# Guppies



## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

I don't plan to attempt this any time soon, but I started wondering about it when I was watching some guppies at the pet store.

Has anyone kept guppies and a peaceful male betta together in a community tank? Guppies always seem to be at the top of the do-not-keep-with-bettas list, mainly because of their bright colors and long fins. But other species, such as platies, assorted tetras, and Glofish also have bright colors, and they are often successfully kept with bettas. I'm just curious how a little brightly-colored guppy would be different from say, an orange platy, which is closer to the size of a betta anyway. Also, what about Endler's livebearers?


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

I was just thinking about this the other day , curious as well .


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## Tony2632 (Aug 30, 2013)

I kept Endlers Livebearer with my female betta with no problems. I never kept a fancy guppy with a betta before. It might depend on the betta personality.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

yeah, some people say it is a myth that the betta will kill it, and some say its not, I've never tried it but I was considering it. However I didn't have an extra incase tank that was large enough, and well I just didn't want it to end in little bits if guppy all over the place. If you try it though you should really tell us how it goes! I'm very interested in what the results would be!  goodluck!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have kept male-only Endlers, Dwarf Panda Guppies and Fancy Guppies with a variety of male Bettas with no issues. It depends on the Betta; however, if one will accept one type of fish tank mate it will usually accept all.

For years people have repeated without actual knowledge that Bettas see Guppies as other Bettas. How would one know what a Betta perceives? My neighbor recently told me his son couldn't have a Betta in his community tank because "Everyone knows Bettas kill other fish." Another myth perpetuated.


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## Pippin (Apr 11, 2014)

I have kept guppies in with my betta, Pippin, before. He did flare a little, but the guppies just ignored him. Some of the longer finned ones got biten tails, but I don't know if that was from other guppies or Pippin? But they did live happily together. It just depends on the betta.


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## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

Hmm...if this is something that's actually possible, I might just need to get a few guppies. Maybe just start with a a male or a pair in case things go wrong. I think Granite would do OK, though - he's never attacked another fish, and he even swims alongside my smallest platy. I have a new platy and snails in my QT tank at the moment, so it would be at least a month or so from now. If I try it, I'll certainly let you guys know how it goes!

RussellTheShihTzu, now that I've had a betta community tank for a while, I always laugh when I hear that sort of thing. When I told my parents that I was going to put platies in with a betta, their eyes got wide, and they said, "but the betta will just kill and eat them all!" Seems like a lot of people believe that. Bettas aren't piranhas...:lol:

Thanks folks!


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## Pippin (Apr 11, 2014)

Well, not all bettas are piranhas would be more persice....


And actually, Piranhas can be very peaceful fish, and can live, fully grown, with fish like neon tetra, or many other of the tetra species. Where they are naive, people actually swim, wash cloths, and play in rivers where they can see piranhas, but they never bother each other. Some are even more peaceful then bettas.


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

I have guppy endler hybrids with my male betta in a 29gallon community tank. I started with 5, 2 died. I have never seen the betta do anything with them. They were the last additions to the tank. So he was already used to a lot of small fish.

My guppies are all male. I did not want the bioload of constant spawning and fry. Paired guppies can be prolific.


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

MameJenny said:


> I don't plan to attempt this any time soon, but I started wondering about it when I was watching some guppies at the pet store.
> 
> Has anyone kept guppies and a peaceful male betta together in a community tank? Guppies always seem to be at the top of the do-not-keep-with-bettas list, mainly because of their bright colors and long fins. But other species, such as platies, assorted tetras, and Glofish also have bright colors, and they are often successfully kept with bettas. I'm just curious how a little brightly-colored guppy would be different from say, an orange platy, which is closer to the size of a betta anyway. Also, what about Endler's livebearers?


 
You answered your own question...kind of! It's more the issue of long flowing fins that will make a male betta see red. Fancy guppies with the long tails should not be kept with bettas as they see the tail and assume it's another male betta. Colorful fish may be possible as long as they do not have flowing fins. That said you could keep all female guppies with your betta. Or get some of the wild type guppies. Maybe even some Endlers.
Personally I would never do it. but some have apparently done it successfully.
I prefer to have my bettas as the showpiece of their own tank.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I just wanted to pop in Mame, Granite has been with guppies before both male and female and he really never cared lol. He was also in with micro fish; Ember Tetras, Gelius barbs, Corydoras Habrosus, Otos, and even a Honey Gourami when I couldn't catch her so I thought maybe he'd flush her out for me....silly fish just gave a little flare to each other and then swam along peacefully :roll: lol, he'd be just fine with guppies ^_^

Betta's do not percieve long tails as other male bettas, it'd be like us thinking that an Orangutan is a human jut because it has opposable thumbs lol They can tell the difference and that it is not a guppy. That myth came about for the more aggressive males, if the betta attacks the guppy it is because it wil not tolorate any tankmates, not because the tail. The same holds true for other colorful fish, it's not like a bull that likes the waving cloth (they don't actually see the red), it's not like the fish hold up a sign "Hey, eat me because I'm colorful" lol.


