# Guppies and Bettas



## Mo (Mar 15, 2012)

With so many people concerned with regards to whether or not guppies will be fine with there Male bettas, I decided to create this thread to aid people away from having this potentially deadly mix, and from thinking there "peaceful" betta will do fine with fancy guppies


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

That light guppy?! Makes me worry about having male endlers.


----------



## Mo (Mar 15, 2012)

Yes. the fish was brutally attacked and nipped badly


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Are you separating the guppy and betta? :s 
Would platies be a better option than guppies/endlers?


----------



## Edifiler (Nov 28, 2011)

To be honest, whether you can have guppies with your betta fish really depends on the personality of your betta and the tank set up. With adequate space and a non aggressive betta, it might work. Some people, including myself have managed to keep bettas with guppies, I know it might not work for many and yes I understand that people would rather tell others to not do this to prevent any casualty but there really is no one way of keeping fish is there? Some things works for others and some doesnt. You just have to experiment and keep a close eye on it.


----------



## Mo (Mar 15, 2012)

While you are correct regarding them being compatible with each other depending on the individual personality of the Betta itself I disagree with you in many ways as even a relatively peaceful betta such as the one that was with the guppies can still become aggressive towards them as there are no facts, ways to test, or precautions to take to ensure that every individual Betta will or will not be compatible with the given species. in this case I had what I though was a peaceful Betta that interacted and lived happily with Gourami's. So I thought that he would be okay in my guppy tank, yet he still attacked them and to what I thought wouldn't happen happened. I would never recommend this case as you can already see, a peaceful Betta can become an aggressive one in different given situations so experimenting can result in death, disease, or stress. I wouldn't recommend this even if you have what seems as if to be a peaceful Betta, Because almost anything can turn and go wrong.


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I keep lots of Bettas and fancy tail guppies together all the time without issue-I have never had a Betta confuse species-I have had male guppies go after long fin male Betta more than anything. Usually the guppy is much faster than the Betta and can get away.

The problems I see with keeping guppies and Betta together is more related to tank size-but this is with any species of fish kept with the Betta....In 10gal tanks you don't have enough space for the other species to get away from each other-allowing them to be cornered and/or stressed in the smaller space-they get in each others way. 

The 10gal being the smallest tank size that is recommended to use for mixed species along with the Betta-you hear more often about how the Betta attacks-injuring other species-sometimes they are falsely accused and its another guppy nipping the guppy tail-true Bettas are an aggressive species with their own species-but usually they are fairly passive with other species unless they feel cramped or threatened.

Same with Neon kept with Bettas in a 10gal-while it can sometimes work-often the stress weaken the Neon allowing the Betta to catch it-usually a Betta can't eat a full grown Neon since they are well over 1inch in size-but the weaken Neon can be caught and killed or it dies and the Betta is seen picking at it and gets blamed for killing it.....A healthy Neon usually can't be caught by the slower moving Betta if they have enough space to get away......


----------



## JuliansMomma (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm new to the fish world, hello! I have a small female guppy in with my Betta. I'm keeping a close eye on them. I'm considering taking Julian out and putting him in a tank I used to use for my one goldfish I used to have 'cause I'm stressing about it a little, terrified I'm going to wake up and find Isobelle dead! I don't have any gravel or nothing for the other tank though, it would just be a filter and a couple of small ornaments, and I only just started a new job and have no money..


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I think you should separate them, since you can. I'd get your guppy some more friends, shed appreciate it. You can get all females to avoid breeding if you don't want that. Your betta won't mind a drab tank, as long as it's heated.


----------



## JuliansMomma (Mar 31, 2012)

I don't have a heater! It's literally a little tank with a little filter, that's all. I'll see about getting one soon as I can though, thanks for the advice.


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

A guppy will do better without a heater than a betta. How big are your two tanks?


----------



## ravenwinds (Feb 5, 2012)

I have to agree with OFL...it's the size of the tank and whether it's planted that decides if there will be problems. I have kept 3 female bettas in a 10g with guppies and they each interact with their species and pretty much ignore the other even during feeding.
I have also kept a male betta in a planted 29g with guppies, neons, cories, and even rainbow fish...I have never had cross species issues...sometimes it will get a bit boisterous with the schools of fish playing tag (especially with mollies!) But when that happens, Sapphire just moves to a quiet corner and sits in a plant...sometimes I swear he is watching his version of sitcom tv and laughing his little monkey face off!

It seems to hinge on whether tank is large enough for each species to have a place to call their own and retreat to. I think it is also important to remember line of sight...if a weaker, picked on species can disappear from constant view of an aggressive fish, it should be ok...kind of like when you are attempting a spawning...if one is not ready and the male gets violent, the female has to have a hiding place or cave to retreat to for a rest...the male will usually leave her alone if she is far enough away from nest and not in his direct view. 
Don't get me wrong...you still have to monitor any fish in a new situation and act accordingly to protect fish that can't get away!


----------



## JuliansMomma (Mar 31, 2012)

Olympia my normal tank is 45l and the other one, pfhht it's tiny. Like literally was told it was suitable for one goldfish. My parents have guppies and no Bettas, I'm contemplating giving her to them for their tank (we live in the same house but this still makes me a little sad!)


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

That's about 11 gallons. You could give her away and look into another tank mate for you tank


----------



## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

JuliansMomma said:


> Like literally was told it was suitable for one goldfish. My parents have guppies and no Bettas, I'm contemplating giving her to them for their tank (we live in the same house but this still makes me a little sad!)


Hah, if the petshop was telling the truth and it was *actually* suitable for one goldfish, it would be a good 100+ litres. 

I think it would be good for your little guppy girl to go and live with other guppies.  They are social fish. 

This being said, I and some of my friends have all kept guppies and bettas together successfully. It depends on your fish and on your tank - the fish need room and hiding spots to get away from each other. Obviously, it wouldn't work with an aggressive betta, but some bettas tolerate them just fine. 

As for Endlers, Olympia, I really wouldn't worry. The males are so small and their tails are not nearly so long as a guppy tail. If your betta will tolerate something like tetras, he should tolerate an Endler.


----------



## Edifiler (Nov 28, 2011)

Mo said:


> While you are correct regarding them being compatible with each other depending on the individual personality of the Betta itself I disagree with you in many ways as even a relatively peaceful betta such as the one that was with the guppies can still become aggressive towards them as there are no facts, ways to test, or precautions to take to ensure that every individual Betta will or will not be compatible with the given species. in this case I had what I though was a peaceful Betta that interacted and lived happily with Gourami's. So I thought that he would be okay in my guppy tank, yet he still attacked them and to what I thought wouldn't happen happened. I would never recommend this case as you can already see, a peaceful Betta can become an aggressive one in different given situations so experimenting can result in death, disease, or stress. I wouldn't recommend this even if you have what seems as if to be a peaceful Betta, Because almost anything can turn and go wrong.


I agree, bettas are after all animals, and can be very unpredictable. But I guess if you had no choice and had to leave them together, how the tank is setup is an important factor. With enough space and cover guppies can easily escape from view before they can be attacked. But really it all comes down luck.


----------

