iris

i have had a betta for over 4 months now in a 2.5 g tank.i also have another 16 g tank where there are 2 buenos aries tetras,3 daniels,1 goldfish,1 male guppy,2 killis,and 2 sharks(bala).my betta seems very lonely and bored.please help..can i put betta in the bigger tank with all the other fish??

Clint

yes by all means...male or female? not that i blieve it matters tho ihave found female betas take better to community then males.....thx 4 ur time....Clint

Clint

recap there seems to b a whole lotta life in a 16 gal already if possible grow up to a 25 gal at least....thx 4ur time .....Clint

iris

thnx CLINT
I'M WORKING ON GETTING A BIGGER TANK...MY CONCERN IS THAT THE BETTA OR THE OTHER FISH MAY BECOME AGGRESSIVE TOWARD ONE ANOTHER..ALSO I HEARD THAT BETTAS ARE HAPPIER WHEN THEY DON'T SHARE THEIR TANK WITH OTHER FISH...THNX FOR YOUR SUGGESTION..IRIS

Clint

make sure if u do put the betta in there is lotz of top growin plants i find they like to be alone in a structure of labirinth?...thx 4 ur tme...clint

Stradius011

I would not put a male betta or even a female betta in a community tank. When I was a newb, I thought the same thing and put a Lemon cichlid with it. Bad mistake, my betta spread its fins and all angry and began attacking my cichlid! I immediately moved the cichlid. I thought my betta would get along ok with other fish unless they're with guppies or other bettas but I was wrong. My betta wouldn't even allow a cory, but maybe my betta is a vicious one...

Clint

thx......thx4urtime clint

Clint

i was not tryin to b a..........i find bettas to b the most communitive fish bside gold i have every owned...thx 4 ur time....clint

chickadee

Bettas are raised in isolation and do not learn how to deal with other fish as they grow. It is a rare betta who deals well in a community tank it seems. They either become the aggressor and cause problems or they do not recognize other fish as possible health hazards (fin nippers) and will let themselves be nipped and end up with infected fins with bad and possible fatal results.

They just do better either on their own in a 5 gallon or larger tank or with some small peaceful fish who do not threaten it or pose a problem for aggressive behavior. The best of these that I have found are the Otocinclus catfish, but if the tank is big enough there are also Corydoras catfish and I have also introduced Dwarf Loaches. They all seem to be compatible. The most important thing is to KNOW YOUR BETTA. While some bettas will accept tankmates very well there will always be the ones who will not tolerate any other living things in their space. Another thing to consider is that the betta becomes more aggressive the more crowded he/she feels. If you want to give it a good go with other fish, the betta needs to have the room to feel like they have territorial rights. If they feel challenged you will have chaos in the tank and someone will get hurt.

I hope this has helped.

Rose