# are bettas and guppies compatible?



## zachxbass

would a male betta get along with male guppies? i ask because since they look similar i'd assume that the betta will think the guppy is another betta and kill it... I tried a search but couldn't find anything on this. I'd imagine it's a bad idea to mix them, but thought i'd ask


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## Ebichua

Depdends on the betta, most more than likely, your assumption is correct. It's a common situation for new fish owners to keep bettas and male guppies in the same tank. Only to find their guppies mysteriously dying with broken fins or just plain wounded. 
Personally, I wouldn't risk it, but if your betta is a passive type, then call yourself lucky because you CAN add the two together. (Though once that betta stops being passive, expect casualties)


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## lauraleellbp

No unless you've got short-tailed varieties of both fish.

IME bettas will nip guppy tails and guppies will tear betta tails to shreds.

Usually not a good mix.


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## spinycheek

A lot of times, bettas are the ones that get harassed with fin nipping. those dangly fins are just too tempting.


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## sadielmorris

Been there, done that, ended with a guppy with a huge bite out of it's tail.

We put them together, watched them carefully for about 30 minutes to an hour and figured they'd be fine. Went out and came back to a guppy missing half of it's tail. REmoved the betta back to his bowl. We won't do that again.


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## zachxbass

ok, thanks everyone... i definately WONT mix them then... i jsut asked because i have a betta in the pond of my paludarium and i feel kinda bad for him. It's bigger than the bowl they had him in at the LFS... but still small. I'll probably just get a little 5.5 gallon or something. thanks again.


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## wayneside

I had a betta with my guppies and they constantly harassed him to the point of he started to attack them back. Needless to say...had to get him his own home until he jumped...


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## mizu-chan

My sister has her betta in with a few guppies and a couple sword tails.
They don't bother each other at all, but I think it really does just depend on the betta and it's personality.


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## Walking_Target

As above, it does depend on personality. 

Really though, for guppies, you want as drab colored as you can get; the 'feeder' variety, after proper quarantine, usually work well with most bettas. 

A better fish to go with most bettas is the common Tetra (like Neons), but only in schools of at least 5-6. the larger, more aggressive varieties of tetra should be avoided like the plague (ie. Serpae Tetras) I'd personally avoid things like Swords, Mollies and Platties, as they tend to require different water conditions and especially mollies, can be very aggressive towards the betta.

And, of course, _Betta Splendens_ do well in community tanks if there is only ONE betta (with the exception of Sorority tanks)


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## Feral

My girlfriend has a tank with a betta and fancy male guppies. Its a half-moon betta and some of the guppies have the same color finage. The betta chased them around when they were first introduced but then left them alone. Once in a while the guppies and betta chase each other but no injuries. I think it all depends on the fishes personality.


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## chase127

the only way to tell is to test it out. the betta will flare at first but he may or may not loose interest. just watch them carefully for an hour and be prepared to move one.


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## Frosty Fisher

I have 9 guppies and some neon tetras in a tank with my halfmoon betta, and there has only been a little bit of chasing (really only when the fish were introduced). My betta definitely likes to boss them around a bit, especially during feeding time, but they mostly just stay out of his way.


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