Betta Splendens Coexisting?

[Sgooosh]

Can you have betta splendens (male) coexist with other fish?

I have one that can coexist with snails, not harming them just leaving them alone.
i see many people online having these with other fish, but i'm not sure

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Betta...especially the males, although the females can be as bad...are born and wired with psychotic tendancies.

They can be all cute and quiet and docile...luring the rest of the community into a sense of safety. They one night after those lights go off they click a psycho switch...next morning you find carnage in your aquarium and one very smug Betta preening him(or her) self "Look what I did whilst you were not looking"

Seriously though sometimes you can be lucky and your sweet and charming Betta will be absolutely fine in a community, but more often than not, they turn into truly nasty, bad tempered little creatures who stop the community feeding, make them so scared to come out of hiding for fear of being nipped by the Betta and eventually the Betta claims the entire aquarium as their territory and anything else in there is prey to be got rid of.

If you want to take the chance, that is essentially a decision that only you can make...but always have a spare aquarium for the devil in bright clothing should he go on a temper rampage.

 

[itiwhetu]

Yes, you can in the past I have often kept Betta's in a community tank. Just make sure you have a lot of floating plants either Ambulia or Cabomba are best as the Betta will get up in amongst it and feel safe, they will also not feel threatened by other fish. Bettas only attack when they feel threatened, so give them protection and they will be fine.

 

[connorlindeman]

I wouldn't ever keep bettas in a community.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

It really depends on a lot of factors including the betta's personality, the size of the tank and how heavily planted it is. That being said they are a naturally aggressive and territorial species who don't appreciate fish in their space. I personally wouldn't risk it, especially if you do not have a back up tank ready for if/when things go south.

 

[connorlindeman]

It really depends on a lot of factors including the betta's personality, the size of the tank and how heavily planted it is. That being said they are a naturally aggressive and territorial species who don't appreciate fish in their space. I personally wouldn't risk it, especially if you do not have a back up tank ready for if/when things go south.

Bettas can be happy for years then suddenly snap. It just happened to someone on this forum. The betta was happy for a long time and overnight it decided it wanted the tank to itself.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Just not worth it in my opinion

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

Bettas can be happy for years then suddenly snap. It just happened to someone on this forum. The betta was happy for a long time and overnight it decided it wanted the tank to itself.

I know which is why I advised against it and let OP know about their aggressive and territorial nature. I also added that I wouldn't even attempt it.

 

[Sgooosh]

I know which is why I advised against it and let OP know about their aggressive and territorial nature. I also added that I wouldn't even attempt it.

yeah i think it's too risky since my tank is only 15 gallons
do you think i should move the single nerite in the tank baack to it's friends in the big tank?

 

[Byron]

Can you have betta splendens (male) coexist with other fish?

I have one that can coexist with snails, not harming them just leaving them alone.
i see many people online having these with other fish, but i'm not sure

A better phrasing of the question would be "should" you have, rather than "can" you have. There of many things that can be done with/to animals, that are inherently cruel and inhumane, but that does not mean we should do it. And that applies here. It is simply not fair to the betta to force it into what is an unnatural environment. And that does not mean fish in any aquarium, it means the situation is adverse to the fish. Other fish are something the betta does not "expect." It is also inhumane to the other fish if the betta does take a dislike to their invasion of what he considers "his" space. This is an inherent expectation.

Some claim success, fine; we all should realize that adverse conditions can be tolerated by many animals but that again does not mean it is advisable.

 

[GaryE]

Long-finned Betta splendens are bio-wrecks. They have a hard time swimming, and if tankmates start nipping and ripping, they can't defend themselves. Unless your tank is tiny or overstocked, they won't harm tankmates (based on the many I kept over the years)., They can't catch them.

If you don't think and put them with fancy guppies, okay, carnage. But to put a banner finned fish with a banner finned fish bred for fighting is not wisdom from the get go.

I always kept them in communities, but I never bought large finned individuals. I would look for more compact fins - the old blue and red solid colour strains, if I wanted them for a community.

If you like the big fin mutants, then a solo tank is in order. Human intervention and manipulation has crippled them.

Wild betta splendens can handle sensibly chosen tankmates with no problem, but they were not selected for aggression or for finnage. But finding them is very hard. Pla-Kats can do damage, as they have been bred to fight, and can move.

 

[Sgooosh]

Long-finned Betta splendens are bio-wrecks. They have a hard time swimming, and if tankmates start nipping and ripping, they can't defend themselves. Unless your tank is tiny or overstocked, they won't harm tankmates (based on the many I kept over the years)., They can't catch them.

If you don't think and put them with fancy guppies, okay, carnage. But to put a banner finned fish with a banner finned fish bred for fighting is not wisdom from the get go.

I always kept them in communities, but I never bought large finned individuals. I would look for more compact fins - the old blue and red solid colour strains, if I wanted them for a community.

If you like the big fin mutants, then a solo tank is in order. Human intervention and manipulation has crippled them.

Wild betta splendens can handle sensibly chosen tankmates with no problem, but they were not selected for aggression or for finnage. But finding them is very hard. Pla-Kats can do damage, as they have been bred to fight, and can move.

i feel bad for my little man, the reason I bought him was that his fin structure was simple, and now they have grown too big...

 

[itiwhetu]

A better phrasing of the question would be "should" you have, rather than "can" you have. There of many things that can be done with/to animals, that are inherently cruel and inhumane, but that does not mean we should do it. And that applies here. It is simply not fair to the betta to force it into what is an unnatural environment. And that does not mean fish in any aquarium, it means the situation is adverse to the fish. Other fish are something the betta does not "expect." It is also inhumane to the other fish if the betta does take a dislike to their invasion of what he considers "his" space. This is an inherent expectation.

Some claim success, fine; we all should realize that adverse conditions can be tolerated by many animals but that again does not mean it is advisable.

Are you saying that in the wild there are no other fish where Bettas live?

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

I have an alien betta and a female betta living together in a 20 long (for 9 months now). no dividers but plenty of hides. it's not the species, it's the fish.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

My little adopted Plakat...Fred...he is really showing his personality now.

Something along the lines of a demented Springer Spaniel x wild Doberman

I go anywhere near to his aquarium and he bounces around and spins about like a totally crazy Springer Spaniel, full on zoomies and being silly

I go to feed him or do any maintenance in his aquarium and he is onto me like lightning...mouthing at me, headbutting me, attacking my hands/arms...you can almost hear him snarling at me

For a fish of under 2" he certainly has an anger management problem...and thats just with me, nevermind any other fish. There is absolutely no way I would trust him with other fish.