Betta attacking guppy, what to do?

[MattMattBoBatt]

I made the mistake recently of adding a guppy to a 10g that had a single betta in it. I had read that bettas often get very territorial/aggressive but two of the websites I visited specifically said bettas are generally peaceful towards guppies, so I figured it would be OK.

The betta has been chasing the guppy since I introduced him, and won't stop. I've had to temporarily separate the betta but I do not have a permanent spare tank for either.

I am wondering what, if anything, I can do to fix this situation. It seems as though the betta will continue stressing/nipping at the guppy until he's dead. I was actually wondering if adding 2 more guppies might actually help since it would provide not a single target for the betta?

Don't really know if there's an easy solution here but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks very much in advance~

[iZinedane]

some betta's can be kept with guppies some can't it depends on the betta's attitude. maybe you can take back the guppy to the LFS?

[rich311k]

Not much can be done. Try and return the guppy to the store.

[Jaster]

A couple more guppys might help but honestly if the Betta has an attitude then that will just give him more to beat on.

[Lab_Rat]

Some bettas do well in community tanks, some don't. You could try removing the betta for a short time, rearranging the decor, and then adding him back. Whatever you do, I would not let the betta chase the guppy for much longer.

[Aeonflame]

Bettas tend to have varying personalities. Ive had bettas that saw the flowing tail of a guppy as a threat and reacted as such. Right now I have a betta (Gus) in my community tank swimming around in the middle of guppies and zebras, just chillin out and taking it easy. Gus is by far the most laid back betta I've ever had. He was a rescue from a pet store keeping him in a tiny plastic cup. Unfortunately, this is how most places keep their bettas, so its almost impossible to tell how it would react to other fish apart from the betta next to it. The problem with that though, is male bettas are naturally supposed to be aggressive with other males. So, a fish that doesnt flare at his neighbor could be either more peaceful than usual or just sick.

[Northernguy]

As said already,some bettas can be kept with any small fish and some cannot!
Guppies are very slow swimmers and will be an easy target.
If he has killed one he may kill them all.It sounds like he wants to be a loner.

[SkyBaby]

I agree with the others, try to return the guppy. Get some short finned fish that are also a bit duller colored. Zebra danios or white cloud mountain minnows are good choices.

I just had to separate my betta Picasso from his tank mates, two african dwarf frogs, because he was too shy and hiding from them. :P