Cohabitation with a beta?

[sakuraa14]

Two days ago I bought a male beta fish and two fancy male guppies (the pet store told me they would do okay together...). Now one of my guppies is dead. It looks as though he was eaten, as he was happily swimming around last night. :confused:I have a small, five gallon desktop tank and am not really looking for anything bigger. I would like to have another fish in this tank with my beta, but I'm not certain he is going to accept that. Last night he was swimming around puffed up, attempting to attack his reflection in the sides of the tank.

Are guppies a safe companion for a beta fish? If not, what types of fish can live successfully with a beta? And should I move my remaining guppy to another tank? I don't want him getting eaten as well :mad:

[honeythorn]

NO. Is basically the answer. There have been occasions where it has worked, but those occasions more than likely occurred in much bigger tanks where there was enough territory for both species. five gallons is the bare minimum for JUST your betta.

The only other thing you could reasonably have in there with him is either a shrimp or a snail if you want him to have company. From the sound of it I don't think he needs any, if he is flaring and posturing to his own reflection then he may not care for another friend.

Bettas tend to attack guppies because they have long flowing tails, and to a male betta this is like a red rag to a bull. The long flowing fins are reminiscent of another male betta, so all he sees is this, and his instincts will kick in. Thus you get dead and damaged guppies.

Move your guppy to another tank or take him back to the shop, from what you describe you really can't have any other fish in with him. If nothing else your tank is far far too small to have any other fish anyway.

If you want more fish for him to live with, such as cories , loaches ect, you will need at least ten gallons, but 20 would be better ( espescially if you want cories as they need to be in groups and need the space ).

[Tazwell]

I highly doubt your betta killed your guppy. Since the fish are new, they may be sick. If the betta had killed it, you would have had a little forewarning. If you just started the tank, did you cycle it first? If not, I'll bet that you're having water quality issues. You can take your water to just about any fish or pet store and they'll test the water for you. If you didn't cycle it, I'm sorry to say, you can probably expect the rest of them to die or come down with sickness.

Most people on this forum will tell you that bettas cannot cohabitate with guppies, but I seriously wonder how many of them have tried it. I think it's just drilled into people, like most information is. Not that it's a bad thing. They give and get good advice, why not follow it and play it safe?

Anyway, I've kept bettas and guppies together forever. At least 30+ combinations before, because I'm constantly moving my bettas. Not once have I ever had to seperate them. I think most bettas can live with guppies just fine. I've kept them in bare 5 gallon quarantine tanks before, with no problem at all. However, if you keep them together, keep plenty of hiding spaces in case either party becomes a nuisance. Of course, you could always I don't think a betta and one guppy is too much for a 5 gallon, either. It would be nice if they had more room, but it's surely not cruel as long as they get along. And it's not overstocking your tank.