Is A Fighting Fish Ok In My Tank?

[dannym]

Hello all..

I was given a japanese fighting fish by a friend of mine who was giving hes fish away, i was just after a bit of info on these little fellows as my friend knows less than me

I put him in my tank about 30 mins ago but will he be ok with my other fish?..

I know you cant put 2 males or 2 females together..

I have a juwel 190 L with

4 Angels (2 Small + 2 medium size)

2 silver sharks (1 small + 1 medium)

2 Rainbows

4 guppies

1 plec (medium)

3 mollies

Im most concerned with my Angels as they really are little B******s!! Oh and hes blue does that mean hes a male or female?

Thanks guys

Danny..

 

[PRW1988]

Is he a long finned betta or a Plakat (short finned)?? Did your friend buy it from a pet store like Petsmart or Pjs or Walmart? If it's in your tank then your biggest threat is most likley going to be the Guppies and mollies as (if it is a male) the flashy colors may set him off and he may try to kill them.

Also, your information is a bit inacurate. Male bettas cannot go together, this is true, however females (so long as 3 or more) are fine together.

Hope this helps.

 

[webjen]

i've been keeping live plant tanks for years and have kept a male betta in them before. Couple things to keep i mind, though: the betta is a fish that likes still water (why they're usually in cups or small tanks in the store), so a tank with a lot of turbulence is not ideal. They are pretty calm fish, so active fish like danios and mean fish like angels are not the best neighbors. You are more in danger of the other fish nipping the bettas fins than the other way around. If your tank is deep (20" high for example) he won't be happy either; bettas like to blow and breathe bubbles. if they can't get to the top because it's a high swim and/or there's too much turbulence, he won't do well. I loved having the color and beauty when I tried it, but I never had one live very long when i switched from a 10-gallon to a 30 year ago; the tank was too big, tall, and active! And angels are not great community fish at all in my experience except with equally aggressive fish like mollies or fast fish like danios. some people think it's mean to keep bettas in a little tank or or fish bowl with a plant in it, but they prefer the stillness and quiet! hope this helps!

 

[oliesminis]

I am going to assume it is a long finned one.

a long finned betta (fighting fish) will start on anything that looks remotely similar to another betta (aka has long fins) so i would expect it to start on your guppies and angels at the very least

 

[always4lora]

I am going to assume it is a long finned one.

a long finned betta (fighting fish) will start on anything that looks remotely similar to another betta (aka has long fins) so i would expect it to start on your guppies and angels at the very least

Angels don't look anything like the betta so it wont be the beta attacking the angels possibly the other way round depending onthe size of the angels. The Silvver sharks would need to come from the tank due to their size. The rainbows normally need to be in larger groups .

Personally i'd buy a small tank for the beta if you want to keep it. theyre unpredicable fish and do very much limit future stocking.

 

[Amunet]

I would be more afraid of the other fish attacking the bettas fins.
If the betta has the typical long flowing fins, then it's a male.... if it's a female, you should be able to see a small white spot on her underside just past the gils. Plus she'll have shorter fins.
A female betta might be ok, but it really depends on the betta and on the other fish in the tank.
I'd invest in a small 3, 5, maybe even a 10gal tank for the betta.

 

[GSD]

The coulouring has no effect on sex, sexing is easy the males have longer flowing fins compared to the short finned females (unless you have a plakat betta)

I would be concerned about most fish with a betta.
The angels get very agressive when bigger, and will nip betta fins.
The sharks also nip.
Guppies can not be kept with bettas as both have similar fins therfore the male bettas often mistake guppies for males and will attack them.
Mollies can also be nippers.

I would remove him before the trouble starts, invest in a small 3 gallon min tank for him, he will be much happier!

 

[arobinson1984]

Yes I think your main worry would be your guppies.

If you have any guppies with a similar colouration to your fighter then they may get attacked as fighters can mistake similar coloured guppies for another fighter due to the large tail.

Andy

 

[bae1994]

i dont think they have to be similar colourd as if you put a blue betta in a tank with a yellow betta theylle still fight

 

[GSD]

i dont think they have to be similar colourd as if you put a blue betta in a tank with a yellow betta theylle still fight

This is correct, bettas will fight with any fish resembling a betta, regardless of colour.

 

[saltynay]

Upto temperment of the individual betta. Mine is currently in with a bright yellow, bright blue and half silver/ half black female guppies and 2 endler males. The only issue I had was about 3 weeks ago when the halfcaste guppy got a nipped tail over the night but I would imagine that was because it was very boisterous with all its tankmates. After its nipping it has calmed down alot, the tail has healed nicely so and is hardly noticeable that it has been damaged now and no visible signs of stress. You just need to keep a really close eye on them for atleast a 2+ weeks then do regular checks on the fish for any sign of damage or stress.