Male Betta

[hayer]

I have a 55 gallon tank with 8 zebra/pearl danios, 2 platies, 1 female guppy,3 boesmani rainbows, a florida flag fish, 2 cory cats, and 1 female swordtail.
I also have a vase with a betta I got today! His name is Gillagin and he is a doubletail betta.
Could I put him in the 55 gallon?
Just curious! Thanks!

 

[Frogki]

Well firstly, I'de say that I wouldn't suggest it as the fancy tailed guppies are similar to the bettas and might very well be killed... And, another thing, make sure the tankaren't next to the vase as the bettas will get so energized and keep fighting, stressing themselves out so that they will die...

 

[MissFishy]

Bettas don't tend to do well in large community settings (although there have been exceptions), the largest I recommend for a betta is a 20 gallon, otherwise the tanks are too deep and too large for the betta to be able to breath and get food.

 

[no.1chuy]

i agree with missfishy all ive ever heard is that bettas wont feel safe and secure in larger tanks and will just hide toward the bottom but thats just what i read cuz i have never had a betta

 

[hippiefish22]

I agree with what yall are saying, because I had a betta in a 44 gal. All he did was stay inside my cave at the bottom. Also a betta will readily kill a guppy.

 

[vampirefish]

bettas are sometimes ok with female guppies though, as long as they're not bright or fancy-tailed. some people do get unlucky with them though-it's mostly down to chance if you decide to mix them

 

[beckyd]

I say no. I have repeatedly tried female bettas in my community tank. They always died and they are much stronger swimmers because of their short fins. I would never try my fancy male in there, besides he would make short work of my guppies and cardinal tetras. My male is in a 10g with an undergravel filter. That's a bit bigger than he needs. I would recommend you get a nice little 5g, put in an underground filter as they are gentle and keep the tank on the low current side. This keeps him happy and you from getting lazy because you are tired of changing the water in that vase every day.

 

[sheamurai]

I also read just a minute ago in another thread that Rainbows get pretty aggressive and killed a betta in a community tank, then went on to bully other fish as well. So with them in there I wouldn't recommend it either.
I personally DO have a betta in my 77gal community, and, far from hiding, he actually plays in the bubbles from the bubble decoration I have. There are no other fish in there that would give him any problems tho. Whether or not bettas are happy in a community tank certainly depends on the individual fish and what other species are in it.
Have a Plan B if you decide to add him to the community tank - keep that vase handy (or even better, the nice little 6gal that was previously mentioned) in case it doesn't work out!

 

[Mixicano]

i agree with sheamuri, go for it, but do it on a day that you don't have anythng else to do so you can closly monitor him, each fish has his own personalty... but his long fins WILL make it hard to swim in fast moving water, making him vulnerable. good luck.