morgana

This is my first time with this group, just found it when I was searching the net for info about my bettas. I have six that I just put into a divided hex tank with floating plants and different kinds of strata, including sand. They have never been in such close proximity before. They spend a lot of time flaring at each other now.

Miss Mouse

Hello and welcome to Fishlore, and to another betta fan! I put a mirror next to my tank on my wall to reflect the light around my bedroom but I found my betta, Taro kept flaring at his image and I was told it wasn't healthy for them to do that all the time because basically they're in fight mode 24/7! Maybe try putting a few plants in between the divides to give them a little privacy?

hope you enjoy chatting to us

Ursula

Isabella

I don't understand how any fish could be so aggressive to the point it had to live alone. I love the way bettas look and always wanted some, but will never get any because of their behavior. I think bettas being constantly stressed out, would eventually stress me out! (Out of worrying for them.) Aren't they "lonely" being by themselves all their lives? How do they breed if they're so aggressive? Why are they the way they are

Miss Mouse

I think they're like grumpy old men But in their defence they apparently make extremely good daddies!! "The male can be so protective he will take the fry into his mouth for protection" (Siamese Cyber aquarium)
They are pretty solitary animals in their natural state in padi fields in Thailand. They originally lived in small muddy ditches and lived on the insects and worms ploughed up by the rice harvesters. They were not originally as pretty as they are now. They've been bred to be colourful and have various styles of long flowing fins. I have read that the reason they're so aggressive is because the long flowing tail is their mating display to attract females so any other males with long flowing fins (even guppies!) are seen as competition.
The other reason they have this aggressive streak is because they were bred to fight as a sport in Siam before becoming ornamental pets. Read this paragraph from http://www.versaquatics.com/bettas.htm

"Native to Thailand, these fish have been successfully bred, and reared in the aquarium since the mid 1800's, and also used in sporting bouts since that time. Bettas are notorious for fighting to the death if kept together, and unfortunately, have been exploited for these purposes. Early breeding of the fish focused on the pugnacious temperament and beautiful coloration of the species; the ingredients for a nasty fish fight. So, the modern-day Betta has had over a century of selective breeding to bring out the best and worst of these incredible freshwater fishes."

The breeding and fighting sport still goes on.. have a look at this page. http://www.plakatthai.com/ It shows how to breed them, what to look for in a good fighter etc etc. Pretty cruel in my eyes but it is actually very informative and they man writes with a rather intruiging manner so I had to read the whole thing!

Gunnie

Isabella,
I inherited a betta from a co-worker and put him in a 20 gal. long community tank. At first he was nipped a little from the buenos aires tetras, but by the next day, he showed them who was boss! He is much more active than you would expect a betta to be. I think it's because there is so much activity in the tank, and he's got so much more space than he's ever had. Bettas are a beautiful addition to a community tank. Just make sure he's compatible with the other fish!