# betta fish with neon tetras



## BriFran9 (Sep 5, 2006)

just a quick question i know its ok to put one betta fish in within fish, but ive also heard they may attack other brightly colored fish. i have a 10G with a few neon tetras and was just wondering if i got a betta if he would attack them


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

I have a betta with 2 White Clouds in a 3 gallon tank and they're very peaceful. One thing I've read about the bettas is that they are aggressive towards other fish that resembles them with flowing fins.


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## SameButMoreSo (Jan 20, 2009)

I never had any problems with mine, though I did keep them in a 30 rather than a 10. I think fancy guppies are the ones you really have to worry about. Those flowing tails would make any self respecting betta want to hit 'em over the head and steal their lunch money. Neons are significantly more agile than either the average fancy guppy or betta, so they can usually scoot out of the way if needed. Of course, all bets are off if you've got the Jackie Chan of the betta world.


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## overboard (Mar 11, 2008)

I have never had a problem with a male betta bothering another fish, except for livebearer fry (crunchy and delicious). I have mixed them with pearl gouramis and long-fin rosy barbs with no aggression from the betta. Some males I have tried in community tanks have gotten stressed out by active fish, just depends on their personality.


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## Fishtory (Jan 21, 2009)

I have always kept bettas in my community tanks, and rarely have a problem with the males. Females tend to be nippier; you have to really watch them.

Right now my male betta is in a tank with danios, endlers, guppies, swordtails, red barbs, and some brand new (today) babies. He isn't bothering anybody.


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## Bettatail (Jan 14, 2009)

just make sure there is nothing to provoke betta, otherwise it will turn aggressive and attack any colorful fish swim closer, especially after lights off.
I have a neon tetra with one eye. lost its eye right after my betta was suffering a broken tail (torn by the filter inlet). one eye neon tetra live, and lay eggs,(it is a female). 
8 neon tetra ,( one with one eye), one betta, ottos, hillstream loaches, cories.. and four zebra danio(they are the only fish fight over betta food and try to pull the shrimp meat away from betta's mouth:smile


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## Bettatail (Jan 14, 2009)

update

make sure neon tetra are big enough not to be swallowed by betta, 3 quarters of an inch size neon tetra is not safe in a tank with betta. 
I introduced 23 small neon tetra about 1/2-3/4 inch size three days ago, now I have 18. found out yesterday my betta hunt down the small fish after lights out.


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## akamasha (Jun 27, 2008)

I have kept neon tetra's with a male betta the only ones he bothered were cardinal tetra's for some reason


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## Valley (Feb 28, 2007)

I've had a betta (Mustafa) in my planted tank for a little over a year now. He is a particularly grouchy betta IMO. And he makes his choices about what I can and can't have. Anything with an "upturned" mouth is dead meat! First I tried a few female guppies (I already knew beter than to try males) and he said no... Killed both of them. So for a while I just worked extra hard to control the algae by hand. Then about a month ago I spotted some ballon mollies, while I dislike the idea of breeding a fish to be less adaptable than wild, I dislike the idea of losing all my plants to fuzz algae even more. I bought 2 and decided if they did well I would buy a third. Everything was fine the first day... Then the second night he went violent on them. He killed one and maimed the other. I pulled out the maimed one and have brought it back to good health in my QT. But I will NEVER again put anything with a "betta like" mouth in the tank with a betta. These mollies had very small fins. I was really careful picking them out to get the least betta like ones I could.... And he decimated them anyway.... 

Other than that he hasn't really bothered any of the fish in with him. As long as it looks nothing like a betta and isn't small enough to be food (and of course isn't going to hurt the betta) I think you're good to go. But be aware that it's not always the fins that set the betta off but sometmes the mouth shape. And always keep a close eye out any time you add other fish with a betta... you never know how grumpy your particular betta is till things go wrong. 

Side note... I have had one betta that was so sweet it was disgusting. I had to get a second one to put in a tank next to him or he would go terribly depressed and not eat or swim. Each betta is different.

Good luck!


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## Kazs (Feb 16, 2009)

i have a harmless full grown beta with 2 fancy tail guppies and 10 black neons. The only time i see the betta aggressive when it steals a flake from a shrimp


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## tranr (May 20, 2009)

I have had mixed results with my bettas (both males and females). I currently have one male with several cardinal tetras and neon tetras, among other fish - they seem to be doing well. This wasn't always the case though - he ate most of the smaller tetras, and the remaining ones are just bigger and faster. Another male betta of mine wouldn't tolerate *any* fish, so he had to be kept to himself or he would pick fights with everyone. It seems to be a hit-or-miss thing in my experience - some bettas are (eventually) fine in a community aquarium with neons, and others are not.


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## PRSRocker3390 (May 17, 2009)

I agree with everyone on the long/flowing fins are very much appetizing to the betta. I usually have found in my experience the female betta's vs. the males, have been much more laid back around other fish! As I'm sure everyone with fish have seen, there is always some fish that go against the odds, and be the opposite of what are expected from the species!


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## hiddenleaf (Mar 26, 2009)

I guess its ok as long as the neons were not too small that it can fit in the betta's mouth. I have one of my betta mix with the harlequin rasboras, danios, otos and few amano shrimps.


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## Fishtory (Jan 21, 2009)

It's been awhile since this thread was started. My male betta now has an overstocked community that includes 4 female bettas. 

There are also a bazillion baby fish in there, baby RCS, and ghost shrimp of varying sizes. I can't begin to name all the others, swords, platies, guppies, more. He still doesn't bother anything. He would chase the female bettas, but he is too confused by the number so he just wanders between them.

I have some f2s from him. They all act exactly like him: curious and sweet. I'll have to be sure to keep this line going!


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