can i put my betta in with my 3 zebra danios?

[rip_van_winkle]

I know that bettas are fighting fish, but they do go with some fish. I am just wondering, because danios are so friendly, can I put the Betta in with them? There are like 5 caves/rocks to swim in and out of, a plastic plant, java fern. I think there is enough places for them to hide.

 

[chickadee]

It is always a good idea to have a back-up tank in hand when you try to add a Betta to any tank where there are other fish. The size of the tank will have something to do with it also. Bettas have a tendency to become more aggressive (as do other fish) as the crowding becomes worse. If you have a nice big tank with all those hiding places and all they may get along, but if the tank is small I would not try to put the Betta in with any other fish or at most a few Otos. If we are talking a really small tank then even the Betta should not go in there.

What size are we talking about?

5 gallon - just a betta and 3 Otos
10 gallon - Betta and maybe a group of Cories or Otose
15 gallon or larger - Betta and perhaps a group of Danios (danios are shoaling fish and need groups of 6 or more) in 15 gal you could have 6 danios and 1 betta (no more)

The thing to watch for is some species of danio have longish fins and I would steer clear of those as the betta may not accept another long-finned fish even if they do not look anything like him/her.

It really all boils down to what I have said so many times before. It depends on the fish. There are some bettas that will readily accept almost any other fish in the tank with them and indeed need to be protected from some of the fish that are put in with them as they may be fin nippers. Then there are some bettas that will not accept ANY other fish in with them and will viciously attack them or make them so miserable that they have died of fright or simply been chased into a state of exhaustion.. This is why you always need to have a second tank ready to accept the betta back in case you have a problem with one side of the equation or the other, and it may NOT be the betta that causes the problem. While danios are considered peaceable fish they are members of the same family as the Barbs and have the capacity to be ornery on a single fish basis the same as the betta.

Rose

 

[0morrokh]

Before you do anything else you need to get at least 3 more Zebras. Danios are shoaling fish and are not happy in groups of less than 6. They will be much more active and outgoing in a larger group. Then if there is enough room in the tank and you have a spare tank in case it doesn't work, you might be able to try it.

 

[rip_van_winkle]

Thanks Rose,

Yeah, my tank is 10 gallons, and I do have about 3 or 4 5 gallon fish bowls.

I was also looking into getting a couple neon tetras.

thanks

 

[rip_van_winkle]

So do you think I could put the tetras and danios tegether if the betta witht he danios didn't work?

 

[chickadee]

Just so you can heat the fish bowl it may work, but remember that a betta needs heated and filtered water too.

Rose

 

[rip_van_winkle]

So let me get this strait. I may be able to put the zebras in with the betta depending on my betta's tempermant. If I can't do that because they have a problem with each other, I can put the betta in a filtered and heated bowl, and the zebras and tetras together.

Correct?

Thank you very much for helping me with this. I have been doing a lot of research, but it doesn't really tell you compatible the are.
thanks

 

[0morrokh]

That is correct. that is, as long as you have a big enough tank for both tetras and danios. How many tetras and danios do you have and what size tank will they be going in?

 

[rip_van_winkle]

4 of each and in the 10g

That would be a bit crowded but i'm doing water changes twice a week, and there's a filter, and I scoop the food out that falls to the bottom. I don't think cleaning is much of a problem....

 

[chickadee]

I think you said that the Betta Bowl is 5 gallons right? If the size of the bowl is 5 gallons and you heat and filter it with a proper filter like a small Duetto minI or some such, yes, you can put the betta in there. I used to have a betta in a vase : but it was BIG and heated and filtered and even had a lamp for it. The only reason that I moved him was the surface area was not big enough for me to feel really good about it although he was happy with it. So one day when the edge broke, I was not too upset and got him a new aquarium after my heart stopped racing. I was afraid he would eat some glass before I got him out he was such a glutton.

Rose

 

[0morrokh]

THere is not really room in a 5gal for a Betta plus 4 danios. You're right that the 10gal is overstocked...if possible I'd recommend getting a larger tank. However, it sounds as if you are doing everything you can to keep it clean, so just test the nitrates a lot to make sure you are keeping them under 20.