Bettas. Agression. Alternatives.

[Miles To Go]

Well my last beta died a few months ago and I've finally decided to start restocking my tank. Today I went out and got a new beta.

I've had fairly calm betas in the past, maybe I was just lucky, but this new one is somewhat of a disaster. My previous bettas, at worst, would flare at something IF they came near them, and back off if the offender did not stand-down.

I let it free in my tank and immediately it started hunting down anything it could find. I was not terribly surprised by its reaction to neon tetras, given their color, but when it b-lined for my panda cories it's become clear it will go for anything that moves. After seeing this I put it in a floating beta thingy so that I don't wake up to a massacre. This thing is so aggressive, it has been attacking the plastic of its floating box anytime it can see another fish in view. For the 4 minutes it was loose my tetras and cories immediately became skiddesh/corner ridden, and that is not the kind of "community" I want to create. If it does not adjust soon I will be returning it and giving up on a community beta.

This made me wonder though.

Why are Betas so aggressive?

And are there any peaceful alternatives to a beta (similar size, bright colored, flowy fin)

My tank feels so empty without a centerpiece fish, so I'm at a crossroad on this issue.  

[Ixelf]

sorry dont have any idea about them gonk  

[Elly_the_lost_penguin]

I don't know too much about fish but my uncle has these fish that are really pretty colors and he said that they were genetically altered with jellyfish DNA or something like that. Those guys are pretty awesome and really eye catching. I also think fish that swim in schools are awesome but I'm not too knowledgeable when It comes to fish.  

[Miles To Go]

I have a school of tetras that I like but they're so tiny, I want something more unique and eye catching, that is a bigger size and doesn't require a school.

I think the only thing I have seen which is visually similar to a betta, would be a dwarf gourami. But if I remember correctly those are also aggressive.  

[Eizoryu]

Why are Betas so aggressive? Betta splendens (the most popularly sold species) was originally bred for aggression, as fish fighting was a sport in its native Thailand. One fight, that was all; winner got breeding rights, loser was dumped back into the wild. That second bit may be a tad off, but the point remains that B. splendens is so aggressive because that is what it was bred to be.

And are there any peaceful alternatives to a beta (similar size, bright colored, flowy fin) Not many that are easily available. Dwarf Gourami are actually more shy than their larger cousins, and were not bred for aggression like B. splendens. They have nowhere near the attitude issues that Bettas can have. Some will be more aggressive than others, but generally speaking, Colisa or Trichogaster lalia are far more passive than the Betta.
Betta imbellis is known as the peaceful betta. However, it doesn't have the flowing fins of splendens.

I do know how to temper-test Bettas, though, to help insure that the male you're getting is more calm. A healthy betta that doesn't persistently try to attack the male in the next cup is more likely to be passive than one that does. You want him to react actively to you, but not (as much) to any random betta that you put beside his cup.  

[Miles To Go]

Eizoryu

Why are Betas so aggressive? Betta splendens (the most popularly sold species) was originally bred for aggression, as fish fighting was a sport in its native Thailand. One fight, that was all; winner got breeding rights, loser was dumped back into the wild. That second bit may be a tad off, but the point remains that B. splendens is so aggressive because that is what it was bred to be.

And are there any peaceful alternatives to a beta (similar size, bright colored, flowy fin) Not many that are easily available. Dwarf Gourami are actually more shy than their larger cousins, and were not bred for aggression like B. splendens. They have nowhere near the attitude issues that Bettas can have. Some will be more aggressive than others, but generally speaking, Colisa or Trichogaster lalia are far more passive than the Betta.
Betta imbellis is known as the peaceful betta. However, it doesn't have the flowing fins of splendens.

I do know how to temper-test Bettas, though, to help insure that the male you're getting is more calm. A healthy betta that doesn't persistently try to attack the male in the next cup is more likely to be passive than one that does. You want him to react actively to you, but not (as much) to any random betta that you put beside his cup.

Thank you that was incredibly helpful!
I tried the cup test but he snuck past somehow emo lol

You know, I hope some day people will focus on breading peaceful bettas. They really are a wonderful fish when theyre not killing everything In sight!  

