New owner, probably fell in love with the wrong betta..

[VickieTrivellas]

Hi everyone I've been keeping fancy goldfish for 6 months now and have really been getting into the fish keeping hobby, I have an old 21 litre (about 5.5 gallon) tank that was sold to me to start my goldfish hobby (before I knew any better, they're in a huge tank now) and over the last month or so I had been cycling it, knowing I'd be putting a fighter in it eventually.

I only wanted to get a fish that I'd instantly fall in love with, and after a few weeks of searching, it happened earlier today. They had a few strange breeds that I hadn't heard of before there, dumbo and giant. I went for the giant (the dumbos appeared sickly) thinking it was like any other short finned fighting fish, only with a slightly larger and thicker body.

After bringing the fish home (haven't named him yet) I tried looking up his breed but couldn't find too much except that they could grow to about 5 inches long and are peaceful..

So does anyone know about this breed? Are they different to any other breed of fighting fish and do I need a bigger tank? Also, will he be alright to put in with my goldfish if his tank is too small? I'll be happy to get a bigger tank if needed, just limited on space at the moment.

Sorry about the long post..

[7103]

I don't really have much experience with the giant bettas (so hopefully someone else could advise you on their activity level to help you decide how much space he needs), but I wouldn't recommend putting him in with the goldfish. Goldfish tend to like their water cooler than bettas do (and any tank that housed them both would have to be a compromise; water would be a bit cool for the betta but a bit warm for the goldfish), and it wouldn't surprise me if he tried to bully them or nip their fins (depending on their size; if they are big enough, they might be able to bully even an extra large betta with short fins), though the difference in temperature preference would likely be the greatest problem with such an arrangement. Good luck with them!

[Sena Hansler]

He cannot be with goldfish... like 7103 mentioned Giants, are the same as any betta - just bigger. They are not always peaceful. Anything that is bigger than 2.5 I believe (correct me if I am wrong) is considered a giant betta. Like any other betta, the giant has needs. The 5.5 is okay, depending how big he'll actually get. Some just get to 3-4 inches.

[VickieTrivellas]

Thanks, I do keep him in a much warmer tank, and he isn't that big, he just looks like he has a thicker body than other bettas I've seen, hopefully his current tank is fine for him

[Sena Hansler]

hehe he may be a "meaty" betta I have seen some of those. cute in their own way. And his tank should be fine...most giants I've seen or heard of are usually 3-4 inches

[Tikibirds]

I had a giant, or rather half-giant, female I found at walmart. They are usually longer and fatter then regular bettas. This girl was fatter and bigger then all my males. She lived with 8 other females and and was one of the more peaceful ones but that doesn't mean ALL giants are peaceful. Sadly she died of columnaris last month I think a true giant is supposed to be like 7 inches or so but I have never seen any pics of them.