Betta with Chilli Rasbora

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mrcrans

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Hi guys new here

Wanted to know if itā€™s safe to keep my new Betta with 20 chilli rasboras, it also has 10 panda cories and 30 odd cherry shrimps.

I noticed the chiliā€™s are more together since iā€™ve added the Betta

I did see the Betta eat a shrimp on his second day but since then heā€™s been okay around them, didnā€™t mind him eating the shrimps but i would prefer he didnā€™t eat the chiliā€™s!


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I know a lot of members here advise not keeping a betta fish with any other fish due to their aggression.
I'm guessing the fish that are grouping more are afraid and stressed of this larger fish in the tank.
 
Welcome to TFF. :hi:

This is not advisable. It does depend to a certain degree on the individual fish, but generally speaking the poor little rasboras being colourful are quite likely to inflame the betta in time. Sometimes this is immediate, sometimes weeks even a few months later. But it is like putting a mouse and a cat in a small room with no escape...it is not advisable.

Another issue is floating plants. Both of these species must have floating plants that are substantial. These provide cover and food sources, all meaning less stress.

There is another issue, the substrate. Corydoras need soft sand because they are filter feeders and the larger-grain gravel is more prone to bacterial issues.
 
That is a beautiful betta!
I'd get him his own tank, a floating betta log: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoo-Med-BL...2465&sprefix=floating+betta+log,aps,62&sr=8-3
Some large almond leaves https://www.amazon.co.uk/SunGrow-Re...=&sr=1-1-30c649cd-33b6-49d1-9f8b-8035bb525ef9
Some floating plants with long, dangly roots that he can swim through, and I'd hatch some brine shrimp eggs for him (in salted water): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterlife-...words=brine+shrimp+eggs&qid=1680282615&sr=8-5
He's a lovely fish but he'll be stressing out the others. Bettas are a lovely nightmare - they don't play nicely but they crave your interaction. Don't overfeed him - I just lost one to (I think) gorging on a prawn I'd put in for my shrimp which, oddly, he never bothered.
Welcome to the forum! You'll get SO much good advice on here :)
 
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Bettas are not fish eaters by nature. Take a look at that upturned mouth - it is evolved as a powerful mosquito killing tool. It's for grabbing from below, and would make it very hard for a Betta to bite a quick chili. If your Betta is well fed in a tank that size, he won't take a lot of notice of the chilis. I don't think the cat and mouse analogy works - small fish aren't prey animals for Bettas unless the tank is tiny and very poorly thought out.
He may find moulting shrimp impossible to resist though. They don't move fast and look kind of buglike.

The chilis have noticed the betta though. He's a large fish to them, and they are wary of him. I expect it would be the same for any large bodied fish. They'll soon figure that out. I would get floating plants in there ASAP, and expect the Bororas to move lower in the tank and avoid the surface. He'll chase at the outset. It doesn't continue.

No fish occurs in the wild with a long finned Betta - they are human made creatures. But with wild ancestral Bettas, fish like chilis do occupy the shallower habitats. Corys, as South American fish, no (and that gravel isn't ideal, as @Byron has pointed out).

You may find that when the Corys shoot to the surface to breathe, they will startled the Betta for the first short while.

I feel like a devil's advocate here, but my male fancy Bettas always ignored tankmates like chilis, harlequins or cardinals. They scavenged dead 'floaters', but never bit living tankmates. With those dragging fins, they couldn't catch them if they wanted to. After the shock of seeing another fish (they are raised alone) wears off, they were always very cool here. My sample is probably 30ish individual males over the years.
 
Well, bettas may not eat small fish but mine sure did. I sat in front of the 20g tank I had back in high school and witness my beautiful deep red betta approach a neon tetra head on and the neon went in within seconds and was chewed to bits.

The issue is that brightly coloured fish like Boraras species can easily rouse the betta's temper, especially since both the rasboras and the betta are upper level fish. The betta will consider the entire tank "his." That's all it takes.

Risking a fish to prove "x" may work is not something I consider advisable to those fairly new to the hobby. It is one thing for experienced aquarists to be able to easily recognize trouble, but few who are new to the hobby have that ability. And the bottom line is,it is just not fair to the fish.
 
Hi guys new here

Wanted to know if itā€™s safe to keep my new Betta with 20 chilli rasboras, it also has 10 panda cories and 30 odd cherry shrimps.

I noticed the chiliā€™s are more together since iā€™ve added the Betta

I did see the Betta eat a shrimp on his second day but since then heā€™s been okay around them, didnā€™t mind him eating the shrimps but i would prefer he didnā€™t eat the chiliā€™s!


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It really does depend on the temperament of your betta, especially with the chili rasboras being quite small. You should also make sure that you're not overstocking the tank as well. What size is it? If you're not sure about the temperament of your betta I definitely wouldn't do it in a tank smaller than 50 gallons.

With that being said, your tank looks awesome XD
 
The addition of any larger fish would make them shoal defensively, but they figure things out quickly. Tank size matters, and I hope that is at least a 20 gallon and is planted.
 

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