Discus and Betta fish?

[Oli]

So I have a 200 litre with discus, rummy nose and neons. I was curious whether or not my Betta could be put into the 200litre, mainly because it would be less maintenance looking after 2 seperate tanks. My initial thought was absolutely not, but I decided to give it a google and came across lots of people saying they’d done it successfully with no issues. I thought I’d see what you guys think?

 

[Byron]

This is all but guaranteed to fail. Assuming you are referring to a male Betta, this is not a community fish. Yes, some people claim it works, but the problem with the internet is there are also people who firmly believe the earth is flat. If we could rid the hobby of misinformation there would be fewer fish dying.

 

[GaryE]

The size differential is huge. You would never see the Betta if the tank is set up as a good habitat for Discus. One is a fish from large bodies of water (Discus) while the Betta technically comes from shallow, still waters. I say technically because the fins are so human modified, pet store bettas really come from jars as a habitat. And those flowing fins really attract other fish to take a bite. They look like decaying plant leaves to a fish.

As well, frankly, the Bettas I see in stores look like typhoid Mary plague carriers. There are a lot of seriously ill Bettas in those cups. The chances of introducing something are high. Discus are fragile, immunity-wise, as blackwater fish.

So:
The Betta drowns because current and depth hits a fish raised in a jar with no muscle tone (it has never been able to move around) and heavy unnatural fins (they must go tot he surface to breathe);
The Betta gets a haircut from its tankmates, making swimming easier but ruining its appeal to you;
The Betta brings disease into an expensive and well loved collection of fish;
The Betta gets in the way of larger fish, picks a fight and gets demolished;
The Betta can't compete for food.

Not what I'd do!