# 55g betta compatibility question



## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

hi I have a 4ft 55g with 10 angelfish some swordtails green tiger barbs a tetra mollies catfish and a rare pleco real large forget his name. I had a betta for several years he recently passed away. so I will add another betta and am wondering could I add 6 female betta with him?


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

IMO ur tank is way overstocked. Max 6 angels in that tank and tiger barbs will nip them especially bettas. How many swordtails and mollies do u have and I am guessing u have a common Pleco. U need to remove a lot of fish, a complete stocking list would be helpful.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

tank isn't overstocked been running 2 years no issues


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## rennsport2011 (Oct 21, 2013)

10 angelfish on their own is overstocked, let alone anything else. At least as adults.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

now that I think about it may have had this going for 3 years now and the tiger barbs aren't nipping fins etc... nobody is ill. but since I didn't get an answer I looked it up elsewhere and if you want to know they say the group of female betta would most likely kill the male.


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

We are just stating that your tank can not handle any more fish so worrying about the bettas is your least concern. If you want advise then accept it, were just trying to make sure your on the right track.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

While I don't agree that 10 angels is an overstocked 55 (You'd keep 15+ Mbuna in there and they each eat as much/more than an adult angel), I do feel that overall, your tank is overstocked. I don't think you should add another betta. Let alone 7 bettas.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

well i could argue about it with ya but what is the point. the betta seem to have a life span of 1 to 10 years. the one i had last i saw him looked healthy and idk what happened. i will definitely replace him and i will get some more swordtails and i am thinking of getting 3 more tigers so they are a group of 6. tank has 10x filtration and water changed weekly. as said before the angels are in good shape but i have 4 different plant barricades set up so they can claim different terretories without seeing each other. i use the same strategy with my auratus crabro tank and it works very well. lady who just retired from my job has the same set up with 10 angels in her 55g she said it has been that way for 10 years now and she said she has no issues with them as well.


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

Listen NO MORE FISH! We need a complete stockingist.


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

First 10 angelfish is a lot and if breeding pairs show 2 pairs max in a tank like that. Also tiger barbs DO NOT mix with angelfish. Also the angelfish may pick on the bettas. Your tank is overstocked and needs to be re done to fix the problem. Plz take the advice we want to see u and ur tank go in a right direction.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

Cichlidman14 said:


> First 10 angelfish is a lot and if breeding pairs show 2 pairs max in a tank like that. Also tiger barbs DO NOT mix with angelfish. Also the angelfish may pick on the bettas. Your tank is overstocked and needs to be re done to fix the problem. Plz take the advice we want to see u and ur tank go in a right direction.


please explain the problem? the fish have been fine now for 2 to 3 years together regardless of what the cookie cutter diagram is telling you.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Is there any chance you could post some photos or a short video clip of the tank? It does sound like you have rather a lot of fish for the tank size. Some fish - like Mbuna - are regularly kept in overcrowded tanks, because that helps with aggression control, and they do fine that way. Angelfish are not usually kept that way. I have not kept Angels in more than ten years, and I always had bad luck with 2-3 in a tank about your size. I would invariably end up with one that killed the others off. Maybe you are onto something, and keeping ten is not such a bad idea, but again, people don't usually keep Angels that way.

Not keeping Angels and Tiger Barbs together is one of those ground rules for community tanks. I remember reading that in just about any beginners book I picked up as a kid :lol: Allegedly the Barbs are fin nippers and will nibble on the long trailing fins of the Angels. I can't say I have ever tried it, but I have seen the combination in many community tanks in other people's houses. Invariably the Angles had rather short trailers. I would love to see what yours look like.

When you say your tank has been running for2-3 years without issues, or your friend's Angel tank has been running for ten years without issues, does this mean with the same fish for the entire period, or do you have to periodically replace them at the fish store? What worries me is that you claim a 1-10 year life span for a betta. There is quite a bit of variability in those numbers. IMHO, if a betta kicks the bucket after a year, there was something suboptimal in its living conditions. If it lives to the age of 10, that is something to be proud of!

Anyhow, by the end of the day it is your tank, your fish, and your decisions. Folks here can only give advice, and I would ask anybody not to take it personal if pfoster74 or another member considers that advice, but in the end decides not to take it!


