Thursday, April 12, 2012

What Kind of Fish Can Betta Fish Live With?


INTRODUCTION: Okay so you've finally brought home a pet for the first time. Nope it's not a four legged fur ball from the nearby pet shop. But a fiery red, crowntail that just looks amazing.  So you placed him in your beautifully decorated 2.5 gallon tank. Then you suddenly realized how it could be lonesome for this poor guy to be all alone with no one to swim around with.  So you're considering getting him a companion.  Or two. But trust me on this.  Your betta is better off alone.  Anyone who knows how to take care of a betta fish will tell you this.

For a reason.  Betta fish are very aggressive in nature they really don't like being around with other finny creatures.  Even in their natural habitat, these guys prefer to live separately.  These underwater hermits are famous for their combative skills.  So much so they have been labeled as the infamous Siamese fighting fish.  They have even been used in for sport or so called entertainment as an unfortunate few were made to fight against each other.  Not the best way to maximize their lifespan although if you click here you will get some great tips for doing just that.

With this said, you fairly well know now that mixing a betta with another betta or any other species of fish for that matter could end up in a blood bath.   Which isn't really fair to the fish.  Besides someone has to be the adult and make the hard decisions.

Yet what do fish keeping experts have to say? Well as you'd expect they strongly discourage betta cohabitation with other bettas or mixing them with any other fish for that matter.  But should you really insist it's still possible for these somewhat feisty fish to live with other fish provided that the set up and tank mates selected meet a few criteria.

First, you need to choose the right size of tank.  A 2.5 gallon container would not make a good community tank.   Instead, you will need at least a 10 gallon aquarium. This way, your betta is able to mark his territory while the other fish are still able to waltz around without invading the crowntail's space.  This way they can all go along to get along.

Next, you have to carefully educate yourself as to which kind of fish are not compatible with your Siamese fighting fish.  This means you can never mix male or female bettas with these creatures at all cost.  So what are they?  Here are two.

The Colorful Ones
These are those that resemble the color or form of finny rivals such as long tailed guppies.  Are the bettas jealous of other fish that are just as colorful as they are?  Who knows?  Maybe they can't stand the competition.  In any case let's just say betta fish are divas in their own right.  And no other fish with long, flowing fins that might be mistaken for an interloper can escape the attention of envious bettas.

The Fin Nippers
Surprisingly it's not only bettas that are capable of inflicting harm on other fish.  But there are also other species that can inflict pain on them.  Tiger barbs for one are notorious for fin nipping.  Some tetra species are another.  So it should be obvious they don't make the list of potential tank mates.  At least not if proper betta care is high on your list. 



CONCLUSION:  Lastly, there's one other point you need to keep in mind.  Like us not all betta fish have the same personality.  So not all fighting fish have the same fighting temperament. Although some are in a terminally bad mood not all of them are ill-tempered.  Which is to say you can't always predict how things are going to work out.  So once you put the betta in the community tank, be sure to watch them closely. Observe their behavior.  Carefully look for signs of them getting aggressive with another fish or the other way around.  In such case you may have no other choice but to house your prized betta away from all the other fish in the tank.  Which brings you back to the whole idea that bettas are really best to be left alone.

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