Betta Fish with Discus, good idea?

[32Bit_Fish]

Hi All,

My wife wants a red Betta fish. I was wondering whether it is a good idea to put it in my 75G BB discus tank. I have 6 large discus (6"+).

I'm concerned about the risk of bringing disease to my discus. And Betta fish is small, would discus attack it?

I appreciate any comments.

[Rudustin]

I used to breed betta fish. First of all male bettas are very long finned and have trouble in excessive current. They are not very aggressive eaters with a tank of large discus. They are best in very warm water as much as 86 degrees. They are not great swimmers and should be in a shallow tank so they don't have to swim very far for their food. A 75 gallon tank is simply too big and too tall for one lonely Betta. If your wife wants one find a small five gallon tank and use a heater under the tank. Petco and Pet Smart have all the interesting containers and heat pads for under the container that would keep the fish warm and cozy. Good luck.

[32Bit_Fish]

I used to breed betta fish. First of all male bettas are very long finned and have trouble in excessive current. They are not very aggressive eaters with a tank of large discus. They are best in very warm water as much as 86 degrees. They are not great swimmers and should be in a shallow tank so they don't have to swim very far for their food. A 75 gallon tank is simply too big and too tall for one lonely Betta. If your wife wants one find a small five gallon tank and use a heater under the tank. Petco and Pet Smart have all the interesting containers and heat pads for under the container that would keep the fish warm and cozy. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice Rudustin. I will get a small tank for the Betta.

[Ryan]

You could also buy a 20 long and divide it into three partitions, with a betta in each. This is what I did for a while. It allowed me to put a tiny box filter and heater on it to keep the water warm and circulating, and gave me three betta choices.

I agree they're not good for discus tanks because of the depth. Bettas tend to do best in shallow water IMO. I've tried keeping them in community tanks in the past and they just seem to struggle. The shorter finned plakats or females may work okay.

[Rudustin]

No problem. It's great that you can ask about these things on SD.

[John_Nicholson]

We have raised a few.......thousand of them through the years...LOL. I have often had them in my discus tanks without any real issues.

-john

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DiscusJohn/100_9369sm.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/DiscusJohn/media/100_9369sm.jpg.html)

My middle daughter use to show them. In fact she was the last IBC novice winner that they will ever have......The blue stickers were first place wins, red, second, etc....I forget what she used for grand champions and such.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DiscusJohn/P1010148sm.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/DiscusJohn/media/P1010148sm.jpg.html)


They told her the only way to get a MG was to buy one...so she created her own. She was 12 at the time.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DiscusJohn/P1010133sm.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/DiscusJohn/media/P1010133sm.jpg.html)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DiscusJohn/P1010145sm.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/DiscusJohn/media/P1010145sm.jpg.html)

I miss bettas and will start breeding them again when I move to the farm here in about 4 years.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y14/DiscusJohn/P1010122sm.jpg (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/DiscusJohn/media/P1010122sm.jpg.html)

[32Bit_Fish]

John,

Thanks for sharing. The Betta look beautiful. What kind of tank set up is that? How do you do water change on that setup?

[John_Nicholson]

The first picture is of a set of tanks that I made several years ago. There was a large filter on the ground just out of the picture. My daughter could turn one value and pump 1/2 of the water out. Throw another valve and refill. The other pictures are of beenie baby boxes. These had to be drained and refilled manually. She did the work herself. iI hope that now she is out of college that she starts breeding them again.

-john

[32Bit_Fish]

The first picture is of a set of tanks that I made several years ago. There was a large filter on the ground just out of the picture. My daughter could turn one value and pump 1/2 of the water out. Throw another valve and refill. The other pictures are of beenie baby boxes. These had to be drained and refilled manually. She did the work herself. iI hope that now she is out of college that she starts breeding them again.

-john

How often and how much w/c on the beanie baby boxes? It's a lot of work manually w/c on that many boxes.

[Filip]

The first picture is of a set of tanks that I made several years ago. There was a large filter on the ground just out of the picture. My daughter could turn one value and pump 1/2 of the water out. Throw another valve and refill. The other pictures are of beenie baby boxes. These had to be drained and refilled manually. She did the work herself. iI hope that now she is out of college that she starts breeding them again.

-john

You must be proud and lucky dad John,having your daughter sharing the same passions and dreams with you. Congrats. on you and on her mostly, for managing this beta room all by her self and raising champion bettas.

On the Op.subject
As a betta lover I always had one in almost every setup that I owned.Last one lived happily for more than 4 years, along with my discus in a planted tank.
No issues or fights at all.

With that said I wouldnt risk your 6+ inch batch of discus over one betta.
There is always a chance of cross-contamination, so it's not worthed a risk IMO.

[John_Nicholson]

Thanks guys.

She changed the water on them almost everyday. 100% wc's. Probably why she won so much.

-john

[32Bit_Fish]

Thanks for all the replies.

What is the best way to get a healthy Betta? I know local pet store and petco sell them. But majority of them are not very healthy.

[Rudustin]

Thanks for all the replies.

What is the best way to get a healthy Betta? I know local pet store and petco sell them. But majority of them are not very healthy.
There are several breeders online. I used to ask for recommendations from the International Betta Congress. It's on Facebook I think and online.

[32Bit_Fish]

Thanks Rudustin. I've just joined the international Betta congress forum and posted the questions.

I am not very hands-on and lack of living space to do DIY. so it would be nice if I can buy a long skinny divided betta fish tank somewhere..