Betta Tank Mates

[i love bettas]

hello im new to this site but not fish keeping and every one tells me that bettas need to be kept in tanks by them selves which i think is so cruel and
i have gouramis in mi beta what does everyone think

 

[Corleone]

It's not cruel if it's how they like to be kept.

A lot of people say they do ok with cories, dwarf frogs. Anything with long fins or anything very colorful they might see as a rival male and attack. Some people have luck keeping males in community tanks. It all comes down to the betta. They've got a lot of personality to them. Some will be very tolerant, some will be less tolerant.

Mine, for example, was evil, and even keeping him alone didn't always feel quite safe. He tore ghost shrimp apart and left their body parts scattered around, picked his frog up by the legs and raced around the tank with him, and nearly stressed himself to death trying to chase a snail off.

 

[lilfishie]

depends on the betta, some will happily live with other fish, others will only liv with certain fish (cories and ottos mainly) whilst others won't like any.
keep an eye on yours as sometimes there fine, then suddenly turn and kill fish

 

[debbie888]

I have one betta in a community tank and he gets on fine in there...I then have another in a tank with 4 cory's and he is also fine....as has already been said...I think it depends on the individual fish...!

 

[doresy]

I would suggest that the only tank mates to be concidered are bottom dweller/feeders.

This is not for company as Bettas dont 'need' company in their tank (they depend on watching YOU for entertainment! ) it is so any uneaten food is disposed of before producing ammonia. Also, if you are a bit heavy handed at feeding time he will have some competition which will decrease the chance of overfeeding which leads to swimbladder problems in Bettas.

 

[sheepdove]

hello im new to this site but not fish keeping and every one tells me that bettas need to be kept in tanks by them selves which i think is so cruel and
i have gouramis in mi beta what does everyone think

You were told wrong. Females Bettas can be kept together. It is best to keep only one male with a group of females. However sometimes males can be kept together in a group. You have to separate any that wants to fight from the rest though.

 

[Curiosity101]

You were told wrong. Females Bettas can be kept together. It is best to keep only one male with a group of females. However sometimes males can be kept together in a group. You have to separate any that wants to fight from the rest though.

You DO NOT keep any males and females together. Males also cannot be kept together. The only betta splendens that can be kept together are females. And even then you need a reasonable sized group (4+) to spread out the females agression.

 

[Christi_22]

Agree with Curiosity, With Betta Fish the rule is usually to give them their own space (males). There is a big spectrum with their tolerance, and aggression levels, and ideally if you have them in a tank with other Anabantoids, or any other fish (Gourami's in your case) then you should have a back up plan. The issue is that they may seem to be living happily at the moment, but that could change. If so, would you be in a position to separate them? (do you have another tank if things get out of hand)?

You don't state the size of your tank, is it planted? Cycled? Which type of Gourami's do you have? are they male? female? both??? How long have they been sharing a tank. Betta's can get along with certain other fish/critters in a community tank, but it really depends on the individual, if it does not work out the consequences can be very tough for you and the fish.

 

[Christi_22]

Oops, quite an old post lol

 

[Netty]

Old ......but she seems to be in the habit of resurrecting old posts and giving completely incorrect advice

 

[electric yellow]

Yeah ive noticed that to Netty. Also the surge in seeing: you can keep male betters in the same tank together with no divider...





RE: betta tank mates. Even though its an old thread i will still reply

I have a large variety of tank buddies for my boys. They range from 2x panda corys, 1x albino cory, 2x german blue rams, 1x gold gourami, 2x clown loaches and a neon tetra. My boy red VT Ramjet it the only boy who shares his house with two plecs and no other fish. he is the most aggressive out of my PK and other VT who all share their homes.

 

[Honeythorn]

This thread is almost a year old. WHY has it been dug up?

 

[Curiosity101]

Lol...oopsy daisy. I just saw the incorrect new post... Silly me. How do people even find year old posts in the first place anyways?

 

[Platygirl11]

This thread is almost a year old. WHY has it been dug up?

I have absolutely no idea.
And NO sheepdove you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT PUT MALES WITH FEMALES UNLESS FOR SPAWNING. And very careful spawning at that, which beginners probably should not attempt.
Honestly, I don't mean to be mean, though, just be very careful about what you post.
Also this thread is ancient.