Are Betta's tropical fish?

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Ellie

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I have a male betta. I am thinking about getting him some friends. I have a 20 gallon tank. I have a few questions:
~ Are Betta fish considered tropical fish? If so, can I feed them tropical fish food like my other fish Im considering to get (neon tetras and/or the x-ray fish. I would get about 4 of each).
~ What should I feed my Betta and other fish and how if I have to get 2 types of fish food? Should I separate them while they eat? I have a divider.
~ Anything else I should know about having a Betta in with other fish?

Thnx!
 
dont listen to kitty. she has no reliability and her knowledge is obviously un-researched.

yes, bettas are tropical fish. you can buy special betta food, but a lot of brands are done like that for marketing. tropical flakes and such are great for bettas.

having 4 neons is a good idea since they are schooling fish. if the betta has any trouble with them, he can chase them away and the tetras are fast enough that it wont phase them.

dont bother seperating them unless there is a huge problem. my fish chase eachother around when eating, but they both eat. if one is chasing the other so much that he doesnt get food, consider the divider, but i doubt it will come to that.

bettas are territorial. as long as they have their own area in the tank to call their own (and in a 20 gallon, that is no problem) they will live with any fish that doesnt resemble a betta. for example, guppies with their long tails would not go well with bettas because the tails are so similar. the betta may think that the guppy is another betta. never put two bettas together, whether they are male or female. its not always the case, but in my experience, two males, two femals, and a male and a female together will fight constantly. breeders will put a male and a female together until the breeding is done. once its finished, they are seperated again, so keep that in mind.
 
dont listen to kitty. she has no reliability and her knowledge is obviously un-researched.

yes, bettas are tropical fish. you can buy special betta food, but a lot of brands are done like that for marketing. tropical flakes and such are great for bettas.

having 4 neons is a good idea since they are schooling fish. if the betta has any trouble with them, he can chase them away and the tetras are fast enough that it wont phase them.

dont bother seperating them unless there is a huge problem. my fish chase eachother around when eating, but they both eat. if one is chasing the other so much that he doesnt get food, consider the divider, but i doubt it will come to that.

bettas are territorial. as long as they have their own area in the tank to call their own (and in a 20 gallon, that is no problem) they will live with any fish that doesnt resemble a betta. for example, guppies with their long tails would not go well with bettas because the tails are so similar. the betta may think that the guppy is another betta. never put two bettas together, whether they are male or female. its not always the case, but in my experience, two males, two femals, and a male and a female together will fight constantly. breeders will put a male and a female together until the breeding is done. once its finished, they are seperated again, so keep that in mind.
 
Betta fish are highly aggressive and cannot live with others. If you put 2 males that are both Bettas together they will fight to the death.

SOMETIMES they are OK with goldfish. Goldfish are also aggressive but sometimes the 2 will do well.

I think that you may be able to put a male betta with a female one on a full time basis, but you would have to look into that.

You can buy 'betta' food for them. They are not salt water fish and do well in cold water, so that is not 'tropical' in my mind.
 
Yes, Bettas are tropical fish, which is why they need a filter and heater. Yes you can feed them tropical fish food. Just make sure you have plenty of hiding spots (caves, rocks, etc) and/or plants so that the other fish can hide in it if they feel threatened by the Betta.

EDIT: Bettas CAN be housed with other fish as long as they don't have long fins that the Betta can nip (or if they don't nip fins).
 
1. Yes Betta's are tropical fish. Yes you can feed them tropical fish food.
2. Do not separate them during feeding most tropical fish eat the same foods. I would Suggest Tetra Tropical Flakes.
3. Do not house Betta's with:
~Fish that will eat them.
~Fish that have big color full fins (They will mistake them for another betta and attack them)
~Fish that are fin nippers such as Danios (Fin nippers will stress a betta along with shredding their fins)
~ Fish that are in the same family such as gouramis (They will Fight)

EDIT: All tropical fish including bettas need an apropriate heater and filter.

EDIT: Bettas are only agressive to other bettas and fish that look like bettas. Also gold fish are th worst possible tank mates for bettas because gold fish are cold water fish and bettas are tropical. Some types of fish that are good with bettas are non agressive tetras, platies, non agressive bottom feeders, algea eaters (Plecos and Catfish), and somtimes mollies. Those are just a few of the many fish a betta can live with. Also hiding places are a must have whne you have bettas in a community tank.
 
1. Yes Betta's are tropical fish. Yes you can feed them tropical fish food.
2. Do not separate them during feeding most tropical fish eat the same foods. I would Suggest Tetra Tropical Flakes.
3. Do not house Betta's with:
~Fish that will eat them.
~Fish that have big color full fins (They will mistake them for another betta and attack them)
~Fish that are fin nippers such as Danios (Fin nippers will stress a betta along with shredding their fins)
~ Fish that are in the same family such as gouramis (They will Fight)

EDIT: All tropical fish including bettas need an apropriate heater and filter.

EDIT: Bettas are only agressive to other bettas and fish that look like bettas. Also gold fish are th worst possible tank mates for bettas because gold fish are cold water fish and bettas are tropical. Some types of fish that are good with bettas are non agressive tetras, platies, non agressive bottom feeders, algea eaters (Plecos and Catfish), and somtimes mollies. Those are just a few of the many fish a betta can live with. Also hiding places are a must have whne you have bettas in a community tank.
 
Bettas are tropical fish but do not feed them tropical fish food because tropical fish food isn't nutritious enough for them (not enough protein). Bettas are carnivores, not omnivores, this is why bettas need food made for them, like Hikari Betta Bio-Gold. As long as he gets some pellets each time you feed him, he'll be okay and vice-versa.
 
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