# Should I add my betta before or after other fish?



## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

This is my first time having a betta in a community tank. It's a 20 gallon long, and will ultimately be heavily planted. The male betta I'll be adding has, according to his former owner, done well with other fish. The other inhabitants of the tank will be three platies, eight von rio tetras, and some assorted snails. My question is, should I add the betta before or after the other fish? I was planning to add the betta first, but I've seen a few people say that bettas should be added last, to decrease the chance that they'll attack the other fish. Thanks!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I've never noticed it made any difference which came first. 

If you float the fish before you add to the tank, float them in a darkened tank and after releasing wait a miniumum of 20 minutes to turn the lights on.

I've found keeping the lights off is much more important than the order in which fish are introduced..


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## Ehmdee (Jun 29, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I've never noticed it made any difference which came first.
> 
> If you float the fish before you add to the tank, float them in a darkened tank and after releasing wait a miniumum of 20 minutes to turn the lights on.
> 
> I've found keeping the lights off is much more important than the order in which fish are introduced..


+1

Lights off is WAY less stressful for them, and you'll see significantly faster recovery times.


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## Sathori (Jul 7, 2013)

I have always taken my betta out of the tank while adding other fish. Otherwise my boys are swimming around the bag/in-tank isolation container, like a shark, curious as to what is inside. If I was a little fish, I would be stressed out from some bigger fish circling me with no place to hide lol. Once everyone is settled in, then I release the betta back into the tank. 

I've always had my bettas for a couple months before adding tank mates, so I have a good feel of who is more aggressive and who is pretty laid back. With those who are more laid back, I don't really rearrange the decor after I pull out the betta, but if I know he's a tad more territorial, I will rearrange the tank to make it look like a new territory before adding all the fish in (betta being the last to go back in).

I had one betta in one of those isolation containers than hangs inside the tank for about 12-16hrs after I put neons and rasboras in with him. When I released him the next day, he was so use to them swimming around him that he wasn't even phased. Other tanks I've floated bettas with the lights off, and released them after the other fish were settled and kept the lights off for the rest of the night. The next morning everyone was happy and healthy


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

id put the others first...just so its not his "territory"...just to be safe haha...i added nu snail first!...my betta still flared at it but that's itc:


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