Compatibility of males with other fish in the aquarium

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Many aquarists, both experienced and beginners, are well aware of the cockerel fish. Its main distinguishing feature is a surprisingly combative character. Despite the outward sophistication and beauty, they very often arrange real fights, inflicting serious wounds on the enemy and receiving serious wounds themselves. Therefore, before you start them, it will be useful to find out about the compatibility of bettas with other fish in the aquarium. Otherwise, you may face very unpleasant consequences.

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First of all, you should know that bettas are representatives of the labyrinth family. The fish are not too large: females have a body length of no more than 4 centimeters, and males are slightly larger - usually about 5 centimeters. The color scheme is simply amazing. There are breeds of different colors: green, orange, yellow, red, blue - and this is not to mention the numerous shades. With good lighting, cockerels will demonstrate all their splendor. They are especially beautiful during breeding - males try with all their might to attract partners and become even morebright, attractive.

Content issues

It would seem that there should be no problems with the content. The fish are not too whimsical, they can live in a small aquarium of 40-50 liters. With pleasure they eat not only live food, but also ice cream, as well as dried food. But still, serious problems that can overshadow the maintenance and breeding of these fish may well arise. The main source of problems is the compatibility of betta fish with other fish.

Nothing surprising here. Over the course of many generations, breeders worked on cockerels, who selected the most aggressive individuals to continue the species. They come from Thailand, where there is even such entertainment as cockerel fights: numerous spectators are happy to cheer for their favorites, bet a lot of money. Therefore, being in an aquarium with unsuitable neighbors, the bettas will surely put up a fight. They can come out victorious, inflicting serious injuries on the enemy, not expecting an attack, or they can die themselves.

But still, leaving an aquarium, especially if it has a volume of 100 liters or more, is not the best solution for one flock of half a dozen small fish. Therefore, it is worth trying and picking up those neighbors with whom there will definitely not be problems.

Unsuitable neighbors

Telling about the compatibility of betta aquarium fish with other fish in the aquarium, first of all it is worth noting which neighbors will definitely not be suitable.

Immediately it is worth abandoning the idea of placing cockerels together with aggressive fish. For example, once in the same aquarium with barbs, they will definitely become an object of aggression or, on the contrary, provoke it themselves. But the result will be the same - fans of fights will suffer seriously, or maybe the aquarist will lose one of the fish at all, which is very unpleasant.

Just big fish are also not the best choice. Neighbors, significantly larger than the cockerel, seem to provoke him to aggression, even if they themselves are very peaceful. So, it is better to abandon the idea of \u200b\u200bsettling them with cichlids right away. Surely, despite the large size, the latter will be seriously affected.

Too bright fish with chic veil tails get along very poorly with cockerels, as they quickly become the object of attack. Maybe the fighting fish will not kill them, but the fins and tail will definitely be torn - after that, the unfortunate victims will have to recover for more than one week, or even a month.

In no case should you keep goldfish and cockerels in the same aquarium. But this is already due to unsuitable conditions. Experienced aquarists know that the optimal water temperature for bettas is +26 … +28 degrees Celsius. And goldfish feel good at +22 … +24 degrees, and usually spawn at +18 … +20 degrees. So, one of the neighbors will be uncomfortable. In warm water, goldfish will suffocate due to lack of oxygen, while in cold water, bettas will fade, their immunity will weaken and the risk of illness will increase dramatically.

Finally, you should not settle cockerels with other cockerels. Remember that there can only be one male in the aquarium. Otherwise, fights will be regular. The only exception to the rule is the presence of a very large aquarium. If its volume is 500-700 liters or more, then the males may well arrange a short fight, after which the loser will simply run away to the far corner and sit there - the winner usually does not pursue the loser and treats him tolerantly until he wants to return to his half.

The difference between males and females

As mentioned above, female bettas are noticeably smaller than males - about 1 centimeter. Their fins are noticeably shorter, and their character is much calmer. Such aggression between them, as between males, is not observed. Although, if the number of females in one flock becomes too large, then fights between them are also possible. That is why experts recommend starting flocks consisting of one male and 3-4 females. Then they will feel most comfortable, which means that the risk of collisions is significantly reduced.

Now it's worth talking about the compatibility of female bettas with other fish.

