Male bettas tend to be fairly territorial and it’s best to house them alone. Some bettas can get along with other tank mates depending upon that individual betta’s preferences. A situation that may work for one betta could be completely different for another. Always monitor all tank inhabitants to make sure that there is no chasing, nipping or other negative behaviors. It is a good idea to keep an extra bowl and treated water on hand in case your betta needs to be swiftly removed from a community tank.
When finding suitable tank mates, be sure to do some background research. Some things worth looking into would be the type of water requirements, water temperature, what is the temperament of species, etc.
Other bettas: Male bettas should NEVER be placed in a tank together, and males should never be placed with a female unless you intend to mate them. Female bettas tend to do well by them self or in groups of three or more where they will form a hiearchy. Many people have found it unsuccessful to only keep two female bettas together as one usually dominates the other. A male should only be placed with a female if you have done extensive research about the mating ritual and are fully prepared to handle the possible outcomes. Mating bettas is not an easy task and should never be tried “just for fun.”
Snails: Snails can be an acceptable tank mate for bettas, but remember that some snails produce a lot of waste and the tank may need to be cleaned more than usual to prevent an Ammonia reading. A common type of snail that is acceptable to keep with bettas is an Apple Snail. Another thing to keep in mind with snails is that some bettas may nip at them and try to eat them. If this becomes a problem, you will want to consider removing the snail from the tank. Keep an eye on how many snails you have because if a betta eats too many snails it could lead to constipation and other digestive illnesses.
Other fish: Some folks with larger community tanks sometimes consider adding a betta. Each betta is different, however, and may not like being with other fish. If you notice that your betta is stressed, has nipped fins, or is chasing other fish in the tank, it is best to remove him and place him in his own tank. When picking out compatible fish mates for a betta, keep in mind the general rule that you should have 1-gallon of water per 1-inch of fish the tank contains. Also, you do not want to pair your betta with aggressive or fin nipping fish. A few types of fish in general that have worked for some people are Cherry Barbs, Cory Catfish, Zebra Danios, Platies, and some Mollies. Make sure to research the species ahead of time for similar environmental requirements of a betta, etc. Always remember to monitor how each tank mate is doing and have an extra bowl ready if your betta needs to be removed.
Note: I personally have not, and would not, house a betta with any other type of fish. I feel it is in their best interest to not be put in that living situation. The above is simply a general statement based on others’ experiences and take it as you will.
Ghost Shrimp & Other Small Creatures: Speaking from personal experience I can say a healthy betta will try to eat anything that is small and moves freely in their tank. At one point I attempted to house Ghost Shrimp in a divided 5-gallon cycled betta tank. Within 5 minutes both bettas in their half of the tank were determined to kill the shrimp for a snack. Although Ghost Shrimp are often bait food for some fish, that was not the intention of housing them with my bettas. They were promptly removed and placed in their own tank with an air stone until further arrangements could be made.
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18 Responses
Drewish
June 16th, 2008 at 11:07 am
1Just would like to report i have a Male Betta and a Green Cory Catfish in a 10 gallon tank together and the are perfect pair never any fighting or territorial fin flaring…. I think the Betta I have is unique as I have seen other Betta Males attack anything and everything in thier tank!
this site was quite helpful thank you! I think I’mn bookmarking it!
Cooper
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 am
2We had a male betta in a tank by himself and then moved him into an established community tank with 3 2 in neon tetra, a cory cat, a kohli loach. There haven’t been any issues.
Mandy
July 5th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
3My boy use to be alone but when I had put him into his 10 gallon, I had added a snail to eat up dead plant matter and now he has four snails in his home and he often appears depressed if they are taken out of his home. He doesn’t bother any of them.
radkat
July 20th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
4My young male HM betta is doing well with a ghost shrimp in a 1 gallon tank, but there are plenty of plants for the little guy to hide, so I think it helps. So far, so good. It has been approx 3 wks.
Wendy
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
5I have a male betta with 2 Giant Danio together in a 20 gallon tank. It has been a week and none of them bothering each other. I’m adding some live plants like Java Fern and considering adding some more fish into the tank for a near future.
Carly
August 3rd, 2008 at 2:13 am
6I have a male betta with two small African frogs and a fish whose breed I can’t currently remember, and they’re getting along famously. My betta, Smokescreen, even defends the froggies from the other fish when he gets nippy.
