rack. You see, aparently he was to old (He was only 4 months old- such rot), and so I got him for 50 $, instead of 100$. I know it was very over-priced, but these were top-notch betta's....

 

[Sacred]

In regards to my previous post to this, my new betta has turned stroppy. He does not like the guppies I got today at all and I had to isolate him He's never been like this before til today.