Help! Male betta chasing neon tetras!

[bettafishlover86]

I had a male betta fish and 2 neon tetras in a 5-gallon aquarium. The aquarium cracked, so I drove to the pet store and got a 3.5 gallon. My betta never bothered the neon tetras before but now he is chasing them. What should I do?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Unfortunately there is little that you can do since the Betta is an aggressive species of fish that will happily kill anything in their territory....especially anything that has bright colouring and/or flashy fins & tails

Your fish might well have ignored them in his old home but now he is stating his territory in his new home and those Neon's are intruders to be removed in which ever way that he can

The only way to have maybe stopped the behaviour was to add the Neon's a day or two before the Betta

There is very little that you can do at this stage.....the Betta would be safer by himself and the Neon's need another four Neon's to make them feel safe and secure in another aquarium. Sadly once a Betta gets other fish in his sights, there is not much you can do since even really good sight blocking of plants and/or ornaments/rocks will not cure the issue...he has seen them, in his mind they are intruders to be got rid of

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Hi, BFL. I agree with the above. There are three issues here. First, 3.5 gallon is barely adequate for a betta alone; it is definitely too small for a betta with other fish. That's where the aggression is coming from. Second, bettas, especially male bettas, are naturally solitary and best kept alone. If you want a tankmate for him, I suggest a few snails or amano shrimp, as bettas often don't recognize these as a threat. Betta personalities vary widely, and you'll hear from many people who have successfully kept them with fishy tank mates...for a while. But anytime you do so, you're taking a chance that, sooner or later, aggression will happen. Third, neons are a schooling fish, and they need to be in groups of at least five or six (ten is better) to feel safe and comfortable.

So, unless you want your neons hounded to death, you'll have to rehome them. A fifteen to twenty gallon tank, if set up well, should be adequate for a nice school of them. You'll notice the difference in their colors and behavior. If that isn't an option, see if your pet store or a nearby fish keeper can take them, and just keep the betta.

Good luck!

 

[Essjay]

I see from another thread that you are getting a new 29 gallon tank. The best thing you can do is move everything except the betta into the 29 gallon, and keep the betta in the 3.5 gallon. Once you have the 29 gallon up and running, you can sort out the numbers of the fish you already have (more otocinclus and more neon tetras)

 

[bettafishlover86]

I see from another thread that you are getting a new 29 gallon tank. The best thing you can do is move everything except the betta into the 29 gallon, and keep the betta in the 3.5 gallon. Once you have the 29 gallon up and running, you can sort out the numbers of the fish you already have (more otocinclus and more neon tetras)

After I do that should I keep my betta in the 3.5 gallon?

 

[Essjay]

Yes. It is a bit on the small side, but the betta needs to be kept alone and not moved into the new 29 gallon with the other fish.

 

[bettafishlover86]

Hi, BFL. I agree with the above. There are three issues here. First, 3.5 gallon is barely adequate for a betta alone; it is definitely too small for a betta with other fish. That's where the aggression is coming from. Second, bettas, especially male bettas, are naturally solitary and best kept alone. If you want a tankmate for him, I suggest a few snails or amano shrimp, as bettas often don't recognize these as a threat. Betta personalities vary widely, and you'll hear from many people who have successfully kept them with fishy tank mates...for a while. But anytime you do so, you're taking a chance that, sooner or later, aggression will happen. Third, neons are a schooling fish, and they need to be in groups of at least five or six (ten is better) to feel safe and comfortable.

So, unless you want your neons hounded to death, you'll have to rehome them. A fifteen to twenty gallon tank, if set up well, should be adequate for a nice school of them. You'll notice the difference in their colors and behavior. If that isn't an option, see if your pet store or a nearby fish keeper can take them, and just keep the betta.

Good luck!

I can't get them to a new home for about a week. What do I do while I wait?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I can't get them to a new home for about a week. What do I do while I wait?

Find another place to put them. A plastic tub? A 5 gallon bucket? Treat and aerate the water and keep it warm. Not ideal but better than having them killed by the betta.

 

[bettafishlover86]

I have an extra filter, but my house is pretty cold and I only have 1 tank heater.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I can't get them to a new home for about a week. What do I do while I wait?

So you have an aggressive fish (Betta) in too-small a tank, with vulnerable small and brightly coloured fish...and you can't remove either for the time being.

Best thing would be to fill the tank with live vegetation.
Don't get hung up on aquascaping, or planting stuff...just stick live plants in. These will provide some sanctuary for all fish present and should break up the line-of-sight the Betta will have with what he sees as a competitive threat.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Can you get a small, cheap heater at your local pet store? I wouldn't worry too much about a filter, because it won't be cycled anyway and this is just a short-term solution. Just keep it warm and aerated, and do lots of water changes. If you don't remove the neons, they're probably going to die.

 

[bettafishlover86]

So you have an aggressive fish (Betta) in too-small a tank, with vulnerable small and brightly coloured fish...and you can't remove either for the time being.

Best thing would be to fill the tank with live vegetation.
Don't get hung up on aquascaping, or planting stuff...just stick live plants in. These will provide some sanctuary for all fish present and should break up the line-of-sight the Betta will have with what he sees as a competitive threat.

I have a few plants in the tank, I put in as many as I could fit.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I have a few plants in the tank, I put in as many as I could fit.

Trust me...you could fit more in.
Given that you're unable to set up even an emergency hospital/quarantine tank, your only solution is to hide the vulnerable.
Whilst this will rob the neons of valuable schooling space, it should at least keep them safe until your larger tank is established.

 

[bettafishlover86]

So you have an aggressive fish (Betta) in too-small a tank, with vulnerable small and brightly coloured fish...and you can't remove either for the time being.

Best thing would be to fill the tank with live vegetation.
Don't get hung up on aquascaping, or planting stuff...just stick live plants in. These will provide some sanctuary for all fish present and should break up the line-of-sight the Betta will have with what he sees as a competitive threat.

I just put in another decoration, now my betta can't seem to find the neon tetras.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I just put in another decoration, now my betta can't seem to find the neon tetras.

So you couldn't fit plants in, but you could find room for another 'decoration'?
I think I'm done here.