Success with bettas in community tanks

[jaysee]

If you've had success keeping a betta in a community, please respond with: tank size, tank mates, and how long it's worked for you.

[Pleco380]

I've had a snail with a betta. Does that count?

[Scrup]

225G Two males (three was always a problem), 9 females, various tetra's,loaches,livebearers, three common pleco's, angelfish, blood parrots, bala sharks, giant danios, oto's, and cories. Those have been the tankmates for the last two years. The only ones that have problems with the betta's were the serpae tetra's, and other bettas.

[jaysee]

I've had a snail with a betta. Does that count?

No :ssmile: other fish

[FishGirl-Seattle]

I've run: a massively planted 100 Gallon community with many species including a Black Ghost Knife, 4 breeding Kribs and 2 Rams, 4 Sword Tails, 4 Platys, 4 Golden Barbs, a handful of Neons (the BGA was working that school down to zero), Guppies (the intended food for the BGK) 3 Celestial Pearl Danios, 5 Cherry Barbs, 3 Rose line Sharks, 3 Flying Foxes (wouldn't do those again!), a Chinese Algae eater (definitely not again!!), 3 Clown Loaches (came with the tank), 3 Blue Flame Tetras that spawned so ended up with 5 adults eventually, Endlers, Ottos, Mollies, two male Bettas and I can't remember what else at the moment. I wouldn't suggest a stocking like that unless you really like doing water changes and running multiple cannister filters. The guy who sold me the tank said it was a 100 gallon, but it was 6 feet by 2 feet and almost 20 inches high, it might have been more like a 110? The Bettas established territories and stayed out of each others section. Also had a 45 gallon with a smaller variety of fish, mostly tetras, Cherry Barbs, Goldens, and a single male Betta, had a Biorb with Golden White Clouds and a Betta, and had a lemonade dispenser (with a spigot on it - water changes were a snap!) with a Betta and some micro rasboras and Pygmy Corys. And I had a 5, 8, 10 and 20 long each with a Betta and tetras and/or barbs and Corys (Pygmy's in the 5 and 8 gallon). And I've had a 3 gallon with Pygmys and 2 female Bettas, and currently have a 38 gallon with Minnows, Celestial Pearl Danios, Pygmy's and a male Betta and a 6 gallon Fluval Edge with micro rasboras, endlers and a Dario Dario and 4 Kuhli Loaches with a Male Betta. Oh, almost forgot a 72 Gal bowfront, just one Betta in that with similar stocking as the 45. I have only two tanks that didn't have a Betta in them, both running now, and it's only because one of the tanks is overstocked already and the other is a 55 Hex with a strong current and some very fast, rowdy barbs that are rather large - neither attribute being very good for a Betta. I favor peaceful community fish and rarely had a problem with any of my Bettas. They trick is to make sure they have a place in the tank where they can be free of currents and feel secure. I usually have floating plants and the Bettas seem to love hanging out in their roots. And Lava Lamps. My Bettas LOVE staring at lava lamps. Not a clue why, but it mesmerizes them.

[SunSchein89]

I marked yes, but I'm going to say no as well. I had a blue betta in my 20 that got aggressive after a good few months. He was nipping any and everything that moved, so he got his own home in a 5.5. I also had a red male in my 10, but my puffer after about 3 months with the betta started nipping at him. I now moved him up to my 20 probably about a month ago tops. So far no problems, and I never had any problems with him in the 10.

Current stocking in the 20...
4 platties (+1 fry)
5 glo light tetras
5 cories
couple ghost shrimp
3 mystery/apple snails (I think?) and some babies
1 BN pleco
and then the betta obviously

Stocking in the 10 at the time the betta was there...
5 harlequin rasboras
3 otocinclus catfish
1 dwarf puffer
1 dwarf african frog

[MCHRKiller]

I kept a Red VT with some neons in a 15G Xhigh for years...betta eventually died of old age. I later replaced him with another Red VT and the combo worked again for about 6months...I suspect theyd have still been living together if it werent for a power outage. I now have a fiesty blue dragon HMPK that lives with some amanos and bumble bee nerites in a 5G...I do plan to add something small yet to large for him to eat in the next few weeks. :22:

[smaug]

I have a beta in a 58 gal planted tank.He is tank mates with hatchetfish,neons,skirt tetra,serpae tetra,featherfin,striped raph,sailfin plec,yoyos,asstd corys.No issues,Ive had him that way fr about 8 months.

