Betta community tank neon tetra and other fun things

I'm going full story mode here so bare with me.
Background to begin. I've been keeping fish for around 20 years. I've had bettas for most of this time, though my community tanks never had them. Last year I decided to mix it up at my 3 year old son's request and do a betta community tank after much research on if it could be done.
Well at the time we had one male veil betta named "fish," he really is a sweet heart. Anyway after studying his behavior and reactions I came to the conclusion he was fairly non-aggressive. He didn't flare at mirrors, ignored shrimp and Thai micro crabs, over all just chilled played hide and seek, "tag" and lived life. So after he was in the tank with his mini friends I decided to up the game and get 1 female. Test the waters so to speak.
I had moved Fish from his 6.5 tank to a 22 before introducing him to the shrimp and crabs. So I set "Fishy" (he's 3 I just go with it), along with a couple Cory's. I add the 3 Cory's in with fish (after dripping and viewing) and Fishy goes in the 6.5 because we'll it's Meijer and got help all betta from there.
Wait a week so everyone adjusts and Fishy fills out to the glory that she becomes opal white body with deep blue fins and some blue spotting (she keeps changing here and there so I'm thinking maybe some marbling but time will tell). During this time I've read more into male female behavior and I'm having doubts but there was so much back and forth info and given Fish's calm behavior I figured let's see what they do. I put her in my tank cup and set her in the 22 gallon tank. Fish being his curious self comes over and looks around flares a few times like o.o who is this. She swims and zips up to the glass and they repeat a few times. After about 5 minutes Fish I'm guessing got bored, because wandered off to his thickly planted forest and drift wood. I waited another 30 minutes. He swam past a few more times, like he was checking, and she always seemed excited to see him (she has no banding). So I take the plunge, well Fishy does anyway. I hovered like a bloody lunatic for the next 10 hours. Watching, waiting, making sure....
It was fine. Fish chases her a bit, they had one bad nip incident but I rearranged the plants rocks and driftwood and. All was fine. Her tail grew back in (opal white in the spot that he got instead of blue) and neither fish has show any signs of stress or genuine aggression.
Fast forward 3 months..... I made a poor life choice. I got more fish. My plan was to get a few more females so Fish wasn't just playing tag with Fishy, a few more Cory's and some little tetras and a pleco. I was also going to set up the 6.5 for some guppies and Cory's. -.- don't listen to small children no matter how cute they are.
This is the part of the story where a googly eyed gold fish comes in like a *cue music* wrecking ball.
So we are at the store. Found my little orange/green tetras and Cory's and the 3 year old is looking around. He doesn't want guppies... or mollys... or tigers.... or any other normal sane fish (I'm aware of what I'm saying, I mean no offense I just really don't like goldfish, most are poorly kept, they are not small fish tank fish, and are just a pain imo). No he wants the bubble eyed moor gold fish. Fantastic................ okay so out goes 90% of my plan I already and bagged some neon tetras I knew would work with guppies but I can't house a goldfish in any of the tanks I have set up right now with other fish. So gold fish gets 6.5, everyone else will go 22, and 3 neon, 4 greens (the color is orange but they are called green) tetras, 3 more Cory's and 5 female bettas later we are ready to go.
Five females you say? Why yes I planned 2 maybe 3 but... they were so sad. >.> anyway.
I figured the tetras would be fine schooling together. I've never had issues with them in any tank I've had them in. I know they can be nippers but as long as I've had atleast 5 similar it's not been an issue. Cory's are chill. I'm worried about the female bettas. Hahaha haha jokes on my the bettas all get along. Some flaring while the girls asserted pecking order, Fish is in bloody heaven. Cory's are happy. Green tetras are good... neons.... @%@%#^#&$*($$(*!!
Anyway the neon first started on the greens nipping tails after the first week. I watched I waited made sure it wasn't the bettas. After a day they quit. Now a month in.... over night, literally, Fish's fins are shredded, 3 of the females have nip holes and rips. One neon is dead.... so I watched all day today. Yup its the neon. Well I also tested my water, everything was in its normal ranges. I do have more alge growth but no spikes or anything, just searching for a pleco still. So I figure too many fish, angry neon, I don't know. But the problem is I don't have another tank I can set up. And I don't want to put them in with "flash" (goldfish) because he has big beautiful fins.
So I am here after searching for a temporary solution to the neon problem until I can get another tank (gonna more Flash to a 20 or 22 as he needs a bigger tank anyway) set up and good to go (next week hopefully but work is crazy and I would have to order a new set up or drive an hour to the store.