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

I'm not going from my cookie cutter stocking. Ur tank is just over stocked plain and simple. If u do not heed my advice and advice of others and go and get the bettas ur creating a bigger problem. Tiger barbs are notoriously known fin nippers, it's not just a beginners rule. How many fish do u have in your tank. A full stocking list would be helpful.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

I see a question do I replace the angels to keep them at 10? answer nope. pictures? don't know camera is lost for a month now. I know what I'm doing with this tank and wish you all luck with your own tanks.


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

Alright I wish u the best of luck and hopefully u will heed advice given to others in the future.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

Territoriality in angelfish does break down in crowded tanks, much as it does in Mbuna tanks. Same principle, dominant fish cannot single out one target because there are too many to chase. Many years ago a friend had 12 angels in a long 40 (same footprint as a 55, not as tall). They were mature fish, not max size, but normal. She had spawns where three and four fish participated as a group. She also did massive (50%) water changes every three days.

The other thing about crowded tanks is that everyone is watching their own backside as much as thinking about chasing someone else. I suspect that the Tiger Barbs are getting some attention from the Swordtails, and haven't the opportunity to do much to the angels. would love to see photos of the tank, not to nitpick, just to see it.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

well im not trying to hide the tank from you guys i have a thread in lake malawi a while back also mentioning my lost camera so the picks i posted were old but got my point across. with my angelfish i had a big internet order for my africans so at that time i had ordered some angels from them on the net. they came in tattered it looked like i was doing an animal rescue. one of those 3 has never had 100% fin rejuvination but it looks so much better than when i get it. if i can find my camera i will put pics up but i really cant find the camera right now. the betta that i had idk if it died or jumped out last time i saw him he seemed fine. i personally have never had a betta go much beyond 3 years. my daughter has kept them in the 5g tanks and all that good stuff. when i got the betta i noticed how weak it was from being in a jar at the pet store. it took hima few weeks to get his strength up to swim around the tank with confidence. and from what i could see the betta didnt start fights and was left alone. the tiger barbs are a group of 3 and they seem to be focused on themselves so that is a good thing. when i do my weekly water change they bite me. my goal is 30g a week for the 55g. so far so good fish seem healthy wealthy and wise.


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

when i say 10x filtration i actually under scored it because it has the old school style undergravel filter with the tubes as well. heavy planted blah blah it works great


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## Cichlidman14 (Jul 17, 2013)

Pfoster may we plz have a stocking list and u don't at least have cellphone that is able to take pictures?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Well, if the Angels were tattered to begin with, no picture is going to tell you if they'd be better or worse of without the Tigerbarbs. From my experience I would wonder if the Angels even care much if the Barbs nip their trailers some. I have kept S. lucipinnins with Frontosa, and for some time the cats would keep the trailers of the Fronts pretty short. They eventually stopped doing that, but it never seemed to bother the Fronts as much as it bothered me.

I am not a great fan of UGFs, but they can work, and you seem to take good care to keep your water quality top notch. In my experience that it the key to success in this hobby.

Bettas are of course super aggressive to their own kind, but I have kept them in community setups as well, and found them to be very peaceful fish when it comes to pretty much any other species. Other than catching the occasional livebearer fry when the opportunity arises, Bettas tend to mind their own business. They also require hardly any space, and they tend to hang around the top of the tank, where they don't affect the territorial requirements of any other fish. Especially if your setup is densely planted, I'd say adding a single male Betta should not pose the slightest problem.

As far as overcrowding the Angels, after reading your experiences and Mr Chromedome's remarks, I'll be tempted to try that myself as soon as I have a free tank available for some Angels


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## pfoster74 (May 13, 2012)

observing the tank it seemed like the angels were biting the tigerbarbs more than the other way around. i have an mp3 player that takes pictures it is an ipad or ipod or whatever they call it. so i will try to get some pictures tomorrow. it has 10 angelfish 3 tigerbarbs 5 swordtails 2 bleeding heart tetras 5 peppered catfish a few mollies and a nice size pleco. was told it is a rare breed of pleco. all i know is that it looks like the logs on the bottom of the tank and i accidentally grab him when i do my water changes. the common pleco does a fantastic job with the algae. and like i mentioned before been running this way now since 2011. oh and the pleco was rescued froma 10g tank and the previous owner had it with an afra as well. i have a group of jalo reef afra and this one has an orange top. i could not stand seeing the afra in the 10g so i got her to give me both fish. and i set her 10g up with 2 shell dwellers 6 pencil fish and 4 catfish that were supposed to be mid range swimmers but all they do is hide and they look like hummingbirds i dont recall what their name is. against my advice she went out and got a bn pleco for her 10g.


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