Beta compatibility

[-planetX-]

Hello! I'm new to this forum. If a topic of discussion already exists...please feel free to merge it with the existing one!

Well I purchased a new male Siamese fighter a couple of days back! I told the shopkeeper that I have 2 sharks and a pair of gold fish in my tank already and asked if it would be safe to keep the betta along with them. He said its 'perfectly' fine. For the first few days it kept hiding behind the filter and didn't exactly move around freely but then after a day or two I noticed my goldfish fell sick - it almost stopped taking food, and then after sometime it died. I supposed shark might have attacked it. Since I noticed it was WOUNDED and its eyes were eaten...it was weird :S But little did I realize that it was the fighter which ate the goldfish indeed...after sometime it started chasing the other goldfish as well. So I moved him to a new tank.

Aren't bettas compatible with goldfish?! I know two male bettas cannot be kept together but I have heard its absolutely okay to keep one betta in a tank with other fishes. Sorry if it doesn't make sense...I'm relatively new to fish keeping. Please helpppp! I'm thinking of moving the gold fish to the other tank, so that I could keep the betta with the shark. Are they compatible with sharks? Or are they generally aggressive towards other breed of fishes as well?!

[Lupin]

Welcome to the forum, Planet.

What species are your sharks? Also, what size is the tank? Goldfish and bettas are incompatible as the goldfish are generally best kept in coldwater environment whereas bettas are tropical species. Bettas also have different personalities so it is down to luck if you got the aggressive or docile ones.

A 5 gallons tank would be sufficient to one betta.:)

Good luck.:)

[leifthebunny]

Goldfish probably aren't the best companions for Bettas. They are coldwater and Bettas are tropical. In addition, some of the fancy varieties with flowing fins presents a challenge for the betta.

I also wouldn't put a betta in with most sharks. Bala Sharks would be my only thought as they are slow growers and pretty placid. Rainbow, RTS, and such get too nippy. The other problem is most sharks move considerably quicker than most bettas, which can cause some problems if they are nippers. Other sharks will outgrow most tanks (such as the irridescant shark which gets 3 feet).

You're better off with community fish with a betta. Tetras, danios, rasboras, ....

[mHeinitz57]

yeah I agree...there are a few things wrong with this picture that your local fish store person should have pointed out...so its not your fault. Goldfish are coldwater fish and they also have a very high metabolism. This means that their ammonia output is almost twice that off a tropical, slender-bodied fish. Usually goldfish you only keep with other goldfish...thats kind of the general rule. Your sharks should be kept in a tropical aquarium with a higher temperature. If it is a fantail goldfish then it most likely posed a threat to the betta. Sometimes even just bright colors can do this tho, some bettas are more aggressive than others. What kind of shark was it? If it is a bala shark than it is probably too active to be kept with the betta. Balas are also schooling fish and can become somewhat aggressive unless kept in a school. Good tankmates for bettas are smaller fish with not as bright of colors and not very long fins. Some people get away with more, i've seen them kept with pretty much everything...though its not suggested.

[MattD]

Your Betta must have seen the goldfishes long fins, and decided he was a threat.

As you've already been told, Goldfishes are coldwater, so they shouldn't have been together in the first place.