hobzz

hi everyone i just want to show you what i had to do. i decided to get a betta for my community tank, he was very weak or something but the water curents from the filters will move him out of control so i had to do this in the mean time


he has a little space by the crystal ball where he comes out but some how he comes back to the crystal its weird but he likes it in there crystal a lot and he has been in the tank for 4 days so far so good

Alessa

Congrats on the betta! but...

Bettas need to breathe air, they are labryinth fish. Ok, just watch out to see if he has any dificulty leaving the crystal thing.

With what other fishes is he sharing the tank?

and yes, add something like a fake plant to the outtake of the filter so the current does not throw him around.

Narcicius

he said it comes out, but if the current is to strong then maybe floating something under the current might be a good idea.

pamd

There are repeated posts and there is lots of information about bettas in community tanks here in the Fishlore betta forum. As you'll see, bettas are usually not successful in community tanks, based on a lot of direct experience from experienced members. Just try a search for "community" in the betta forum and you'll see lots of useful info.

I personally am getting kind of tired of the same ol' question.

Please read up. Of course, if you're hesitant to take advice, don't understand something, or just plain don't have a time to read every possible thing regarding community tanks, we'll all understand. Questions are always welcome. You can skim the gist of it in a few minutes, though.

One of the charms of bettas is how communicative they are with their people. They don't need other fish to be happy. They like people, not other fish! You can put a couple of species with them, usually successfully, such as cories and otos. They don't need "fish friends," but most will tolerate the few compatible ones. Other than that, don't even try a betta in a community tank unless you are VERY experienced with bettas.

clinton1621

He didnt really ask any questions... he was just showing what he did, whats wrong with that?

Also keeping bettas is not as difficult as its made out to be... but you do need to make sure that bowl is open at the top so he can swim out, if its upside down and he gets stuck in it then he will probably die from lack of oxygen. I've kept them in community tanks myself with various livebearers and neons with no problem at all. Like Allessa said though, you need a slow current in the tank because they are not strong swimmers... also put some plants, either live or fake at the top of the water that he can hide in and get out of the current better. You can handle anything you set your mind on =)

hobzz

guys betta its out in the tank swimming like a shark!!!!he looks strong and happy, so far no fin nipping!! im looking closely

Allie

Remember this is not about what WE can handle it about our fishes' best interest. As far as I know platies are from SA and betta are Asian, they don't belong in the same tank. We try to keep our fish that are in the same tank from the same area, a natural setting.
Betta are harder to keep for many reason, you must have lucked out with that particular Betta. How long did the betta last in your community or how long was it set up?
Betta can live 3-5yrs in the right setting.

clinton1621

Nope, not luck... I had one that lived for 2 or 3 years in a community tank (55g) with guppys, neons, rasboras, corys, and a clown pleco. I also had one that lived about the same amount of time in a 10g tank with small angels until they were moved into their adult tank. Bettas are very similar in temperment to pygmy gouramis (same class of fish) and gouramis are also used in community tanks

Shawnie

gotta remember there are exceptions to EVERY rule...biggest thing is to have a back up plan if that rule is broken

rafikki has been in a community tank forever...is it for every betta? no..do I ever recommend it? nopers

I just worry reccomending something like this for a new fish keeper as they have a tendency to not keep an eye on things as everyone should when attempting this...for at least a few months to make sure things are ok...most new fish keepers see's the first part whether it be "betta in community tank works well " but dont see the rest...or "overstocking guppies is ok if" and dont see the rest...

as long as theres a back up plan, I think many things workout that shouldnt

Allie

Betta that last that long are lucky. A 55g is a big community tank for all those little fish, so he had lots of space for himself. A smaller tank probably wouldn't have had the same luck.
I just find that the one male betta I had in a community wasn't as interactive as when one is kept in a 5g alone. I wouldn't put a fancy tailed betta in with a community... those HM tails are too pretty.

clinton1621

I do agree with you on the active part, and also that a lot of community tank type fish would love to eat those pretty tails =( But I did notice that in a larger tank that my betta was just active in a smaller area... I guess he just made his own 5g area to stay in lol

You should definitely keep a close eye on any agressive type fish, betta or otherwise that you have in a community tank... and remove them at the first sign of fighting or stress

Allie

Aggressive fish species are like people with mood disorders...ya never know when they are going to get a mood swing. lol

clinton1621

So true

Allie

Ever have an Oscar of any size?

clinton1621

LOL, yes! They are BIPOLAR.... mine used to attack me when I tried to do water changes... he tried to harass a rather large pleco (until the pleco thorned him with one of his fin spikes)... and he also frequently literally knocked himself out cold on the glass canopy lol

Allie

We had one around 10" who I think had a crush on me, lol. He would be all cute for me...but if Ty my bf went up to him. He'd open his mouth really wide and make this NASTY face at him. Bite the glass and everything. He would eat for me no problem, not the bf tho.

pamd

He did ask the question about adding a betta to a community tank in another thread (Post #4) and received plenty of thoughtful responses:

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/be...ever-seen.html

I have to admit to feeling grumpy about hobzz's situation. Poor fish. Look at the species he's mixing (Post #16).

