What To Do With An Aggressive Betta?

I have a koi plakat that I cannot keep with anything. He just killed an Amano shrimp (a large one at that) and any shrimp or snail I put with him he harasses nonstop. He is currently in a 2.5 gallon on his own (it did have 2 shrimp and a few snails but that didn't work out). He was previously in my 3.3 gallon but killed all the ghost shrimp and had the Amanos and RCS so scared they hid all day long. With snails, he bites them and they stay in their shells and won't come out.

He's beautiful to look at, but is an especially aggressive betta. I've never had a betta that was so hellbent on killing anything that moves, regardless of size or species. I plant my tanks densely, provide a good diet, and interact daily, but it doesn't curb his aggression.

Is there anything I can do short of rehoming him? I'm kind of at a loss for what to do with him...

 

Let him have a tank to himself? Does he need company? If he has shown he can't go with anything why risk more inverts to his wrath, I would let him have his own tank and enjoy him as he is. Why rehome him if what he is doing is natural behavior?

 

Bettas don't really make great community fish anyways. I find that plakat especially are quite aggressive. Just keep him on his own.

 

Yeah, just keep him alone....

 

Keep him by himself. Some just don't like other living things.

 

He doesn't need tankmates, it's not like a betta's ever going to die from lonliness

 

Let him have a tank to himself? Does he need company? If he has shown he can't go with anything why risk more inverts to his wrath, I would let him have his own tank and enjoy him as he is. Why rehome him if what he is doing is natural behavior?

I suppose there is nothing WRONG with keeping him in his own tank, I'd just rather he get along with the cleaning crew.

 

Get him a 4 gallon plastic tank and keep him alone. If he's beautiful and loved, a small betta tank won't take up too much space, as long as you don't make a habit out of it and keep adding betta tanks like I did.

While he is hellbent on killing everything, you seem a little hellbent on finding him a neighbor. You can't reason with a fish, so it's up to you to be reasonable.

 

It could also be tank size not having enough room to get away from the betta.

 

Leave him on his own or put him in a 10g+ with shrimp to see if more space for.them to hide works

 

2.5 gallon is the absolute smallest sized tank I would ever get for a betta. And it would always be on his own. If you want tank mates, you need to upgrade the tank to at least a 5 gallon, but preferably a 10 gallon. Then you need to add lots of plants to break up the sight lines. Then after all that, you can add more creatures to the tank. You are trying to cram too much stuff into too small of a tank..

 

2.5 gallon is the absolute smallest sized tank I would ever get for a betta. And it would always be on his own. If you want tank mates, you need to upgrade the tank to at least a 5 gallon, but preferably a 10 gallon. Then you need to add lots of plants to break up the sight lines. Then after all that, you can add more creatures to the tank. You are trying to cram too much stuff into too small of a tank..

I have a 10 I am considering setting up for him. Unfortunately space is currently an issue so I'm trying to work out the details.

 

My bettas slowly ate 20 ghost shrimp in a 75 gallon tank over the course of six months.

 

Honestly a tank doesn't need a clean up crew since we the owners are suppose to be doing the cleaning. I would just leave the betta alone, he obviously does not want a tank mate and you may end up stressing him out trying to force it. Not to mention stressing the snails and shrimp.

 

WoW, I agreed with or liked every post in this thread. Hope the OP feels the same

 

I suppose there is nothing WRONG with keeping him in his own tank, I'd just rather he get along with the cleaning crew.

If you've got a really aggressive Betta you're the cleaning crew , and be careful when you stick your arm in the tank. He may just decide you've lived long enough. Luckily most can't open their mouths wide enough to draw blood, but it can be surprising to be struck.

 

Applaud your betta for being an alpha.

 

I am a firm believer that they need more space. 5 gallon standard foot print minimum. They like territory, and they like to know what's going on in that territory. If he had more space to explore/patrol, he may choose to mellow out a bit. Or he may just be very angry and as previously stated just needs to be alone