I'm really concerned though as my betta are stressed and frankly I like them a lot more than the neons...

 

Nice mini series you got going on there... looking forward to the next episode. Hope all works out...

 

I feel bad for Fish, he minds his own business just to get his fins shredded

 

I feel bad for Fish, he minds his own business just to get his fins shredded

Exactly

 

neons are jerks. I have stopped buying them.

I added an Opaline betta to my mixed bettas /tetras tank last year, they killed him in under an hour.

not sure if it was skirts or black neons, but 1 of the 2 did it. my hunch is black neons. skirts usually just chase each other not other fish when I had them in 38 gallon.

I've had betta only communities, no deaths there, just chases. it was imo the tetras

fin nipping for real. my mistake as he was on smaller side so I think they felt 'safe' to attack him. He was a great fish. 1 of many mistakes I have made.

 

So.... update and a question.
Update:
No deaths and the nipping has stopped... for the most part. The bettas are all fairly cool with eachother. It's actually kinda funny to watch them. Fish, and his original female Fishy are considerably bigger than the other 4 females, thus are dominate by default, however they all have different dynamics. Fish has his 2 favorites and if you mess with one of them he will chase you until he can't find you. His favorites being Fishy and the red and blue female. Fishy however has a different perspective, her favorite is the opal and red female and they are rarely apart, if any of the other fish even look at her funny Fishy will chase them away, her fins are literally perfect lol. The other two females one a solid blue like Fish, the other blue with a dark blue stripe down her middle are a bit more bicker but Fish and Fishy don't let them get away with much. The pair regularly try to pick on the red and blue female but being one of fish's favorites she runs to him or he comes charging out of nowhere and makes them back off. Over all everyone gets a long. Just the occasional chase or reminder nip.
The tetras.... well I can't say they've calmed down but they've stopped trying to shred everyone's fins. I had some concerns about my micro Thai crabs and shrimp but found everyone when I rearranged the tank yesterday. The Cory's are doing great and the original is growing fairly quickly.
The black moor goldfish.... here comes my question... he's healthy, (I say he but I haven't actually checked its sex), eats well. But is very shy and timid. He hides regularly and in general seems unhappy. Granted I haven't been able to get him a bigger tank yet, but here is where my question comes in.
Can the black moor temporarily live with my bettas? If I switch the moor with the neon I'm thinking mayyyyyybe. But... I know goldfish and betta in general make bad bedfellows. I'm wondering though given all my bettas general temperments if it might be a better living situation for the goldfish at least for the next 2 weeks... I can always switch him back if it starts to go poorly...

But what are y'alls thoughts on this one?

 

So you are keeping male bettas with female bettas? Very interesting.

Goldfish and bettas have different temp requirements. Pretty sure that goldfish prefer cold water. I've heard stories of bettas shredding goldfishes fins up.

 

I would not put a goldfish with a betta.

goldfish = cold
betta warm



how big is your betta community tank?

 

I would not put a goldfish with a betta.

goldfish = cold
betta warm



how big is your betta community tank?

I saw the same about the temp, but read moors can be in warmer Temps.

The tank is 22 gallons. I have 1 male betta and 5 female betta.

So you are keeping male bettas with female bettas? Very interesting.

Goldfish and bettas have different temp requirements. Pretty sure that goldfish prefer cold water. I've heard stories of bettas shredding goldfishes fins up.

The fins shredding was a concern of mine as well, but since all 6 bettas have avoided actually damaging each other and the moors darker coloring I thought maybe...