Siamese Fighting Fish & friends???

[missyk]

Hiya, I'm new and dont have much of a clue about fish so all help is much appreciated.

I've had my heart set of getting a Siamese Fighting Fish for a few years now and I've decided now is the time to do it. I plan on getting a large tank as i'd quite like a nice sized number of fish to spend my time looking at!

I've heard that the Fighting Fish can actually be very timid and easily bullied by other fish and dont go well with fin nippers or any other fish that may other stress him. So.....

I was planning on getting about 10+ neon tetras as i think they would probably be ideal, maybe some other little tetras like the Cardinals or Glowlight tetras but i would actually like some other maybe slightly bigger fish to keep him company.

I've thought about angelfish but i'm not sure the fighting fish may see them as a threat, then I saw a Pink-Tailed Chalceus which looked lovely, but then i've been told how big they get and how they're not too friendly.

so my question.... any suggestions what fish are easily looked after for a beginner, friendly and could go into my community? :help:

[Willyleigh]

An angel fish is a bad idea, I have heard lots of people say that their Fighter has killed their Angel.

You could try Mollies or Platies with it, maybe some larger Tetras like buenos aeres tetra of Penguin Tetra.

[bettaboy691]

neons tend to nip fins, but cardinals and black neons have been fine with me. angels usally dont mix with bettas. and a big tank is needed to keep angels anyway. as for bigger fish, maybe some livebearers (platies, mollies) but somethines the betta will be aggressive towards them, erm...any bottom dweller most times is fine, cories best choice, any mid-bottom dweller, as top might invade bettas space.

[cocoa_pleco]

neons are fin nippers, platys get mistaken for other bettas and get bullied.

I have my betta in a heavily planted 20g with


2 baby angels
dwarf gourami
6 white clouds
banded loach
flying fox
2 platys



The betta will go after the platys the odd time but thats it.

[bettaboy691]

some times platies will be fine with bettas, as long as a back up plan for anything going wrong, its fine to try.
angels that are adults usally dont make good tank mates, and dwarf gouramies are very bad choices IMO.

[cocoa_pleco]

the angels are going out of theres soon. Theyre gonna get big and need a bigger tank. The betta and dwarf gourami have been together for a long time so theyre used to eachother.

[missyk]

Thanks for all the help, its a shame about the angel fish as they are so beautiful.

I dont suppose anyone knows of any brightly coloured pink or purple fish that would fit in with the betta? (sorry, I cant help wanting to semi colour co-ordinate the fish with my room!) :hmm3grin2orange:

[bettaboy691]

some bettas can be pink-purple ish.

[missyk]

some bettas can be pink-purple ish.


sorry to be a pest.... but would dwarf pufferfish be ok with betta? - if they are kept well fed so they dont feel the need to nibble on the betta's fins!

[cocoa_pleco]

no. Puffers have little vicious teeth. My 2 puffers hated long fins.

[bettaboy691]

dwarf puffers i think should be kept alone usally, saying that my three in my 15 gallon live with apple snails, ottos and a ghost shrimp.
but still, they dont belong together, one wrong move and the bettas fins are shreaded. the puffer can be aggressive and snap with out warning. best keep them apart. dwarf puffers can live in a 5 gallon happily.

[soulmia]

Hey Missyk,

I have two Siamese fighters. In separate bowls. I learnt the hard way.

I have a 20 gallon tank in which I had kept sword tails… they ate my Betta!!!
:10: That should have been my cue to stop experimenting – but no – I was then told that a fighter would do well with Parrot fish and Black Ghost knife fish…. Sigh…. I tried that… he made it to the end of the week! :(

So, after murdering two fish, I decided to just let them have their own homes… and they are very happy now. Their bowls are net to each other and it’s weird but they actually seem to get along! :hmm3grin2orange:

As horrid as this sounds… don’t mix your fighter with anything – they fly solo and soar! But that’s just my amateur opinion.