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I was watching my ten gallon today (which houses a male crowntail betta (Kokoro), four Julii cories, a pair of Ottos, and some ghost shrimp I keep to feed my puffer and as a cleaning crew) when I saw a ghost shrimp attack one of the Ottos. I was just about to grab a fish net to remove the ghost shrimp and make him into puffer chow, when Kokoro attacked and killed the shrimp, as if to rescue his tankmate. The fish made quick work of the dead shrimp (it was not long before feeding time, so I guess they were hungry) and really seemed to enjoy it.

Has anyone else noticed behavior like this from bettas in a community set up? He's never attacked anything before today and it really seemed to me that the shrimp attacking the otto was what spurred him into action. Am I just imagining things, or could he have really been defending a tankmate? I've been debating all evening as to whether I should post this as it sounds kinda crazy.

well I have a Golden Wonder Killi who protects my two mollies from a golden gourami. I've heard lots of stories about fish being protective of their tankmates but never a betta...sounds pretty interesting.

Thats really cool celtgirl. You've got a little hero on your hands. I never really heard that happening too much but I dont doubt it at all.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Well, at least I'm not crazy, thinking my betta to be a bit of a hero. I knew he was diffeent from my other betta boys as he actually enjoys living in a large tank (the day after I brough him home, he's already built a buble nest that covered the entire width of my ten gallon about an inch/inch and a half wide) and liked the filter current- he goes "surfing" in it like the cories in my 20 gallon do with the powerhead there. There's plenty of still area for him to go to if he doesn't like the current, but every now and then he goes over and gets into the current. Silly boy.