Just Bought My First Lot Of Fish Today.

[Daniel.]

Hi, today I went to a local pet shop and bought the following:

1 fighting fish (What I know it as?)
10 zebra fish
10 neons
2 sucking fish (only small ones)
3 female guppies
2 male guppies
And 2 fish of different sexes that I can't remember the name of.

Basically, I got told that I'd be okay to put the fighting fish in with the others, and I couldn't resist getting it, because, well, it looks awesome.

I've noticed that it keeps jolting towards the other fish, never actually hitting them, but like making chasing some of the fish away a lot by going towards it then quickly following it for a second or two. It only seems to do it to the smaller fish at the top of the tank, but when at the bottom, where the slightly bigger fish stay, it seems perfectly relaxed.

Is this normal behavior for them? Seeing as they're called fighting fish, obviously they'll be some what aggressive, but will it stop it once it's got familiar with it's new surroundings?

I have no idea what to do, or if this is just normal for a while.

The fish have only been in the tank for around 12 hours, and none of the fish are injured or anything, but as I'm sat here now I'm watching it chase other fish away.

Any help? Or info on whether this is normal etc?

 

[Amanita.m]

That is A LOT of fish to put in a tank at one time. How big is your tank? Have you cycled your tank? Do u have a quality water testing kit? What kind of "sucker fish"?
Some kinds get VERY large... Bettas CAN be territorial, and depending on the personality of the one u have, it may or may not relax and be happy in your tank.
Some of the fish you have listed can be nippy and may make a Betta nervous... Bettas and guppies can be a dicey combo for example.
Would need to know more about your set up. If your tank is not cycled, too small and crowded, you are going to have many more problems than just the Betta chasing
other fish...

 

[McCool]

That is A LOT of fish to put in a tank at one time. How big is your tank? Have you cycled your tank? Do u have a quality water testing kit? What kind of "sucker fish"?
Some kinds get VERY large... Bettas CAN be territorial, and depending on the personality of the one u have, it may or may not relax and be happy in your tank.
Some of the fish you have listed can be nippy and may make a Betta nervous... Bettas and guppies can be a dicey combo for example.
Would need to know more about your set up. If your tank is not cycled, too small and crowded, you are going to have many more problems than just the Betta chasing
other fish...

Was just about to post the same thing!

If you haven't cycled the tank, I would take the fish back or just keep the betta and do a fish in cycle (not recommended but possible if you keep up on your water quality). The size of you're tank is going to make a difference in which fish you can keep for sure. Also, the guppies will make babies like crazy, and your tank will soon be full of them.
So, we need tank size, is it cycled, and what kind of filtration do you have?

 

[Daniel.]

That is A LOT of fish to put in a tank at one time. How big is your tank? Have you cycled your tank? Do u have a quality water testing kit? What kind of "sucker fish"?
Some kinds get VERY large... Bettas CAN be territorial, and depending on the personality of the one u have, it may or may not relax and be happy in your tank.
Some of the fish you have listed can be nippy and may make a Betta nervous... Bettas and guppies can be a dicey combo for example.
Would need to know more about your set up. If your tank is not cycled, too small and crowded, you are going to have many more problems than just the Betta chasing
other fish...

Yes, the tank was in use the day before it was given to me. And I can't give you exact measurements of the tank, but it's big, and tall. Size isn't an issue at all, it's not crowded, and the sucking fish are only sucking loach.

Will the fighting fish settle down then, or..?

 

[Daniel.]

Was just about to post the same thing!

If you haven't cycled the tank, I would take the fish back or just keep the betta and do a fish in cycle (not recommended but possible if you keep up on your water quality). The size of you're tank is going to make a difference in which fish you can keep for sure. Also, the guppies will make babies like crazy, and your tank will soon be full of them.
So, we need tank size, is it cycled, and what kind of filtration do you have?

It's probably going to be annoying to a lot of people on here because I'm a complete novice and type like a moron when it comes to describing stuff lol.

Like I said, I don't know the tank size, but it's big. I've Googled 10 gallon fish tanks, and it's bigger than them.

The filter is like a built in type of thing with a pipe plugging into the bottom of the outside of the tank, and then it's a tall thing in the middle wit loads of bubbles blowing out the top.

Also, yes, the tank was in use before etc, and got cleaned, and then these fish were put in.

Again, sorry for being a novice and typing like a moron, but I suppose this is the only way I'm going to learn.

 

[pablothebetta]

Aside from what's already been said, I can sense some compatibility issues here. Bettas and guppies generally don't get along, this is because bettas have poor eyesight and can mistake them for fellow bettas. The zebra fish (zebra danios?) are very active fish and I'd imagine that even if you have a large enough tank for them (I'd guess at 15/20+ US Gallons), they could be quite nippy towards the betta.

If you don't know the tank size, just post the dimensions and it can be roughly worked out. It sounds like you've got an undergravel filter - usually these aren't the best filters and you'd be better off with a small internal or external filter. If the tank isn't cycled, I would take all the fish back to the store or at least half fill your filter with cycled media (your lfs may be kind enough to donate you some and there's always the thread on here about it if that fails and you know no one else).

Don't worry about feeling sorry - you did the right thing by searching for help/advice, which is what few care to do. We're here to help

 

[pablothebetta]

Yes, the tank was in use the day before it was given to me. And I can't give you exact measurements of the tank, but it's big, and tall. Size isn't an issue at all, it's not crowded, and the sucking fish are only sucking loach.

Will the fighting fish settle down then, or..?

I doubt the betta will settle with those guppies around. What you can keep with a betta is very much down to the individual fish. Some are laid back, some won't tolerate any kind of tankmate at all.

When the tank was in use before did it have fish in it? Also, how long was the filter media left dry or without fish? When the tank was cleaned? Did you rinse the media in tap water?

 

[Suleika]

Hi Daniel,

Please take some time to read through the threads in the Beginners Resource Center especially those in the sections General Advice and Cycling

I wish everyone would think to do their research before buying livestock...

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Daniel.
What you are seeing is perfectly normal. In a few days that male will realize that the fish around him are no real threat and he will settle down to a peaceful co-existence with his tank-mates. I find that bettas are delightful tank mates for most fish once they figure out that nobody is attacking them.