[mommy1]

i've had a betta with panda corys in a 10 gallon for about a year now. about 2 months ago i added 11 glowlight tetras to the tank. still no aggression issues.

[sheamurai]

I had a betta in a 77gal for a few months, with an angel, a dwarf gourami, swords, cardinals, platys, glasscats, rasboras. It was only 4months, but it didn't end due to agression issues, but rather betta curiosity. I came home from work to find him crammed into an ornament that was too small for him to wiggle out of. He got in, but was only able to get half way out. I extricated him, but he was pretty damaged from trying to get out (who knows how long he was trapped before I got home) and didn't make it.
So I voted yes on this poll, cuz he was my first betta in the tank, but I bought 2 more male bettas and none of them got along in the tank. I ended up getting a couple of female vt's instead, which worked out beautifully until I decided to convert that tank to a cichlid tank.

[troy]

I've kept my betta in my 10g tank for a year now. I have kept(or am keeping with it) guppies, pygmy corydoras, peppered corydoras, dadios(not danios), white clouds, amano shrimp, and wrestling halfbeaks.

[jaysee]

I got a couple dwarf puffers today so I moved my betta from the 5 to the 30 gallon tetra tank....watching closely.

orange flames, black neons, neons, kuhli loaches, a GBR and now a betta. I have another 5 to move it to if needed.

[Hanna]

1 male Betta with 2 Corydoras and soon some Neon Tetras in 34 l tank, heater, filter, well planted.
:fish: :fish:

[tori.lock]

It's a relief to see that most people are more successful than not. I'm stocking my community tank this week. I already have the betta, and the new fish are on the way, so I guess I got a little re-construction to do so Vincent doesn't get too macho on the new residents.

[Sharkman]

I had success with a betta and 2 mollies in a 10 gallon for about a year until I moved the mollies to a larger tank for reasons other than the compatibility.

[Time-Out]

I've always kept bettas in community tanks. I couldn't list the fish I had 15 years ago, as i can't really remember, but it was a jumble!
More recently, I've kept one male and two females in a 64 litre with flying foxes, guppies (blasted things - kept chewing his tail), BN, weather loaches...
That lasted until I upgraded them to a 180L with bloodfins, BN, flying foxes, angelfish, gouramis....
Basically, you name it, I've kept it with a betta. Never had a tank without a betta and never will!

[HorrorShowRot]

Had mine in a 30 with a large group of rummynose tetras.

[sebastien]

15g with (feeder)guppys...and at one point he was in there with shrimp..he would chase them but never eat

[Jemerald]

I have a 10 gal with 1 betta and 5 Zebra Danios. also1 apple snail. at first the betta wasnt thrilled at his tank mates as they were much faster than him. now he just ignores them.

[Elliriyanna]

I had a female betta in with an ADF a corydoras and a goldfish in my first tank. No problems.

[Lab_Rat]

It totally depends on the betta. I've kept bettas with guppies and other community, non-nippy fish. I've had success with bettas in community tanks and I've had failures. CT's seem to be more aggressive than their VT counterparts.

[tori.lock]

My betta is finally a part of a community. I successfully added 6 dwarf bumblebee cats, and 14 ember tetras. After a good re-arrangement of the tank, and adding the new guys, then re-adding the betta, there were no problems. Initially there was quite a bit of chase and flaring, but nothing that was too concerning. I think he's realized that the tetras are too fast for him, and he doesn't seem to notice the cats. Hopefully this tank continues to remain peaceful.

