community tank?

[gammerus]

Julian was apparently responsible for my shrimps deaths. I would see him flare at them from time to time but I didn't think it was anything serious untill I found him hovering over a newly killed shrimp. I recently added a couple ramshorn snails and he seems to be ok with them. He flared at them the first time he was them but now he just watches them for alittle while then goes off to do something else.

I want to add some platys but I am not sure he will work in a community tank. I plan on taking him out of the tank and putting him back in after I have added the fish and rearanged the tank. But I am still unsure. is there anything I can do to sorta test his aggression? when I put a mirror up he only flares a couple times then goes back to what he was doing before, does that meen anything.

[Butterfly]

If you take him out then add the platys he might leave them alone. Although the platys might nip his pretty flowy fins.
Carol

[chickadee]

Yes we have had reports of Platys nipping fins from other people. Julian was just doing what comes naturally, Bettas are started out on shrimp diets and even some of the most tame ones will go after shrimp.

Snails are another matter. Most Bettas will bounce off the shell once or twice and find that they are something that is unafraid of them and that they cannot hurt or eat. Then all is peaceful.

Julian does sound like a very peaceful Betta but it is not him being a problem that I worry about in a tank, but the other fish maybe brutalizing him.

Rose

[poefox]

Unfortunately fish have general tendencies but no guarantees. Some bettas as Rose said are fairly gentle creatures. Mine I believe has been slowly murdering his tankmates, usually when I'm not around.

Platties tend to be friendly fish but they do nip one another at times just in some sort of dominance or mating game and might find a betta's fins very tempting. They are listed as fish that can be kept with bettas. They also do look a bit like a female betta and might themselves get harassed. That's just a warning; I think your plan is a good one. I'm going to have to do some rearranging myself, so I'll be interested to see how it works out.

[Miss Mouse]

I've got platys in my community tank and they're fine with Marmaduke,and he's fine with them so I think it's all down to the fish..and space... I think as long as they have more than enough space and they dont have to compete for it you might just be ok!
Good luck!

[gammerus]

I didn't know about the nipping. My last community tank had a mollie, two female sword tails and a betta. I figured all live bearers were good betta companions. Wait...do bettas get along with male swordtails? I heard they don't but I'm not sure.

[chickadee]

Any other fish that has long fins is going to have a problem with a betta, more than likely. For some reason, bettas mistrake any other fish with long fins as a threat like thery were another betta and the fight can be on. This is sometimes dependent on the fish but the only way to be sure is just not to chance it.

Rose

[gammerus]

so that includes male swordtails?

[chickadee]

yes I would think the lower half of the caudal fin being longer and all would be too big a temptation for Julian to resist. Since he has already shown a little tendency to protect his territory, I am afraid he would be defensive toward a male swordtail.

Rose

[SunnShadow]

I'm only speaking from my own experience here......
Dante got along fine with both platys and swordtails, male and female. The only thing you may want to be wary of is the babies of the swordtails and platys. Eating them can cause Bettas to become constipated, and we all know how terrible that can be. So if you do get your platys, I suggest getting all males or all females. Nice thing about platys..... the girls are just as beautiful as the guys are.

Sara

[gammerus]

I do like the variety of platys, green, white, orange. There are just so many colors to choose from.

[Miss Mouse]

Yeah and they're real little characters too! Although make sure you get all same sex or you end up with too many like me! I've just had about 15 fry appear in my biorb.. I can only guess they were born when I had the ich epidemic cos I only noticed them when I was putting the platys back in the big tank. They're awfully cute but they do tend to just keep breeding. Luckily a friend of mine saw my tank and decided he wanted to keep fish so i've offered him my old tank and a few baby platys to start with so when they're a little bigger I'm gonna set it all up for him. He's the sweetest guy.. he has had quite a sheltered life and his only pet was a goldfish whcih he was scared of as a child so I take him with me to all the fish stores and pet shops whenever I go and he gets sooo excited by all these wierd and wonderful animals. Get this... he thought chamelions were fictional creatures!!
ooh sorry rambling along off the topic... heehee :

[poefox]

That's a very cool story though It would be like showing someone the world for the first time.