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## Schmoo (Oct 3, 2014)

As soon as I can, I plan on buying my betta a 6 (or maybe it's a 6.5?) gallon tank, and I wanted to get him a friend or two. He's a lazy, peaceful betta, so I think it'll go well. Plus, sometimes I get the feeling that he's lonely...

I love guppies, though, so after reading this post and the responses I'm thrilled to see that it's a possibility! c:


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## kittenfish (Dec 1, 2013)

I've actually had more problems with male guppies fighting with each other. The betta just ignored them while they chased each other around. I think the rule is at least 4 males if you're keeping them together.


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## sharkettelaw1 (Mar 6, 2013)

its not the colour of the fish, its the fins. Platies dont have long flowy tails like guppies do, but i find platies like to nip long tails. I used to breed guppies as well, merely for the fun of it. Lets just say bettas dont really like them. Or mine dont anyway. The tails are the first to get bitten off, female bettas just chase them and bully them to death. Males just bite the tails off. Females do as well, mind you. Is it worth stressing out a small fish to see if it will work? In my opinion, nope.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

None of my male Betta have ever bothered the other fish in their tank; even the Fancy Guppies and the hybrid Tuxedo Endlers with rather long caudal. The reason may be my tanks are so planted the Betta spend all their time exploring and swimming through the plants and the bubblers. I believe environment/habitat has a lot to do with tank mate success be it shrimp or peaceful Nano fish.

Caveat: The smallest aquarium I've had with Guppies or other shoaling fish and Betta is eight gallons. I can't imagine anything smaller being good for all residents.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Again, it comes down to the individual Betta. Just because your (in general) particular Bettas didn't like guppies doesn't mean that they all don't. I don't think it's fair to generalize as such since I've had great success with guppies and Bettas and in fact have a breeding trio in with one of my females right now and she honestly couldn't care less. Her neighbor though? Her neighbor would jump on them in a heartbeat just because it's another fish, not that it's a guppy, but that girl kills everything in her wake including some plants. 

The tails are the easiest and softest part to rip off is why.


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

Watermelon has lived with guppies (only one currently) and he doesn't bother them. I guess it all comes down to the individual betta's personality and agression level


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## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

lilnaugrim said:


> I just wanted to pop in Mame, Granite has been with guppies before both male and female and he really never cared lol. He was also in with micro fish; Ember Tetras, Gelius barbs, Corydoras Habrosus, Otos, and even a Honey Gourami when I couldn't catch her so I thought maybe he'd flush her out for me....silly fish just gave a little flare to each other and then swam along peacefully :roll: lol, he'd be just fine with guppies ^_^
> 
> Betta's do not percieve long tails as other male bettas, it'd be like us thinking that an Orangutan is a human jut because it has opposable thumbs lol They can tell the difference and that it is not a guppy. That myth came about for the more aggressive males, if the betta attacks the guppy it is because it wil not tolorate any tankmates, not because the tail. The same holds true for other colorful fish, it's not like a bull that likes the waving cloth (they don't actually see the red), it's not like the fish hold up a sign "Hey, eat me because I'm colorful" lol.


Ah, I'm happy to hear that from you.  That definitely sounds like him, lol. He's done great with the platies and danios. I caught them all sleeping next to each other the other day, silly fish. He mostly goes off into the plants and does his own thing while the platies and danios swim around like little nuts. :lol: 

I got three cobra guppies today...an orange male, an orange female, and a yellow female. In two weeks (quarantine), they'll be going in the 20g (where they'll probably proceed to overpopulate the tank :lol.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Haha yep, he is a great little fish! I'm glad you've got the chance to enjoy him as much as I did! :-D


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## Sathori (Jul 7, 2013)

Just adding my two cents - I also have a betta in with guppies, my male guppy is a gorgeous black male, with a gorgeous tail. My females have bright red or yellow tails. Elfman, my betta, only flared when the guppies bumped into him during feeding time. After the guppies moved off to a different section to eat, my betta also kept eating. 
I've removed one very pregnant female in hopes of keeping some fry alive, but I'm hoping that my betta and other fish will help keep my guppy population under control 

I had Elfman in quarantine when I added the guppies, because the little jerk managed to wedge himself into a hole and get stuck after months of the decorations being the same and no issues >.< So I had him quarantined since he had quite a few scales scraped off his back and stomach, and I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay before being re-added to the tank. So by the time I gave him the "okay", the guppies had made the tank their home and he just went along with it.


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## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

I thought I'd give a small update. Unfortunately, my male guppy died in QT after an ammonia spike (food dumped into the tank, long story). So, I moved the two females into the 20 gallon yesterday evening. Granite flared at them and chased them a little once - as he did with the platies - then completely left them alone. The guppies were very afraid of him at first, though. The smaller female accidentally backed into him, took one look at his huge mouth, and jumped out of the water. :lol: They're doing great together now, though. I have no doubt that he'll do fine with the males as well.  One of the females gave birth a few days ago, so I'm hoping that a few of the fry are male!


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## Sathori (Jul 7, 2013)

Sorry to hear about your male. With the amount of fry that guppies poop out - I'm sure there are more than one or two males in there 

My two girls that I bought from Pet Smart are about to explode with fry, so I'm going to have so many guppies, I won't have the space for all of them! lol


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