Betta Splendins

[Jasper]

I want to put a Betta in my little 5 Gal with the 4 Platys & 1 very timid Dwarf Gourami. The tank is well planted for it's size (5 Plants). I'm not worried about the Platys, but I've heard there can be some conflict with certain Gouramis.

I lost my first Betta last week, after about 24 hrs. AND I DONT WANT IT TO HAPPEN AGAIN. The water in all my tanks is perfect, nit0/amm0/, hardness & PH all well within tolerences. I also introduced it to its new tank over the period of several hrs... adding new water ect ... the whole 9 yds.

What are some good signs to look for in Betta Splendens @ LFS , are they any different than other species?

 

[steppy104]

there are LOTS of betta species, but the only ones you'll usually see in pet stores are betta splendins. some of the other popular ones are plakats, smaragdina's(sp?), imbelles, ballica, and a few others i can't think of off hand.

ya, betta's are not supposed to go with gourami's. bad mix. from hear-say they fight and kill eachother. i don't think platys are any good either. there are a few betta tankmate links in the pinned topic about links...heres what they say-

Tankmates for Bettas

The first thing to consider is your tank space. Never overstock, and never try to house fish in a tank they'd be miserable in. If a fish is happier in schools, obviously you would not want to condem it to a little 2 gallon tank.

The second thing to keep in mind is that some fish that don't get along well together due to temperment. For bettas, you don't want certain types of fish as tankmates: bettas are fiercely aggressive with each other, but are sometimes even timid in a community tank. Fin nipping fish like some barbs or some tetras will bite their long, flowing finnage. Others like cherry barbs are suitable, though.

Another thing sometimes overlooked that you should consider when looking for tankmates is the type of water that each fish requires. You should do some research on the species of fish in question to find out its specific needs, then see if they match up. This is very important to the longterm health of your fish!

That being said, here are some types of fish that would be suitable with a betta:

- white cloud minnow
- tetras
- danios
- angelfish
- livebearers *except mollies, which benefit from brackish water
I also don't know that I'd put a betta in with fancy guppies, as it might confuse them with another betta.
- rasboras

As far as tankmate bottom feeders go, plecos, loaches or catfish are suitable. Corydoras (cory cats) are a common favorite. I enjoy Khuli loaches, although they are sometimes hard to care for. There's also a black Khuli loach, by the way.

The bottom line is that the best tankmate depends on the temperment of your betta. It may get along fine with one type fish, but another person's won't. Keep an eye on tankmates and be prepared to seperate if there are trouble signs (fish who are injured, stressed, hiding, chasing or harassing, etc).

If you're playing with dangerous combinations you may think things appear fine, but one day you may wake up to a nasty surprise such as dead tankmates. "Everything was just fine, until he started attacking." Some combinations just weren't meant to be! Respect that even if things appear fine at first, and as always, just keep an eye out for troubles with your tankmates.

Don't get me wrong - I don't mean to scare you away from tankmates. Bettas can be just fine as community fish. You just have to remember a few guidelines to make it successful for both you and the fish. Good luck with it!

and heres the other one-

Betta Tankmates


Bettas can make great additions to the community tank, but their tank mates need to be chosen with care and the bettas personality taken into consideration.
First, is your betta highly aggressive, or has it been alone for most of its life? Some bettas are solely solitary fish. Adult males can be aggressive to any fish, whether it is the same species or not. Males that have often been alone for several months may not welcome other fish into "his" territory. If it is an old fish who has been alone all of his life, then it is better to leave him that way. Old fish may become stressed when surrounded by new, curious fish, whose motives he isn't sure of.
When picking out tankmates, be aware of all of the fish's personalities. Watch for fish that might hurt the betta. Fin nipping fish such as barbs and most tetras will often rip at the males finnage, which can lead to the male killing its tankmates, or the male being killed from damage and infection from his torn fins. Gouramis are never good tankmates for bettas, as they are anabantoids like the betta. Gouramis will fight, and often kill, bettas. Other aggressive fish (cichlids, especially when spawning) shouldn't be part of the bettas tank, as they may get into a territory battle. Next, consider whether or not the betta will be a danger to the fish. Fancy guppies and lyretail swordtails, with long finnage, may pose a challenge to the betta and be hurt or killed. Small, darting fish (mosquito fish or small neon tetras) may be mistaken for food and eaten. Livebearer (molies, platies, guppies, swordtails) fry will be swallowed eagerly.
So what kind of fish can you have with a betta? A whole bunch of kinds, actually. Catfish are fine, and are cute as can be, too. Livebearers (besides those with fancy finnage) make great companions, as long as you don't expect the fry to survive. Danios and rainbow fish are peaceful and quite beautiful fish. Larger, non-aggressive tetras and barbs (adult Neon Tetras, Cherry barbs) make fine tankmates, as do plecostomus and many sharks, such as the bala or red tail shark (many sharks get quite large though, so be sure that you have enough tank space for the adult sharks). Shrimps can be good tankmates, but some bettas will eat the shrimp.

i don't know if you know this or not, so i'm just gonna say it...

siamese fighting fish are not called fighting fish because they are mean. it's because they fight with their own species. this does not mean that they can deffend them selves against other fish. there are alot of fish that cannot or should not go with betta's because they are attracted to the long flowy fins of the betta, and they will nip and tear the betta's tail, and probably end up killing him. i'm not sure about platys, but i think they are the type that like to nibble on betta tails.

good fish are corys, minnows, zebra danios and non fish things like african dwarf frogs (NOT african clawed frogs) ghost shrimp, and mystery snails.

HTH's

 

[mandi]

I definately wouldn't mix a gourami with a betta, especailly in a 5 gallon tank. You could get him a nice mini-tank or large Kritter Keeper for under $20 though.

IMHO, I'm worried you're a bit overstocked as it is Dwarf gourami's should be in a 10 gallon minimum. A couple platys would be okay if they're all one gender, but if you have a mix of males and females, you'll have more fish than what you know what to do with in NO time (*cough* Voice of experience -whoops! No more livebearers for me!). Maybe you could get a 10 gallon for those fish, and put the betta in the 5 gallon by himself (or with an ADF or something?)

 

[Jasper]

thanks for the info, I just have the Dwarf in the 5 Gal temporarily, as he was getting picked on by the gold male Gold Gourami in my 25 Gal. I have since added some female Golds to the tank, and he has susequently calmed down. Once the Dwarf has healed up a bit more, I'll transfer him back to the 25Gal.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hmm.. I didn't think bettas could go with angelfish....