Strange Betta?

[FishySarah]

Well, I have a 55 gallon tank with black skirt tetras, guppies, mollies, gold barbs, rasboras, bloodfin tetras, cories and a gourami.

I also have a betta. I was warned all over the place that he isn't compatible with the other fish, but I had to get rid of the 5 gallon he was in. I had him in a breeder net in the 55 gallon for a little while while I was figuring out what to do with him.

Well, sometime yesterday he got out and into the main tank. I found him this morning swimming among the other fish. His fins are perfect, and he has not been nipped. Neither has my male guppy or gourami. He is happily swimming among the other fish and they are ignoring him. There is absolutely no chasing or nipping going on. I have been watching them for twenty minutes. I tried to catch him a few times but he keeps going off and hiding. There are a million hiding places in the tank so its hard to catch any one fish.

Anyway, I can't figure it out, but the fish are getting along just fine!

Can I just leave him? What do you think? Maybe because the tank is so large and there are so many caves and things the fish arne't stressed with each other? This really has me surprised.

 

[BethK]

These warnings are more like guide lines. Bettas are territorial,so it's reasonable to assume they would become aggressive in certain situations. It also depends on the betta's personality, which is hard to judge until they are in a community.

Bettas are part of the gourami family, all labyrinth fish and need the top section on a tank, which could cause issues when it comes to territory.

You have a 55gal, which is around 208ltrs (ish). If your tank is planted well and there are a fair few hiding places, in that vast space, then there shouldn't be a big issue. The main problem that could arise is stress, bettas are good at bullying (chasing, stalking, flaring),which could cause stress on the smaller fish. Guppies and smaller are good at nipping but again, you have a big tank.

Keep a watchful eye on them, your set up isn't ideal but if there is no harm done, I can't see an issue with keeping them together.

 

[loraxchick]

just keep an eye on everyone. honestly, i believe, from personal experience, that bettas make great community fish. their aggressiveness is often overplayed, especially with other fish. of course dont keep them with other bettas, or especially agressive fish. and your tank is large with seemingly lots ofthings to break up the line of sight and let all the fish get away from each other.
again, just keep an eye out...especially when lights out.
cheers!!

 

[secuono]

I would worry about the gold barbs, black skirts & rasboras if the school is not large enough. At least 6 of each. And what kind of Gourami is it? I had a female that was very aggressive, but my male is very peaceful and gets along with everyone. The livebearers shouldn't be an issue.
I have a 90gal with a Betta, P.J. Pleco, Rainbow shark, 2 Dojo Loach, Platy, Opaline Gourami, 2 Angelfish and I used to keep Black skirts also. They all do fine, though one Angel gets too nosy sometimes, but doesn't harm the Betta.