Can you put a female betta with guppies?

[iwanttostayanonymous 92074]

So I’m setting up another tank because one of my tanks is at max capacity. I currently have guppies and platies in that tank. I only have 3 guppies in the tank so my plan is to move them to the new tank letting the platies to have their own. My new fish tank is 15 gallons but still needs to be set up. I researched this topic and got mixed results. My three guppies are yellow with a round tail, a half black half blue guppy with a fan tail, and a half black half blue guppy with a flag tail (all male). I have never seen these guppies be aggressive to my snails, platies, or each other (nipping/chasing). Specially, I would really like to get a female galaxy koi betta. I know a lot of these answers are going to be “It depends on the personality of the betta”. Is there any other way of knowing if guppies can go with a female betta?

[Fish Folk]

On 4/9/2023 at 9:44 PM, iwanttostayanonymous 92074 said:

So I’m setting up another tank because one of my tanks is at max capacity. I currently have guppies and platies in that tank. I only have 3 guppies in the tank so my plan is to move them to the new tank letting the platies to have their own. My new fish tank is 15 gallons but still needs to be set up. I researched this topic and got mixed results. My three guppies are yellow with a round tail, a half black half blue guppy with a fan tail, and a half black half blue guppy with a flag tail (all male). I have never seen these guppies be aggressive to my snails, platies, or each other (nipping/chasing). Specially, I would really like to get a female galaxy koi betta. I know a lot of these answers are going to be “It depends on the personality of the betta”. Is there any other way of knowing if guppies can go with a female betta?

Generally speaking, if there are enough fish to distract any tendencies towards aggression, you should be alright. Bettas tend to be more con-specific in their aggression. Personally, I really enjoy the looks of the Betta imbellis -- a more "peaceful" Betta species than Betta splendens.

[iwanttostayanonymous 92074]

On 4/9/2023 at 10:14 PM, Fish Folk said:

Personally, I really enjoy the looks of the Betta imbellis -- a more "peaceful" Betta species than Betta splendens.

Question for @Fish Folk: Does the “peacefulness” apply to both male and female?

[Fish Folk]

On 4/9/2023 at 10:24 PM, iwanttostayanonymous 92074 said:

Question for @Fish Folk: Does the “peacefulness” apply to both male and female?

That's the story. But . . . like you've already alluded to . . . there are always just some individual fish that can be bullies.

I know that female Bettas can get along fine in large tanks with loads of other species. This huge 300-gallon aquarium set up in a Lansing, Michigan fish store is the absolute bomb. Note the female bettas throughout...

 

[BM3]

I keep a female betta with my guppies in a 60ga and everyone gets along. The betta does eat some fry so just be aware. She doesn’t catch all but she’s always chasing.

[Cinnebuns]

Short answer is yes you CAN. Longer answer, like others have said, is it depends. Each fish is unique. Even if it does work for a period of time, I advise keeping an eye out for any changes in behavior. 

I do have a female betta in with guppies in a 20 high. It's working. She eats some of the fry and doesn't bother the adults. She did kind of nip at one of the males once but hasn't since. I have backup plans. I watch and check for signs things may change. So yes, it can work. But do not go into it expecting it to automatically work perfectly or even forever. 

[Luciferkrist]

On 4/9/2023 at 10:35 PM, Fish Folk said:

That's the story. But . . . like you've already alluded to . . . there are always just some individual fish that can be bullies.

I know that female Bettas can get along fine in large tanks with loads of other species. This huge 300-gallon aquarium set up in a Lansing, Michigan fish store is the absolute bomb. Note the female bettas throughout...

 

I just visited Preuss yesterday! I only live about an hour away. Sadly... they got rid of that massive sorority tank, and moved them to a smaller tank. They replaced that spot that they had that tank and their in-house bred angles to two HUGE plant tanks that look great too, and will allow them to take better care of their plant stock. I should have taken pictures to share...

 

As far as bettas and guppies, all of mine have never even chased away fry, but two are alien males (hybrid of imbellis and splendens) and one is still a juvenile female. They do sometimes get spooked by the guppies energetically feeding though.