Adding a Betta to my community tank?

[tintin]

Hi,

I have a 20 litre tank that currently has 7 fish in it -

1x gourami
2x guppies
2x red phantoms
1x pyjama catfish
1x small bottom feeder (whose name I don't know right now)

They're all fairly small fish. The gourami and catfish are the biggest at about 5cm each.

I would like to get 1 or 2 more fish and was wondering if this would be a good environment for a betta?

What do you think?

TT.

 

[tintin]

Sorry, there was a typo. Its a 60 litre tank, not 20 litre.

 

[Guppylover]

It depends on the betta you are getting... you have to have a gentle and nice betta to live happily in a community, if you have an aggressive one he will attack most of the fish in your community tank.

 

[tintin]

But is this something you can tell before you get it home and put it into the tank?

 

[Guppylover]

...you can sometimes... I mean, don't go and pick the betta which is swimming around the tanks flaring it's heart out at all the fish around it opening it mouth aggressively. Try to pick a good healthy betta which does flare at the other male betta and also is calm, you can't really tell if a betta is nice but you can tell if it is calm.

 

[KBaBy2989]

i have a betta in my tank with other fish and he does fine. he has a little bubble nest and he hardly ever flares up unless a fish comes up behind him adn spooks him and none of my other fish go after him either

 

[David]

Usually bettas shouldn't be mixed with guppies. Their large tails can often be mistaken for other bettas. Also I've heard that they are incompatible with gouramis. If you want to risk it, go ahead, but have another tank waiting for the betta.

 

[tintin]

Hmmm. On that advice its perhaps not a good idea then. Shame.