Am I safe to have a pair of betta in a 75 gallon tank?

[Lavender]

I have a 75 gallon tank, and what I’m hoping to have as a centerpiece is a betta. My dad used to keep two bettas, male and female, in a extremely lightly stocked 30 gallon, with the other inhabitants being barbs and danios. The aquascape was a massive amount of Amazon swords and nothing else. They did fine. They never bred, as the male was deficient at building nests, but they did well together, and he never observed aggression. Is a 75 gallon big enough for a male/female pair with floating plants and heavy planting?

Edited June 19, 2023 by OrangeBlossom

[nabokovfan87]

@OrangeBlossom the real concern is going to be flow and water movement.  Betta really can get over stressed in certain kinds of flow.  With a 75G you'd be pushing a good amount of water in the filtration, potentially leading to a stress issue.

[Lennie]

I would either keep a single male, or a female sorority with backup plans. My female sorority works perfectly, but it does not work for everyone it seems.

Male and female or male to male is not a good combo. They are just not meant to live together all the time. Whenever they see each other it will be a stress factor.

 

Also barbs and danios love high flow and low temp. Bettas love higher temp around 26C and very gentle flow. And longfins cannot deal with a big tank. A plakat does okay in my experience. Still, you will need to sacrifice some conditions for another.

Also, bettas are never advised to be kept with barbs. Even plakats. Potential nippers.

 

And during feeding time, they will be crazily outcompeted by any barb/danio

[Lavender]

Eh, I’ve already decided against it now. I think my lone female should do swimmingly in the tank: high flow shouldn’t be a problem for her. I do have a permanently set-up 20 gallon I use as a quarantine tank I can easily put her in while I cycle her own tank if she gets stressed.

Edited June 20, 2023 by OrangeBlossom