[ymavroidis]

can i keep 1 male betta in a tank with 4 male guppies??

tank 21 liters (6 gallon)
temp 25-27 degrees Celsius
not planted but a few plastic (not sharp plants)
280l (74 gallon) filter capacity

 

[myexplodingcat]

In a 10g tank with lots of cover, yes--you might even be able to get by with a well-planted (not just well-covered, but well-planted) 8g.

Why?
In a more open tank, your betta will feel threatened by these flashy critters who look like mini male bettas. He'll think they're going to attack him, so he'll attack them first. You may end up with seriously damaged guppies.
In a smaller tank, the bioload will be too large.

Plants will help with both of these things, but you still can't get by with anything less than an 8g WITH a filter.

If you put a bunch of plants in that 6g, you could probably get by with two guppies.

 

[myexplodingcat]

Also, how aggressive is your betta? Does he flare at just anything, or are there only specific things he'll flare at? What happens if you hold a picture of a guppy up to his tank?

Most importantly, do you have another tank for the guppies if this doesn't work out? Or, if not, will the store take them back if they don't get along? The best laid plans have a backup.

 

[ymavroidis]

I have both a fighting fish and 4 guppies in separate tanks.
the guppies are in a 21 liter tank and my fighting fish is currently in a 2.7liter (due to his previous tank cracking.
he is not what i would call real agressive i have only seen him flare up 4-5 times since i have had him (aprox a year) he swims towards the metal part of the thermometer and gives it a strike or two (when i put it in) (the metal part because he can see his reflection). but i have seen him flare at another betta.

also i have put him infront of the tank (i dont know what he can see from the inside) but he didnt seem to have an intrest (he didnt flare up) in the guppies just watched them.

 

[myexplodingcat]

He'd probably be just fine as long as you put a ton of plants in. I know you said it's cycled, but you're pushing the bioload with this thing.

On the other hand, you're pushing the bioload putting your betta in .5g, so I would recommend the lesser of the two "evils."

What I'm more concerned about is cover, though. Even if your betta's really docile, which it sounds like he is, he and the guppies will need a ton of hiding spots. You don't have time to test ordinary aquarium decor for bubbling, paints, whatever. Just get live plants; you will need them because of the bioload. Don't bother with more plastic or silk, even though your tank is cycled.

DO NOT put the betta in until you have this cover.

If it's an option to get the betta his own tank, that's a better option. Otherwise, fill the sucker with plants and be generous with your water changes.

 

[ymavroidis]

will plants decrease my bioload?
i think i am going to buy a 40liter tomorrow will that house both breed comfortably?
also if i put the filter and gravel i am currently using in this tank in my new tank can i add the fish straight away?

 

[ymavroidis]

i put him in front of the guppies again
he flared up this time and pushed aginst the glass then he pushed his frilly thing around his neck back in and pushed it out and in a few times and then left to the other side of his tank

 

[myexplodingcat]

40l = 10g

That should house all those fish comfortably, yes. You still need lots of cover; your betta isn't reacting more aggressively than expected, so that's okay, but remember that he is still a betta and if he attacked and those guppies had nowhere to hide, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Live plants will take care of a lot of bioload as long as you get fast-growing stem plants and floaters, and enough of them. That means water wisteria, frogbit, ludwigia, bacopa, water sprite... that sort of thing. It helps enormously if you pick up a little bottle of Seachem's Flourish.

However, since you're buying a new tank, live plants aren't a necessity. You can put the betta in the 10g tank safely (don't worry about it not being cycled--his bioload is pretty insubstantial when he's all by himself in a 10g, so he's not going to get ammonia poisoning). That means you have enough buffer time to test out some store-bought ornaments if you'd rather have them than plants.

Personally, I'd get plants--I love plants in tanks, because they make the water parameters a lot safer, they look really nice, you don't have to worry about them not being aquarium safe, the fish love them, and they grow and reproduce so you get more than what you originally paid for. They get expensive in big tanks, but so do normal ornaments, and you may waste money on normal ornaments if they end up not being safe.

The only time they're not a good thing is if you don't take care of them. In that case, they may die, decompose, and add to the ammonia in your tank. Not good.

So always look up plants you want to buy before you get them and make sure you have what they need. Otherwise, you may find that you've bought a plant that's likely to die on you, because you don't have, say, CO2. Or because it's not fully aquatic. (I did that with peacock ferns. Got home and looked them up--they're not fully submersible.)

Anyway, I just realized it's almost 3:00 in the morning here... I've got to sleep, but I've subbed to this thread for you and am keeping an eye out for your questions ;-)

 

[myexplodingcat]

One last thing for the night.

http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?...AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple

All those warnings at the bottom = why you need cover. Because you have a backup tank, you can go ahead and try keeping these guys together. If all else fails, you can stick the betta in the old guppy tank and everyone will be happy again.

 

[Flint]

+1 ^

 

[Fionn]

I have a male hm with 5 guppies and the betta never bothers the guppies but he is very docile he dosent even flare at hish reflection LOL