Holy Moly Male Bettas are aggressive

Since introducing him in my community tank I have seen him:

1. attack the ghost shrimp
2. attack the snails
3. attack the algae eater fish
4. attack the platy fry.

Platy fry especially are amusing to watch him attack. He is the only fish that goes after them and they dart into some foliage that he can't fit in so he gets tangled in a bunch of plant leaves

Still, very pretty that one.

The only thing he hasn't really attacked are larger fish like platy's (he's just a baby!)

 

That one seems to be more aggressive than usual. How big is the tank? If it doesn't stop soon you may want to consider moving him to another tank without tank mates in it.

 

That one seems to be more aggressive than usual. How big is the tank? If it doesn't stop soon you may want to consider moving him to another tank without tank mates in it.

That's actually pretty normal.

 

Yeah, I'm saying when he first got out of his cup and into the tank, meeting everyone for the first time. Now, the only thing he really goes after are the platy fry, which always get away due to my heavily planted tank having many hiding spots. Kind of amusing.

 

Really? I must have had super nice bettas. If he's pretty new it would be normal.

 

I do wanna say that petco's baby bettas are the best things ever.

Those small cups are evil and I'd prefer that they spend as little of their lives as possible in such small confines. Most adult bettas you see in stores have probably spent a quarter to a half of their lives in a tiny cup.

 

Hmm... I guess I have weird bettasXD. Mine have never bothered anything in the community tank. White Cloud Minnows, Black Skirt Tetras, GloFish, Mollies, ghost shrimp, etc. All sweet as pie towards everything.

 

I've got bettas that are fine with other things. I've also got some that will murder anything in the tank with them. Bettas are not all the same.

Baby bettas aren't all that great. Baby bettas have different care requirements. If they aren't fed properly it can affect them for the rest of their lives.

 

I do wanna say that petco's baby bettas are the best things ever.

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No. They are the worst thing ever. Do you have any idea the concept of caring for bettas at such a young age? They should still be on live foods. Its insanity. People need to just stop buying them and supporting the store. Id rather them still be in the breeding ponds at that age then in the cups.

 

And being a baby you never know if it is a male or female. Airey was no more than 3 cm when I got him and I had no clue until he was 5 months old that he was a he.

 

And being a baby you never know if it is a male or female. Airey was no more than 3 cm when I got him and I had no clue until he was 5 months old that he was a he.

I'm pretty sure he's a male. he has a pretty elaborate tail for his size, and he's just so darn aggressive. Also, pretty big beard.

 

Females can be the same way at that age

 

So I've been feeding the baby frozen brine shrimp. Seems to work pretty well. Anything else I should be aware of?

 

So I've been feeding the baby frozen brine shrimp. Seems to work pretty well. Anything else I should be aware of?

If you do get freezed dryed bloodworms make sure to soak them before feeding them to your betta. Plus Ive learned mine love strawberries and avocado.

 

Bettas shouldnt be getting fruits and veggies unless its for digestion and its a pea. Just because they like it doesn't mean its good for them, and avoid freeze dried all together.

 

Bettas shouldnt be getting fruits and veggies unless its for digestion and its a pea. Just because they like it doesn't mean its good for them, and avoid freeze dried all together.

Well mine only get it once a week and it is a very small piece and with the freeze dried I soak it for two days in garlic water plus they only get one or two worms. Both of them do not like the frozen bloodworms. Plus only Oden likes peas Airey just plays with them

 

Freeze-dried bloodworms are fine for bettas as long as they are soaked in treated water (or garlic juice) first.

Personally, I don't keep my bettas in community tanks. It's not worth the risk, IMO. More than likely as your betta matures, he or she will become much more aggressive with the tankmates. Be prepared to move him if necessary.

 

Yeah, I had a tragedy not long ago with freeze-dried bloodworms killing a beloved betta.

What I find interesting is that the betta never attacks a fish larger than itself. LIke, it quickly goes after platy fry, but never after the full-sized platy which are bigger than he.

Do bettas ever learn to be better tank mates, or are their instincts pretty much set?

 

Bettas were bred to fight. they were bred to kill and attack what's in front of them, it is VERY stressful on them to fight this instinct. Some have bred out of it a little, but they all retain it. They will attack what they see fit, and having a fish in their territory that they think is too big for them to do anything about is even worse.