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I recently added two swordtails to my tank with my betta(gordon) and my rubberlip pleco. Come to find out that gordon hates other fish besides the pleco, he took a good chunk out of one of the swordtails tail. So in desperation I bought a 5g tank kit and made this gordon's home. Its not as nice as him living in the 30g but at least he has a filter and a good amount of room. I don't understand why he never bothered the pleco, but as soon as I added the swordtails he "snapped". I had to rant a little, thanks for listening

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

It would be the tail and the larger fins he was atracted to. It was his tank not the Sword tails.

You have a choice keep the Betta in the small tank which in my opinion is a bad choice. Return the Sword tails and get some other fish that the Bretta is compatable with. Cardinal tetras, Cories and other smaller Tetras.

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Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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The plec is not as active and colorful.. more of a blob
The 5g i think would be great, i think keith is a little cookoo if he doesnt think a 5g is ok, at least justin made a choice of getting something of good size, its alot better then those 3 inch by 3 inch little bowls. Nice choice justin. Good luck with those fishys

I understand what you are saying keith, but if I take back the swordtails and try cardinal tetras(not a fan of) and he hates them to then I am back in the same boat again. To me it just seems silly to me to have a nice size tank and one little betta in there when my goal was to have a nice community tank with non-schooling fish. You have to admit that a betta can be pretty happy in a 5g, plus he has his cave which he is obsessed with!

Justin

Colts Fan For Life
30g platy tank: 2 sunburst wag platys, 2 redtailed white calico platys, 2 red wag platys, 1 fry(not sure who it belongs to), 1 Golden CAE.
Bettas:1 VT male

Its not as nice as him living in the 30g

I was referring to that the fact was the Betta was only defending his own territory and he was punished by placing into a smaller tank. The happiest Betta I ever saw was in a 4ft community tank at an LFS.
My LFS always places their Bettas in their tanks with other compatable fish (one species only) per tank There plenty of tetras and other fish that the Betta will not worry about in fact my Cardinals (13) nipped at my Betta at first. I agree a 15g is far better than those little 3x3ins jars.
When I put the new young Betta into the Betta tank I was not too sure how he would handle the current but within two days he swims straight into it and not a problem. There are areas of none or extremely little current and he will often rest there for a while yet his favourite spot is in the Java Fern which has the air wand underneath them.
A suggestion ask on the forum who has Bettas in a community tank and what is in with them. At one stage I wanted to add a few M guppies to the Betta tank and was told very quickly that they can actually kill the Betta as they chase him so much, in fact I thought it might be the other way around.
Good luck in your choice.

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Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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Part of the problem could be that the betta had his territory staked out (as the whole tank) before the other fish were put in. Now they were all invaders to his pad. I'm not saying to risk putting him back in with the swords, but if you decide to put him in the tank again, add all the other fish first and rearrange things so it doesn't look anything like his old hangout. This happens sometimes with female bettas, even though in general they can live with each other, if you add one first then add another later on, a fight often ensues because one claims the whole thing as her territory. You could try rearranging things and then putting the betta back in, into a breeding net, and see how he reacts to the swords. I have had female bettas just fine with other fish, but I had to add her last and then she just staked out a little spot in one corner and guarded that rather than the whole tank.

sorry to hear about your betta conundrum... I just moved my half moon from a dismal gallon (i didnt put him there) to a 40 and he gets along fine... even with some fancy tail guppies! I guess I got lucky!

Krunchy

I assume that is a 40g if so well done he will be happy for the rest of his life. Being a big tank there is plenty of room for all also he could be a very passive Betta. Have you also got plenty of plants especially a floating plant like water sprite.

Mine actually sits back at feeding time I think the Cardinals have him blufed a litle bit. He must be doing well as his colouring is improving and I think he is filling out a bit as well.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
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Bettas nearly always do well in bigger tanks with compatible stocking, being careful to avoid fin-nippers, but somehow along the way people realised that you could get away with small sizes, and with the process of time people seem to have begun to think that its the only way to keep bettas. This is of course blatently untrue, seeing as the wild isnt full of sunken jars with bettas in, and Ive always kept mine in 30 gal plus, meaning I can get away with males and females together, and even very occassionally more than one male (though more than one male is generally not recommended). Bettas are undeniably better off in bigger aquaria.

Fishkeeping culture is not the same as good fishkeeping, and bettas in small tanks is definately fishkeeping culture. A betta in a larger quantity of water will be a fitter betta, end of story, often even the usual concerns like flow can be partially ignored. They are compatible with a whole range of fish and vice versa.

People have a tendancy to live in very small worlds both mentally, and physically as regards their fish. It is not however what bettas really need.Beginner fish tend to inspire beginner keeping attitudes, and bettas in the hands of skilled fishkeepers can be returned to the fold of community fish with consummate ease and practicality. Its a much better life for them. If you know your fish compatabilities , bettas keeping in community is no problem. Mine have lived with rams, sae's plecs, acaras, rams, tetras, baby doradids,and baby angels and severums with no problems whatsover. Asian pool and lake/paddy field/swamp environments that bettas inhabit are compatible with lots of african and south american systems, and the toughness of bettas means they can be squeezed into all sorts of communities successfully, as long as aggression and fin -nipping behaviours are accounted for.