# My experience in housing bettas in community tanks



## JinsuneHite (Apr 30, 2013)

Hey, people I've been hearing a lot of things about betta fish in communal tanks. Trust me I'm all for the rule that if you can resist the urge to out more fish in with your betta you should. But, there are many of us who just can't resist putting friends in with your bettas. I stand accused. I currently have only one betta in a ten gallon with one dwarf Gourami (yes I'm aware of the risk and that there are in same genus), a golden dojo loach, and an albino brissle nosed pleco (yes I'm aware of the size and ammonia risks). I however have never had any problems with bettas in any communal tank. I've kept them with parrot cichlids, jack knives, arrowanas, various cat fish, almost every species of Gourami, tetras, platis, swordtails, guppies, minnows, etc... The point is that when keeping a betta, yes okay there is a risk with keeping any kind of aggressive fish with equally aggressive, more aggressive, and less aggressive fish.
. But let's take a moment to look at cichlids... I can't think of a more aggressive genus, but yet cichlids are probably one of the most common communal species. People house upwards of 40 fish in a 100 gallon tanks with minimal aggression problems. I've kept bettas with various cichlids with minimal aggression problems. I've even had bettas live with multiple males and not kill each other in a well planted out door pond with koi. The point is bettas are just like other fish. And they can be housed with other fish given the circum stances that you have a healthy happy fish. And yes I've heard the storys of people fish killing other


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## JinsuneHite (Apr 30, 2013)

Sorry my phone was having scrolling problems. Anyway as I was saying bettas can and do kill other fish and every fish is an individual just like people and if you get lucky with a betta that won't kill every thing cherish him and be happy. But it's all about experimenting some times you fail some times you get a happy betta in a communal tank. I post only meaning for people to at whom are so concerned with there fishes health. If you really want a communal beta start with a young fish and introduce him last if I doesn't work take the other fish back better luck next time. I know from experience that most pet stores have a 30 day warranty on there fish. Thanks fir reading and remember that this is only meant to be a counter point of view gent my experience with bettas. If you think other wise that's your POV. Thanks again .


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## snowflake311 (Jun 19, 2013)

It's not so much about your fish killing other fish when you put them in a community. They are not Red Devils those fish are nasty. 

The thing with keeping a betta in a community is that bettas have special needs. Haha they are special needs fish. They like calm water that is warm, they are targets for nippy fast fish. Bettas also prefer shallow water this does not mean they don't like space to swim. 

So it's said don't keep in a community mainly for beginners. 

I took have kept bettas in community tanks they do great. I have one in a 20 gal long planted with white clouds and a sparkeling gourami. My male and my male sparkeling gourami get along great they just ignore each other. The gourami is much smaller and I have plenty of hide out for him.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Considering that list of fish you mentioned keeping, I have to say I'm quite surprised that you'd keep a dojo loach in a 10 gallon. Aside from being a social fish, they grow quite large. Larger than the BN pleco will. Though probably not in a 10 gallon...

A betta with arowanas eh? How long did that last for?

I think the larger the tank, the more likely it is to work. And like was said, depends on the betta.


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## JinsuneHite (Apr 30, 2013)

I feel for you in the red devil area haha, I hated trying to breed my red devils with my red severums. Because I breed parrots. I would have done the midas cichlid combo but they weren't available any were when I first attempted breeding parrots. As for the height of the aquarium problem I know what you mean but my aquarium set UPS that I used to do I did my aquariums with a bank (cause I had baby red rated slider turtles). The aquariums were also very heavily planted. With hiding places in the banks of my aquariums. Unfornetly when I lost y house to the bank I had to sell every thing and I just set up a 10 gallon in April of this year. My experience with arowanas... Well actually I didn't have problems with the arowanas attacking my bettas I had problems with suicidal arowanas... As any arowana owner knows they have jumping issues hahaha. Actually I think the only fish I would never put a betta with are fresh water sharks and gold fish (temperature reasons not temperamental reasons).


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## JinsuneHite (Apr 30, 2013)

I know what you mean about the loach and the pleco. The loach and pleco both have a place in my buddies 100 gallon tank when they get to big. Trust me haha I know my fish lol. I would never get a fish that would eventually grow over 5" in a ten gallon with out a future home for them.


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## JinsuneHite (Apr 30, 2013)

And snow flake I love your awnser I aggree completely with the fact that they are special fish and that are special fish and have special needs but I used to feed each species in separate areas so I never had problems with that after they learned (never let anyone tell you you can't train fish.) As for there other requirement I focused mainly on a natural environment with densly packed plants and plenty of caves.


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