Clinton, you sound like an experienced fishkeeper, and I'm glad bettas in community tanks have worked out for you. It's always nice to see success stories like yours. However, I think the situation is headed toward disaster for someone who knows little about bettas.

hobzz, please keep in mind that anything anybody posts here is all in the best interest of you and your fish, even if it seems or actually is misguided. But I sincerely believe the advice you have been given about putting your betta in your community tank was sound advice. It's not a personal attack. We care about our own fish as well as other people's fish in this community.

clinton1621

Yikes... that is definitely not a good mix. I salute you on that call for sure
And I also agree with you that bettas in a community tank should not be taken lightly or more often not attempted at all, and experience along with careful monitoring and research are a must for all community tanks, even without bettas =)

Chief_waterchanger

There are several compatibility charts I've seen on pretty reputable sites that have claimed the creators (of those charts) had success keeping bettas with different species of freshwater "sharks", such as bala.

I won't even go into the arguement of betta splendens in community tanks, but I will say that this thread needs to stay positive from here on out.

I would like to also add that unless we, personally, have kept several betta splendens in a tank of that size with that mix of fish then we can't even begin to say that it is a bad mix. We can say it has the potential to be a bad mix, but so does mixing 2 guppies... I know that I've never kept Bala sharks, so I do not begin to judge you, Hobzz , on your decision, and would love it if you would keep us updated on how that betta does.

Shawnie

I do have a bala and a betta together...bala's are the most niave, gentle creatures in the fish world...they barely eat their own food first and are very submissive...they are like the st bernards of the dog world...big lugs with huge hearts lol ...the other sharks i dont have a clue about...but id worry more about the potential of the tetra's being meanies than the bala...and overall tank size and waste is important I think as well...so keeping an eye on water parimeters is going to be key and Like I said before, breaking the rules of fish keeping or even trying to break them, is how we learn...just having a back up plan if it doesnt work is the most important thing before hand and not loosing fishies while we learn

clinton1621

I agree 100%, my post about not a good mix was more of a size issue than anything else, as most of the sharks types are just rather large but usually not agressive =)

Barbrella

You do know that bala sharks grow well over a foot long? The pleco, if it's a common, will grow even bigger. You cannot keep these fish in this tank. You need to look at ADULT sizes and not think that because they're babies, they'll stay small.

What is a "bull shark"?

hobzz

thank you very much for your advice it has helped me o lot specially in my typing and spelling skills it has improved a lot on the other hand the betta in the community tank was a totally crazy idea. i knew it is wrong =/ but i still for some reason decided to do it and now its on going.. stuff happens im aware of the situation and im paying close attetion to it, if something seams to go deadly then i act rapidly, trust me i like the betta a lot i think they are sick some of the spike up crazy!
well this is how he the betta is doing, he created a new hanging out spot attac free, he comes out to eat and the he goes back to the bowl, the sharks hang out there no1 else!!! im happay and they seam happy, new stuatons will come and im sure you and your expirience will help me go tru it thank you very much
HobzZ.
here is a pik

pamd

Perhaps I'm just interpreting your photo wrong. But it looks to me that you've ignored some very thoughtful advice.

If I'm interpreting your photo correctly, your betta is going to die of suffocation in an upside-down glass jar on the bottom of the tank!!! He needs to be able to get up to the water surface to get air! I think that's been mentioned several times.

I don't mean to dispute the opinion of the mighty Chief Water Changer, but I still maintain that you're not experienced enough to introduce a betta to a community tank, especially one that's overstocked considering all the fishes' potential adult sizes. Well, don't worry about it. Maybe some of the fish won't reach adult size. So, no worries, yeah, right? I have to admit once again to being grumpy with you and worried about your fish.

Chief Water Changer knows a whole lot more about fishkeeping than I do, although I'm not sure he had time to read through all your posts, as I have. I'm not just worried about your betta, but about all your fish.

I do sincerely wish you the best of luck with this experiment, but hope you will take the time to research community tanks in general, plus keeping a betta in one, for the sake of your fish.

Lucy

Oh dear, I looked at the pic and it sure does look like it's upside down.
Hobzz, can the betta get out on his own to get air?

If he can get in and out of it, I'm afraid he's retreating, not being cozy as he deserves to be.

clinton1621

umm... did you miss this line by chance?

Angela_96

There are several fish that can work out in a tank together w/ caution. Bettas are one of those fish that can work in tanks w/ other fish w/ caution. I think that a Betta in a 55g home is a great thing. They are not always the aggressor, usually in a community tank its the Betta that does not make it to the food fast enough, I would make sure that the Betta gets first dibs on the food, and that would be my only concern.

If it works for you thats great! There are some fish that can be compatable, thats why there are grey areas on the compatablity charts that I have seen.

pamd

CWC is absolutely right for encouraging us to keep the thread positive. I realize he means to keep it friendly. Friendships and camaraderie are some of the best things about Fishlore in addition to the knowledge base. However, I think a positive outcome would also be for hobzz's fish. I can't speak for CWC, but I suspect he didn't have time to read all of hobzz's posts.

Lucy

I see I missed this post where your little guy can get in and out on his own, that's a good thing.

Angela_96

that was something that I had to read back on, I was stumped about it for a while, I had to read back on it too.