In general, they are much more peaceful than males. Usually they calmly perceive the fish, which their warlike spouses attack without hesitation. However, there may be exceptions here too. Some of the fish listed above can become targets of attacks if they themselves provoke aggression. In addition, female bettas become more excitableduring spawning. Taking care of their offspring, they can also attack other inhabitants of the aquarium, with whom they usually get along quite peacefully and calmly. But this happens quite rarely - most female bettas do not cause problems for the owner.

Neighbourhood rules

Of course, the breed plays a very important role in the compatibility of bettas with other fish. But this is not the only factor. Also, a lot depends on how well the aquarium is equipped, and other indicators. It is worth talking about them in more detail.

First of all, consider the size of the aquarium. If you try to plant a flock of 4-5 cockerels (1 male plus 3-4 females) in a 50-liter aquarium, and then plant a dozen other fish there, then there will be conflicts, simply because of crowding. Therefore, the larger the aquarium, the lower the likelihood of unpleasant incidents.

We must not forget about age. If bettas from childhood are accustomed to coexist with representatives of other species, then for sure, having reached puberty, they will treat them at least tolerantly, without making a fuss. You will have to observe a completely different behavior if you put new neighbors in an aquarium with an adult cockerel who has never seen fish of other breeds - they will be unusual, and therefore potentially dangerous.

Don't forget about food too. Hunger is always a source of additional tension and aggression. Correctly, fully and abundantly enough (but not too much!) Feed all the inhabitants of the aquarium, and they will certainly be happy, andthat means they won't start fights either.

Finally, try to properly equip the aquarium. It should not only be large, but also abound in shelters. Thick algae in one of the corners, a snag or several shells, two or three large stones laid next to each other - such interior details will not only make the aquarium more beautiful, but also allow the fish not to be an eyesore to each other. If conflicts arise, they will be able to blur in different directions and calm down. In an empty aquarium, they will not have this opportunity.

Now consider the most successful neighborhood with different types of fish and give a brief description.

Compatible with scalars

Bettas get along pretty well with scalars, but only if there is a fairly large aquarium. The fish will simply ignore each other. The only exception is spawning.

At this time, the angelfish show unusual aggression and start chasing peaceful neighbors. But this will definitely not work with cockerels - conflict is inevitable. Therefore, at the time of spawning, angelfish should be transplanted, or at least equip many shelters and dense thickets of algae in the tank.

Gourami neighbors

Very good neighborhood - roosters and gourami. They are quite close relatives, so their lifestyle is similar. The same living conditions, diet, the habit of breathing atmospheric oxygen and algae - all this creates very good relations between neighbors. The main thing is that the volume of the aquarium should be at least 70 liters, and preferably more. And of course notpopulate it too densely.

Let's settle mollies

The neighborhood with mollies can be very successful, again because of the similar water parameters and the peacefulness of the latter. The main thing is not to lower the temperature below the optimum - about +26 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, representatives of both species will get sick, since immunity, which is directly dependent on external conditions, will be significantly shaken. And, of course, at the time of spawning, female mollies should be separated - otherwise, newborn fry (and they are viviparous) can be eaten not only by males, but also by the parents themselves.

Life with corridors

Cockerels take life with corridors very calmly. These are very calm neighbors, and fish live in different layers of water. If the males prefer to live on the surface, then the corridors stay near the bottom. Very convenient - the remnants of food that the former will miss will be happy to pick up the latter.

The habit of corridors to rise sharply from the bottom to the surface to take a breath of air can scare some neighbors. But not bettas: being labyrinth fish, they themselves breathe in the same way. Therefore, the neighborhood will not cause problems for either side. In this case, the compatibility of males with other fish will be one hundred percent.

Neighborhood with guppies and zebrafish

Finally, familiar to many beginners, not to mention experienced aquarists, zebrafish and guppies. Cockerels get along with them just fine, completely ignoring them, or at least completely ignoring them. Guppies and zebrafish are verysmall in size, but not at all aggressive. Even veiled tails and fins usually do not cause hostility from neighbors. In maintenance and reproduction, they are very simple and do not cause any difficulties. And the comfort temperature range is large enough so that you don’t have to adjust to them. There is only one advice, the same as for mollies: wean pregnant females separately if you are not going to sacrifice most of the offspring.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know more about the compatibility of the betta aquarium fish and keeping it with different neighbors. Surely this will allow you to create the perfect aquarium - beautiful, well-groomed and allowing all the inhabitants to feel comfortable.