Betta in community aquarium

[EmJay]

I enquired at my LFS about adding a male Betta into my community aquarium.
They said male Betta's can be housed with fish such as Neon tetras, Cardinal tetras, Endlers (but not guppies), Harlequin rasboras, Celestrial/Galaxy danios, Platies, Mollies etc but they could not be housed with fish such as Barbs, Red eye tetras, Penguin tetras etc as they would nip the Betta's fins.
Going on their advice, I added the Betta into my aquarium containing Neon tetras, Platies, a Bulldog plec, a Red tailed black shark, Red cherry shrimps and Assassin snails.
Everyone seems happy, as far as I can tell.
Since joining this forum, I can see people recommend housing Betta's on their own.
What should I do?

 

[Essjay]

Keep an eye on the tank.

If it doesn't work out, it can go one of two ways. The betta could suddenly snap and decide to attack the other fish, or the other fish just hide because they are intimidated by the presence of the betta. Or the other fish could decide the betta's fins look like an tasty snack.

Work out a back up plan, just in case. Even something like keeping one of those fry nets in the cupboard to use in an emergency - make sure you have something to use as a cover since bettas can jump. That would give you breathing space to decide on the next step.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The red tailed shark doesn't eat the shrimp? Would have thought it would decimate a shrimp population

 

[EmJay]

Keep an eye on the tank.

If it doesn't work out, it can go one of two ways. The betta could suddenly snap and decide to attack the other fish, or the other fish just hide because they are intimidated by the presence of the betta. Or the other fish could decide the betta's fins look like an tasty snack.

Work out a back up plan, just in case. Even something like keeping one of those fry nets in the cupboard to use in an emergency - make sure you have something to use as a cover since bettas can jump. That would give you breathing space to decide on the next step.

Thanks.
The other fish don't seem bothered by the Betta, they aren't hiding, all fish still feeding etc.
I have a fry net in the cupboard anyway so that's a good call. I have a small empty aquarium should he need separating on a permanent basis.

 

[EmJay]

The red tailed shark doesn't eat the shrimp? Would have thought it would decimate a shrimp population

He doesn't seem to bother with the shrimp at all. He prefers the plec's wafers and cucumber etc than anything else

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

He doesn't seem to bother with the shrimp at all. He prefers the plec's wafers and cucumber etc than anything else

Is it still a youngster? Just given their natural diet, one would imagine that shrimp would be right on the menu. Have you had him for long?

I've never kept a shark though, maybe @WhistlingBadger or @Colin_T have.

It's good that he hasn't! I was just surprised, given the rep red-tailed have, and being omnivores.

 

[goldfish_is_orange]

Aside from reading a lot of forum posts, I have joined local groups that keep and breed bettas. What I've found 3 months into the hobby is that the temperament of the individual bettas play a big part. Some are OK with smaller fish or invertebrates around, while some can't even tolerate snails.
I do think they're still best kept by themselves, but if you're lucky to get a peaceful one, putting them in a community tank isn't a bad idea either. I have one living with tetras, otos and snails in a planted tank for a couple of weeks now. I watch out for any aggression, fin-nipping or signs of stress, and there has been none so far.

 

[EmJay]

Aside from reading a lot of forum posts, I have joined local groups that keep and breed bettas. What I've found 3 months into the hobby is that the temperament of the individual bettas play a big part. Some are OK with smaller fish or invertebrates around, while some can't even tolerate snails.
I do think they're still best kept by themselves, but if you're lucky to get a peaceful one, putting them in a community tank isn't a bad idea either. I have one living with tetras, otos and snails in a planted tank for a couple of weeks now. I watch out for any aggression, fin-nipping or signs of stress, and there has been none so far.

Thanks.
I'll continue to monitor them then.

 

[Cashmerekiddy]

Hello, I have three bettas who are all very peaceful and content in community tanks. Mine are completely passive and more often it is the other fish who are most assertive of territory. The bettas do have different personalities for sure and if they are placid and don’t appear stressed then I think it’s a positive to have them in a community tank.

 

[hansgruber7]

I need at 5-gallon tank with a mild flow filter. My betta is very active swims quite a bit back and forth and all around. I had purchased a 3 tank set up. But I really need a 5 gallon. Any suggestions?

I really like the Fluval 5 Gallon Spec V for my betta. You can get it on Amazon for under $100

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Is it still a youngster? Just given their natural diet, one would imagine that shrimp would be right on the menu. Have you had him for long?

So, here's my experience with red-tailed sharks.
1. They're one of the prettiest fish in the hobby. Lots of personality, too, and almost always out where you can see them.
2. When they're young, they're pretty easy to get along with.
3. When they get older, they turn into tyrants. Mine had a personality change around two years old, and had to be rehomed (in the pet store aggressive fish display tank) because he was completely terrorizing an entire 55 gallon community tank. From what I've read, this is fairly typical.
4. His interest in the other fish wasn't culinary; he wasn't much of a predator and never ate shrimp, snails, or other fish. Just a complete jerk. Again, I think that's typical for this species.

So, if you have an RTS that's playing nice, enjoy it while it lasts, don't get too attached, and have a plan for a new home when it hits puberty.

 

[hansgruber7]

It can work. I've kept bettas with CPDs and with Harlequin rasbora successfully. It depends on the temperament of the betta really. The reason I separated my betta is because it became impossible to navigate feeding properly. Either the betta would pig out or the other fish would eat everything before he got to it. It can be done, but it's annoying to manage. Bettas can get unhealthy over time if you're not preventing overeating and managing their diet, which is harder to do in a community tank in my experience.

 

[BelaSmith]

I really like the Fluval 5 Gallon Spec V for my betta. You can get it on Amazon for under $100

Thank you so much! I bought a Fluval 5 Gallon a few days ago and it works well, only one thing I was disappointed with, is that it didn't include a heater. Anyway, I like it.

 

[AilyNC]

I'd a red tail shark at first. Returned after a week or two as it was super aggressive. To be fair the poor thing was in a 60cm length tank

 

[EmJay]

I'd a red tail shark at first. Returned after a week or two as it was super aggressive. To be fair the poor thing was in a 60cm length tank

I've since rehomed the red tail black shark