Cheryl
October 21st, 2008 at 11:44 pm
7I’ve had Bubba for almost a year, with barbs and tetras. He’s a truly docile, laid back kind of guy, and the others don’t bother him.
He loves following me around the tank when I do maintenance…..I have a 55 gallon, so he has lots of room, and he’s definitely the beauty of the bunch!
Beth
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
8I have a betta in a 29 gal (soon to upgrade to a 75) with zebra danios, platties, and a gourami. They’ve been quite a joy!
Jon
November 15th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
9Bettas seem to do well with most non nippy fish. Not long ago I started a 29 gal tank with a full size male betta, some rasboras and two small african chiclids. The betta bossed the smaller chiclids around for a while and then as they grew they all left each other alone. The betta got sick after a couple of years and died and I tried replacing it with a similar sized and colored betta. The Africans went after him immediately.
FlameApocalypse
November 18th, 2008 at 4:59 am
10I have one tank with several neons, a cory cat, and a female betta. They all get along fine. However, in my second tank, my other female betta wouldn’t tolerate the neons, thinking they were dinner. Since she was so much more aggressive, I put a pair of mollies in her tank, and they are all fine. (They were too big to be dinner.)
Milo
February 20th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
11I’ve had quite a bit of success with community tanks. Here’s my advice:
1) If you are adding community fish to a tank with a betta already in it, put the betta in a temporary tank for a few days. Otherwise the new fish will be intruding on his territory- taking the betta out for up to a week will allow him to lose his territorial instincts for the main tank.
2) Always quarantine new fish for 1-2 weeks, to make sure they will not introduce illnesses to your tank. The more fish you intend to have, the more important this is.
3) Slowly add fish to a tank to ensure the biological system can adjust. Otherwise, you may lose all your pretty new fishies.
4) How fast your betta’s tankmates can swim is important- if they are slower than your betta, your chances of your betta eating them is much higher. If they are faster than your betta, they can get away- just make sure they aren’t fin-nippers, either, or your betta will be unable to fend them off.
5) Don’t house them with other Labyrinth fish, your betta will see them as “cousins” and attack. Some people have been able to co-house a betta with another labyrinth fish, such as Gouramis. If you risk it, your best bet is a male betta with female gouramis, or visa-versa.
6) Fish with flashy or unique shaped fins, especially tail fins, will be seen as a threat by male bettas. I’m not sure if it applies to female bettas as well.
7) Make sure any tankmates have the same dietary, temperature, and pH requirements as your betta.
jen
May 16th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
12I’ve been keeping bettas for a few years and a while back i had a male betta with a male dwarf gourami and they got along famously. The two even shared the same hide box. Mind you i’ve never had a betta like him since
I love my bettas!
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm
13I have a male betta in a 14 gallon tank with 7 glowlight tetras and 3 platies and he neverbothers them. He is the best betta in the entire world. He doesn’t even flare at or attack fancy guppies. On the other hand I have a female betta who is incredibly aggressive and attacks whatever goes in to her 2.5 gallon tank.
BettaFan
December 24th, 2009 at 12:29 am
14i’ve got a male beta living in harmony with 5 zebra danios and 3 cory catfish.
Jimmy Cleveland
February 18th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
15I have a Male Betta, Snails, & Catfish all in a 29 gallon tank and never had a problem.
Hutch
February 19th, 2010 at 6:24 am
16I have a male betta in with neons harlequins and corydoras they get on really well together.
Colleen
April 17th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
17I have had a very territorial half moon betta for several months now that has been house with a large gold inca snail and two dwarf frogs in a 5 gallon tank (though they’re gone now, the cat got to them while cleaning the tank). The bright yellow of the snail seems to distract the betta more so than the frogs. In fact, he’s learned that when he tries to take on the frogs he gets nipped, so he leaves them alone and taunts the snail all day long. Since I’ve lost the frogs, I’ve thought about putting a different kind of fish that can take care of itself against the betta, but without bullying him. However, he’s had so much success with the frogs, I think I’ll just put two more in there. I just miss Dr. Kenneth Noisewater and Ms. James Westfall.
The only problem I had with them was making sure they got their fair share of food.
Betta newbe
May 21st, 2010 at 10:15 am
18I’ve had a male betta for a few months and im thinking of putting a black or gold mistory snail in a gallon fish bowl with the betta but im kind of hesitent because some people say that the betta will attack it… please send feedback
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