Betta Imbellis (Peaceful Betta)

[Jimmyfromhudds]

Hi Is this really as peaceful as it is supposed to be? We want to have a Betta in our Community tank with Neon Tetras and White Tipped Bentosi Tetras. Please can someone advise about the behaviour and temperament of the peaceful Betta. Thanks

 

[Derekshatch]

Female bettas are usually less agressive than males in a community tank and can be a great addition to a community tank.

 

[Sylvan]

I've read mixed things about Betta Imbellis being peaceful including things that say quite a lot of the ones in LFSs are Imbellis/Splenden hybrids but I don't know how true that is and I've not kept them myself.

 

[Colin_T]

The common male Siamese fighting fish you buy at pet shops is a hybrid between Betta splendens and Betta imbellis.

If you can find true Betta imbellis, they are peaceful and often get bullied by other fish. They hide a lot if bigger fish are in the tank or if there isn't enough plants to hide in.
You can't keep them with gouramis.
They don't normally eat dry pellets or flake and need frozen (but defrosted) and live foods.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Bettas aren't community fish, that's that. Now some (a rare few) can learn to behave, but most either get bullied or tear the other fish up. As @Colin_T said, they usually don't eat common food; that's another thing to factor into this equation.

 

[Bub]

Females can be just as aggressive as the males. And I don't agree that bettas can't be kept in communities (splendens that is, unless we are strictly talking imbellis in this regard in which case I would not keep them in communities). All of my bettas have been. On the forums I've been on its more common to see bettas in community tanks than in solo tanks. Though I've noticed each forum has their own take on certain things. I've seen more bettas bullied than I've seen bullying other fish. Of course it all depends on the individual. Some are more aggressive than others, some are more peaceful. You could end up with either. And I wouldn't keep betta imbellis in a standard community tank.

The main problem I have with bettas in communities is that if there is too much action they can become stressed. And ideally neons would be in cooler water than bettas imo.

 

[frogtastic]

Ive been breeding wild type Imbellis, Mahachai and splendens for awhile now and loving it. In my short experience, Imbellis are far less aggressive than non-domestic splendens but this could be down to them being for spawning focused. Personally, I have found the Imbellis females to be just as aggressive, be less than splendens, than the males.

With regards to Community tanks, I dont find them stressed at all. They seem to totally ignore all other fish.