Red1313

Hey can you guys give me some pro's and cons of this compatability?
I may have asked it before I don't know.
Betta with a red tail.

to me it kind of makes sense since RTS stays for the most part on the bottom of the tank and a betta looks nothing like it and stays nearer the top. Betta sleeps at night, RTS comes out after the tank lights go off. Betta eats pellets/blood worms, RTS eats... ... ...I have no idea what he seems to eat in there but he's eating something.

Way it doesn't work is both are territorial, RTS will outgrow betta, betta likes little to no current, RTS likes water movement.

Anyone have anything else to add to this debate? I'm not seriously concidering it, all my babies are happy as is. But it got me thinking.

clinton1621

Hmm... size, aggression, and water movement would be the main issues. A slow moving fish like a betta would make a good target for a RTS. Also, I would like to point out that you should be feeding the RTS lol, they need sinking food pellets or flakes at the least to keep them from starving and malnutrition =)

Red1313

Everything I put in the tank goes ignored and un eaten, floating flakes (the the pet store recommended) go ignored on the surface, sinking food goes ignored on the ground (the snails apprecate it. lol).
I do through some in once a day but I still don't see any sign that he eats it. However he goes all over the tank nose down in the gravel and on all available surfaces eating something... some kind of mystery food b/c he's growing quite happily.

Back on topic, I was thinking maybe a female betta more then a male, b/c there'd be less fin for the water to pull on.

clinton1621

I think it would still be the same issues even with a female, they both act very similar in a tank with high flow.

Try giving him some bloodworms or brine shrimp... catfish sometimes prefer live or frozen foods =) also remember they like to feed at night!

Allie

Red tail are super aggressive with Malawi cichlids so I cannot imagine putting one in with a betta who is much smaller than the red tail.
Betta have different water requirements than a rts. Betta swim all over the tank, not just at the top.

chickadee

I would say no, no and no in that order. Semi-aggressives do not go well in one tank together. They may not seem to intrude into each others territory but they would soon know of each other's existence there and find a way into the the other one's domain. And the point of the speed of the shark as opposed to the speed of the betta is very true. The betta would be toast. It would not be a good match at all.

Rose

Red1313

I was just curious since I saw the two of them togeather on a compatibility chart.
Thanks everybody.