Adding a Betta with platys?

**Bellie816** · 01-09-2010, 12:32 AM

I have 3 red platys, 1 male and 2 females. Also a pond snail. I still really like the bettas and wondered what you guys think about adding a betta in a few weeks. Will they fin nip the betta? My one larger female seems a little aggressive...when I put an algae wafer in for them she will chase the other two away relentlessly. Not sure if it's because of the food or because she is aggressive.

How do you feed the betta and the other fish? Since the platys eat the flakes and the betta eats the pellets or freeze dried food.. how do you make sure the betta gets enough food?

Thanks for your help! :)

**Little Embers** · 01-09-2010, 02:04 AM

In theory they can be kept together, BUT in practice, it can come down to personality (particularly the bettas), any brightly coloured fish (mainly long-finned though) can be like a red flag and the betta may show aggression towards them.

Platies can be aggressive themselves sometimes (I have had platies that were like that towards other fish, more so towards their own species though). Your female could be the dominant female and also when it comes to food, they can be pigs, will eat nearly everything and often push each other out of the way to get it....just survival instinct. Your betta getting enough food may be a concern and something you may need to keep an eye on.

Betta's prefer a slower water currant, so that may be something to consider, if you have a strong water flow in your tank.

Not much help, but in the end you can't be 100% certain of them being compatible. Many may disagree, but I am a believer that bettas are solitary fish and do better if kept without tankmates, but many do keep them in community tanks without problems.....it depends on a bettas temperament!

**Northernguy** · 01-09-2010, 02:17 AM

It does depend on the betta! I have a 10gal with a betta,an apple snail,neons and cardinal tetra.I havent had anything attacked in the tank.
Actually I lost a betta I had for a couple of years but I since replaced it with another.This one has the same temperment as the last one from what I can see.

**Bellie816** · 01-09-2010, 02:47 AM

What about feeding? Do you feed tropical flakes for the platies and pellets for the betta? How do you ensure the betta gets food if the platies are little piggies? :)

**Little Embers** · 01-09-2010, 05:10 AM

I'm sure Ray and others that have kept betta's with other fish can answer that better than I can.....

You may not encounter a problem and the betta will get enough food (this can be an issue when keeping any fish in a community tank, but usually all fish end up getting food) but I would just watch to make sure he is eating enough and if you don't think he is, you may need to look into using a divider at mealtimes and separate him so he gets his own food.....just one option., but again you may not have any problems, as long as all fish are having their specific dietary needs met.

Some bettas can be quite finicky when it comes to food, so you may need to try a few different foods to see what he likes. You can get betta food in either flakes or micropellets (depends on which the betta prefers) and the platies aren't fussy.

If you are going to add a betta, my recommendation would be to have a contingency plan ready, just in case it doesn't work out compatibility wise and you need to move him.

**souly** · 01-09-2010, 05:40 AM

You'd have to test it, because it depends on the temperments of the fish. My Betta does not like other fish at all....he's fine with bottom dwellers like my ADFrog, but other swimmers, oh no! He was nip them, and then mollies at the time tired to nip him. The betta chased the Rasbora around. He just ended up going back into his own 10g heh. Some bettas can, some can't.