Betas & guppies

[t.pettet]

I was advised that it was safe to put a female beta in with my guppies, fatal consequences, she destroyed the tails on the 2 male guppies who subsequently couldn't stay afloat and drowned. Had always heard Betas were aggressive but followed the advisor's wrongful suggestion that female Betas wern't so this is a warning to only listen to knowledgable aquarium experts.

[Lucky Rescue]

Oh, that's too bad.

Female bettas can be okay in a community tank, but I've found that bettas and guppies are a bad mix. The brilliant colours and waving tails of the male guppies seem to really make a target for bettas.

[Sneaky]

Yep, I have found even community bettas that are very peaceful,
males even, wont bother any other fish but seem to hold
a hostility for the guppies. I suppose they look alike, like another
betta.
Also, hatchetfish and bettas dont mix well either....bettas just
dont seem to like them one bit.

[Lucky Rescue]

I suppose they look alike, like another
betta.

Yeah. They will often attack fish with solid and brilliant colours like their own, such as neon tetras.

You need to keep them with fish who bear no resemblance, colour-wise, to male bettas.

Yet another testament to bad advice given at a petstore.

[LianneCatherine]

The pet store I worked in wouldn't allow us to mix bettas with ANY other fish. They are just a tempermental bunch of fishies that like their own space! How do they procreate I wonder? Maybe like praying manti (eating each other)? It's a mystery!

Sorry about your guppies

[Sneaky]

Hi there,
Betta breeding is a tricky business.
First, you need 2 tanks, 10g or approx. same size.
You keep the male in one tank the female in the other.
Both are fed super high quality foods like frozen bloodworms,
fresh shrimp, live insects, etc ...no flakes or pellet or any of that
processed garbage. Water changes of 40-50% are done
every day or two, and replaced water is set approx. 5 degrees
lower, to simulate spring rains.
Then, a plastic mesh cage, like the kinds you see tomatoes or rasperries
come in, or a similar container is floated on the surface of the male
bettas tank, and the water level is reduced 25%.
The male will build a bubble nest, and maintain it, under the mesh cage.
Once he has been guarding his nest for a week or so, and the female
has become fat and full of eggs, the female is place in an Upside down glass
vase in his tank for 24 hours (ensuring there is an air pocket in the vase of course so she can breathe).
Then she is released, mating usually takes place within 12 hours, and then the female is removed before the male kills her.
In the wild, they have tons of space, but it is still common for males to kill each other, and frenzied males in "breeding mode" to kill females after mating who dont get away quick enough.
So, thats how they procreate in captivity, and similarly, in the wild.

[Prin]

I'm confused... Who's breeding bettas?

[Sneaky]

Prin, Leanna had asked:
"How do they procreate I wonder? Maybe like praying manti (eating each other)? It's a mystery! "
So I just responded and told her how!

[Prin]

omg! I'm so sorry. I didn't see that at all.

(come to think of it, I was wondering where praying mantis head eating came in... I was all "Why's she posting about bugs?" lol )

[Embra]

I had a female betta that was in a tank with some platty's and some female guppies. She was the best female betta I had ever had. She ended up in the same tank with an aggressive male silver molly ( it was only going to be for 10 min tops ) He actaully attacked and killed my female betta Also it is a bad idea to mix female betta's. They will fight ( even though you see them mixed in pet stores all the time )

back to topic though your female betta was just trying to mate with the male guppies. There is a lot of fin ripping that goes on in their mateing. Though some female betta's are just plain evil sometimes

[Sneaky]

Embra,
Female bettas are commonly mixed, its a popular tank called
a Betta Sorority. Betta females, are generally very peaceful,
but there is always exception to the rules. Generally however,
many female bettas can be kept together with no fighting.
Careful observation and choice in the pet store can avoid choosing
picky aggressive females.
It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that the female bettas were trying to
"mate with" the male guppies, as they look so different from a male
betta, and would not blow a bubblenest - which is what would signal
breeding in females. Lack of a bubblenest will cause a female to reabsorb her eggs, so is unlikely for any female betta in a tank with male guppies to be in breeding mode.
This female betta is one of the few that are highly aggressive, the exception to the rule, and likely attacked the guppies simply because they were there in her space, rather than due to some abnormal sexual attraction to the male guppies. It is almost surely territorial, as female bettas need very specific triggers to breed.