Bettas & Guppies

[pica_nuttalli]

I've heard several times that various LFS try to sell/keep guppies and bettas together. I've even had a checkout clerk correct me when I was explaining that Bettas are just generally aggressive and very prone to attack similar looking fish like guppies: I put them in with the guppies all the time. Obviously the rejoinder to that is: if you're such an excellent fish-keeper, why are all the same deadies still in there from two days ago? but thats another discussion...

so, whats up with guppies and bettas? who's got a horror story and who's got a miracle?

 

[tank212]

I put one of my bettas in my guppy tank you know just till I finished cleaning his tank. That sucker flared up like I've never seen him flare before!!! He was mad I tell ya! He started chasing after all the male guppys but then he just took a corner and stayed there flared.

PS I voted for the first one because I tried it but I'm never trying it again! Didn't have a pick for that.

 

[Shaydensmom]

I think if you keep one Betta and a school of guppies together it shouldn't be a problem! But the Betta will still be all pumpt and that all the time, after all to hin they seem as rivals. I think with that constant stresslevel to the Betta, he wouldn't live very long!

 

[Dart]

I had my big blue betta Cobalt that was about 1 year (after i got him from the LFS) and i had a bright yellow guppy male, Little Jay and they got along really well. Neither had any fin tears at all, the only thing that happened was cobalt flared at little kay after he tried to mate with him

BUt on the other hand, i had my smaller more aggressive red betta Shiney in with 3 guppies and he tormented them to no end, eating a big chunk out of the males' tail. I think this male had tried to get it on with shiney and he wasn't too impressed. BUt i never had any die or get any other damage.

I think it just depends on teh fish's personality

 

[littlefishie]

Put betta in guppy tank temporarily, as he was a new betta and I had to sterilize an old betta tank before putting him in.
He was there overnight.

Woke up around 3am to find guppy missing most of his tail. Had nothing to separate betta into, so I went back to sleep.

Woke up that morning guppy was dead on the bottom being munched on by a ghost shrimp.

Sterilized betta tank asap and moved betta.

Gave away guppies last month.

 

[Raechal]

I put two male guppies in with a betta in a 10 gallon and the betta killed them the next morning. Both of their fins were gone. The LFS told me that male Bettas can be kept with ANY fish besides their own, and that is how I learned to never trust a LFS again and do my research before putting anything in my tank.

 

[alexkay]

My Betta (Seth) is in with 5 guppies & we have had no problems at all, guppies were in there first there is 4 male guppie 1 female. no probs at all. to be honest Seth doesnt go near them at all, he seems to be friends with Sid the Plec which is quite funny

 

[Whiskerz]

I've had a female betta in a tank with a male guppy, It was not a pretty sight! I looked over at the tank and saw my female betta dragging the male guppy around the whole tank, she was even shaking her head like a dog would with the guppy's tail in her mouth!
Ever since that happened, I would NEVER have guppies and bettas together

 

[SRC]

Guppies and bettas are a no-no. Just becasue it hasn't happened yet..doesn't mean one day it won't..why take the chance on killing fish..by a very a violent death, no fish derseves that.

I don't think you'd appreciate being locked in a room with no way out with a convicted serial killer. He may or may not kill you right away, but you know eventually he might. I don't think I like those odds, for me or my other fish.

 

[GuppyDude]

lemme put it this way, bettas eat small fish in the wild, they are just as capable of doing so in captivity, and haveing long colorful fins doesn't make the guppie's situation any better

if the lfs says not too they are probably right because that would be something they have learned first hand

 

[RandomWiktor]

Personally, I'd like to slap anyone who puts a male betta in with a colorful or long finned fish. In fact, I'm of the opinion that they are much less stressed and much more content when housed completely singly. Even if there are occasional, rare exceptions, I don't think putting a guppy and betta together "just to see if it will work" is good fishkeeping, as it risks the health and wellbeing (and potentially the life) of all fish involved. I mean, come on people. Putting bettas in with guppies is like buying a male, intact pit bull from a long line of fighting dogs, never socializing him with other dogs, then throwing him in, with without any restraint or muzzling, with another, weaker dog. Maybe 1 in a million times he wouldn't just rip the thing apart, but would you do it just for the hell of it to see if it'd work out ok? I doubt it.

((Oh yea, don't get up in arms about the pit bull example. Please. I love them and think they're the best dogs in the world, but fact is, if you get a pit from fighting lines, don't nueter it, and don't socialize it with other dogs, it will almost definately harm other dogs. I was just trying to think of an animal comparable to a betta ))

 

[pica_nuttalli]

*bump* sorry, referenced an interested beginner towards this... please, tell me more!

 

[FalconStorm]

Well, maybe I'm a horrible fishkeeper, but I have a betta in a tank with three guppies. They get along just fine. The betta doesn't even flare at the guppies. Of course, I think that's because I've got a male and two females. They don't have huge fins, although they are pretty. Also, I think male guppies are a little...over amorous, if you will. Since my male guppy has two females to keep his attention, he leaves the betta alone and the betta leaves him alone. I also keep a one gallon bowl in back up to put the betta in if he shows any aggression whatsoever.

It all seems to work just fine. To use the pit bull example, if I put a pit near another dog and he doesn't stop growling, then no mixing the dogs, naturally. If my betta was flaring constantly, then I would not keep him in the tank. The only time he flares, really, is when I hold a mirror up to the tank. Otherwise, he and the guppies are perfectly happy.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

I never put in a betta with anything, because I had a betta that tried to take on a fish that was twice it's size and was attacking everything in my thirty gallon. No thanks, it can have it's temple of solitude, I'm not going to argue....

 

[xanthianacid]

I'm an advocate that some betta males are fine in a community. That being said I Have one male who will never live peacefully with another fish. the Purple Marauder. I get to know my fish and the Betta I have in a 40 gallon community is happy as larry in that tank. No one picks on him, and he has too much fun doing his cute things. He rides a childrens plastic slide (one meant for the bath but perfect for his size.)