[Krissim Klaw]

One of the reasons male bettas are aggressive is because they are really good dads. The males stake out a territory for themselves. They then build a bubble nest, woe a female, and she then releases the eggs that they immediately suck up and shoot into their bubble nest. The males are the ones who take care of the babies. They tirelessly guard the nest and then babies from other fish. They aren't monsters, just really good dads who want to make a safe place for their young.  

[Eizoryu]

Miles To Go

Thank you that was incredibly helpful!
I tried the cup test but he snuck past somehow emo lol

You know, I hope some day people will focus on breading peaceful bettas. They really are a wonderful fish when theyre not killing everything In sight!

You're welcome. :3
I'm a betta enthusiast with dreams of breeding. I'm going to have to see about breeding for a more peaceful temperament, perhaps crossing in more imbellis to calm them down a bit while still focusing on full finnage.

I wouldn't be using my two current boys for such a program, that's for sure. One's a spitfire who wardances nightly even though he got the ever-loving crap beat out of him by the other one, and that other one is a dormant cannon just waiting to fire. I personally don't mind their aggressiveness, but I can understand people looking for something a little less hair-trigger-tempered. x3  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I think it's a mixture of luck, and properly judging your betta. Most aquarium people I know on here have community tanks that involve a betta. My tank actually has a bunch of large colorful fish, and some smaller, edible sized fry. He would at most, flare at the large platies when they were in his favorite spot, they soon realized he was a pushover and started to bully him. So I had to get a divider to protect my BETTA from my "community" fish.

Maybe you could attempt an exchange? Look around for betta's that don't react to bright colors, other fish or reflections.  

[Vanilla eXee]

The problem with the cup test is, a lot of times they'll get used to their immediate neighbors after sitting next to them 24/7. That's not to say that you could ever put them in a tank together, but after a while they seem to realize that they can't get to the betta next to them, so they calm down.

It helps to float the cup for a bit first so that the betta and your fish can explore each other from a safe distance. You can also judge how they'll react to each other better. When you say he's going after the other fish, is he actually biting them, or just chasing?

Finally, I know everything probably checks out, but how big is your tank, how many other fish are there, and what do you have for hiding space/decoration?  

[Miles To Go]

I think he may have been acting out of fear.

After a night floating in his floater thingy, I let him free today.

He's starting to act like my other bettas did - staying to himself, flaring if something gets too close, backing down if they don't take his crap.

He is much more skiddish than my other bettas, actually. They would come to my finger to investigate, he is afraid of it. o-o

And he has not actually bitten anyone - he did not last night, but he was chasing them through the tank which is something I have never seen before and concerned me.

My other fish also seem to be more relaxed around him today as well.

He definitely seems much calmer today. I'm going to keep separating him when they're unsupervised for a while until I can be sure this is going to work.  

[Akari_32]

How bigs your tank, Miles? A Dwarf Gourami might be an alternative, given your tank is 15 gallons or more. A Honey Gourami or a German Blue Ram if its 10 gallons...

I will advise you that Dwarf Gouramis are bratty at times too, so that may or may not work out.  

[SmoothSavage]

Making bettas less aggressive is just silly. I'm sure that may upset or offend some people, but it is what it is. They're not meant to be peaceful community fish. They don't need or want the company of other fish. We run into problems when we try to force them into situations they're not meant to be in, i.e. a community tank. Some do all right, but even the ones who behave aren't actually enjoying the company of other fish. They're just ignoring or tolerating. Why do we need to change the way a species behaves just to make ourselves happy?

There are less aggressive species of betta, most of the wild types are like that. I've actually been thinking of setting up my empty 29 gallon with imbellis or smaragdina this summer.  

[Miles To Go]

Is it really though, since people bread them to be so aggressive in the first place?

Btw how would I go about getting imbellis if I ever wanted them?
I have a really difficult time finding non-generic fish. My panda cories took months to get in stock, and it was only one store. Same with pea puffers.  

[SmoothSavage]

Aquabid.com biggrin

And now that I've ruined your life with that, I'll go back to discussion, haha.

Yes, we made betta splendens more aggressive, but it was never a peaceful fish to start with. Who are we to start messing with them again to make a more peaceful fish? Even the wild types are still aggressive fish, just less so.