Platy dorsal fin !! nipped/injured ?

[Linad]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie to fish. I have 25 litre aquarium with filter and thermometer. The fish include one betta, 3 platies, 2 neon tetra. One particular platy has quite a large dorsal fin whilst the other 2 don't, it seems to be gnawed at. I think the betta and possibly even the other platies (maybe they are jealous) are nipping at it ? Any suggestions on what to do please ? (buy another better to intimidate the first better ?)

Please help !! thanks a lot

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Hello and welcome.

The answer to your issue is that bettas should not be housed with other fish. Some (very few, in my opinion) male bettas can be housed with other fish, but these are rare. Getting an additional betta would cause way MORE problems. Please do not do that!

The best course of action is to rehouse the betta in a tank by itself. Bettas are best kept alone. In the wild, they are solitary fish, and highly territorial. A betta can be comfortably kept in a 5 gallon tank by itself with some plants, including some floaters and do very well.

Honestly, the best move would be to keep the betta in that tank (that's an ideal size for a lone male betta), and get a larger tank for the other fish. None of those fish (platies or neons) should be kept in something smaller than a 10 gallon tank. If kept properly, these fish will not cause issues.

Neons should be kept in larger numbers than 2. They are shoaling fish and should be kept in groups of at least 6, or else they can become nippy. (These fish become nippy because they are stressed, and they nip because they feel threatened based on their low numbers.)

 

[Linad]

Thanks for your prompt reply, unfortunately I was informed at the pet store that platies and a betta will be ok. I know what I have to do now !

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Thanks for your prompt reply, unfortunately I was informed at the pet store that platies and a betta will be ok. I know what I have to do now !

You aren't the first one to be given bad advice from the LFS. It happens all the time.