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Lol, as soon as I bragged about never having trouble with a Betta in a community tank ~ of course trouble came calling. A few days ago one of my Bettas murdered one of my micro Rasboras - a hard one to replace too and also my Daria Dario! I should have kept my mouth shut! The worst part is he looked at me with this "...What?!..." expression. His lack of remorse was appalling. Although the Kuhli looked guilty - I think he ate the evidence. The other Betta is still happily swimming fin to fin with his tankmates in the 38g. His brother is in a 2.5 next to his tank now - funny to see them glaring at each other through the glass.

[jaysee]

I doubt the kuhli loach ate anything.

How do you know the betta killed these fish?

[ShinLi]

I've kept my male betta succesfully in a community tank since march last year. He was one of the first fish in my aquarium. He currently shares the tank with 24 rummy nosed tetra, 11 corydoras sterbai, 5 marble hatchetfish and an LDA-033.

The only problems (and I don't even like to call them problems) I've encountered are some run'ins between the betta and the tetra's. Sometimes the tetra tries to nip his fins, the other time if the tetra's come to close and the betta doesn't like it he just scares them off. However in the end, the nipping is never harming the fins, and the scaring off is daniel (owh yeh that's name) when he doesn't want them around him. They are never harming each other. With the rest of the fish there are no problems, he doesn't seem to mind the hatchetfish, nor the cory's at all.

My experience is that if the tank is large enough, there's enough hiding spaces (bogwood, long stemplats etc.). Of course the betta's personality might have to do a bit with it as well.

[Pele]

tried it twice with a 46gallon community and a 5 gallon with pele and a shrimp.
It worked, but it was difficult to keep going since bettas are sorta finniky fish. They like warmer water and no currents, so using a big filter would be bad

[FishGirl-Seattle]

Jaysee - The other inhabitants in the tank are other microfish - all timid, and three endlers who ignore everyone in the tank, 4 Khulis, 1 Amano shrimp and two Cherry shrimp (used to be 5). I know the shrimp are innocent, the other micros are way too timid, the Khulis are not aggressive in the least and don't swim at mid level where the micro fish swim, the only one big enough and with enough potential aggression is the Betta. Since I moved him out no more shrimp or fish have gone missing. I have a male guppy in my 38g that was starting to chase my Celestial Pearl Danios so I put him in the smaller tank with the Betta, the Betta was after him in seconds, I barely got him out of there in time. Fortunately I have a tank in the kitchen that could take the poor guppy, but I had to move a small school of green rasboras (also micros) into the larger tank to make room for the Guppy in the kitchen tank. I'm truly amazed at the level of aggression my favorite Betta is developing. When I do water changes (which I have to do every other day because the tank isn't cycled) he attacks my hand. Glad he doesn't have teeth! He used to live with this Guppy (a baby of the Endlers and previous Guppies, no big fancy tail) and for the last few months he lived with Endlers so I thought they would still get along but boy was I wrong! Sad to say he is destined to live a solitary life going forward. I think I'll get him a lava lamp that will cheer him up....

[jaysee]

I agree that if they were killed by a fish, the betta is certainly the prime suspect. I meant what kind of shape did you find the fish in - like were the fins all gone?

[HeatherB]

I have kept males with all kinds of fish- ranging from livebearers, to tetras, to even gauramis. At one point, even two. I have a 20 gallon tank, and a ten gallon tank. The only fish I ever had a problem with was 'red eye tetras'. They tore the fins up on one of my bettas.

[Victory]

I've kept bettas with tetras, haven't tried other fish, though, the tetras will sometimes avoid them. I did do a good amount of research before I tried, though.

[OceanLover]

If you're interested in keeping betas within a large tank with other freshwater fish you shouldn't have any problems. The only thing I have to warn you about is watch your beta closely, some fish tend to nip at them because of their long fins. Smaller fish like neon tetras that school can also gang up on your beta. So if you do a couple small tetras and some other friendly fish you should be fine. Female betas are also fun because they are relatively easy to breed.

Hope this was helpful! thumbs2: