Ack :(

Right, I have a plakat male betta from Netty that I added to my planted community tank with cherry barbs and cories a few days ago.

Everything seemed to be going really well but just now I saw Elvis (what I ended up deciding on as a name for the betta) go for one of the cherry barbs and there's a missing scale on the barb.

*sigh*

I haven't taken Elvis out yet, but yeah, I don't know if I should just call the living together a failure already or if it could have been a one off. I saw no aggression from him for the first few days other tahn just a slight flare at the barbs occasionally but I guess he's feeling more comfortable in the tank now.

I have a 6.6g tank ready as a back up home for the betta (I knew from the start there was a chance it might not work out) but I just, yeah.

Its up to you really if you feel that he is causing to much damage to the barbs then take him out. also he will become more aggressive as he claims his territory and continues to defend it so it may get worse.

i would just move him now as once he starts he is likely to continue. Great to hear that you were prepared for this happening.

One scale missing is ok but if it's going to become a pattern then that's not ok.

He leaves the cories completely alone but the cherry barbs are clearly too much in his space from his point of view.

Probably not helped by a few of them being male and flaring at each other in their cherry barb ways. The barbs also chase each other around a fair bit but they don't injure each other, it's just chasing but I guess that might be triggering the betta. I don't know.

I'm going to set up the 6.6 gallon, it was his quarantine tank orignially but I turned the filters off in it when I moved him over so I think it needs to be started again.

Good Choice :D

Might just be too turbulent behaviour for him, it was worth ago though, can you clone your filter to get that tank going more instantly?

At least you half expected it Siggav and were prepared.....such a shame he couldn't play nice!!! I think the 6gal would be your best option for him

I've just moved him over. He went for a cherry barb again, a proper attack this time around, darted straight for the fish's belly from around 5 inches away. Just a bam! and then a crunching sound from the bite.

That wasn't a show off intimidation thing it was just a pure attack. No flaring or posturing first.

The barb is fine although I think a scale came off. So yeah, Elvis has been banished to the 6g.

I'm seeding the filter in that one with media from my established tank so I don't think the cycle should take too long. I'll be measuring it anyway and ready to do waterchanges as needed.

I don't have a substrate for the tank yet and the hood is a temporary one (no light) so I'll have to get it set up over time, I want sand for it and then to plant it.

it was funny when I moved him over though, the lights were off in the tank and Elvis was getting settled for the early night in the floating log so I just went in with the 2 liter pitcher I use for waterchanges sometimes and scooped up the log and the fish and then put both into the 6g tank. Elvis had no idea what was going on.

He seems quite happy in the smaller tank already, swimming around, I think he remembers it from earlier, he's not having an omg! new tank reaction.

It was worth a try and no one got hurt for real. Just shows though that the b in betta stands for the plan B you have to have ready when you keep them.

I love how he loves that log and is settled a lot already. Just well done on having the plan B ready

Go Siggav! :D

Plan B is an essential... great to prepare just incase!

Bettas have so many temperments and personalities it's always a gamble keeping them with other fish

Must admit i was surprised it was the betta doing the chase... I've always heard the oposite that barbs are likely to nip and hound them.... it just goes to show you lol

It's always worth research on the experienced knowledge you can although it's often contradictory then make your own mind up who might be right
but yes
ALWAYS HAVE PLAN B!!!

Glad the lil guy is happy and settled in his new tank and the barbs are now at peace

Cherry barbs are pretty peaceful as barbs go, it's the tiger barbs especially that can make life hell for any long finned or semi long finned fish. Still I knew there was a chance I'd have unusually aggressive cherry barbs which is one of the reason I went for a plakat betta instead of a long finned one. That may have backfired on me because I know the plakats can sometime be more feisty than the long finned ones.

There was a chance it would work out in my tank, some bettas are more mellow than others and it was fine for the first few days until Elvis got comfortable enough to start getting aggressive.

Still it was really surprising to see him go after the barb, he didn't display or show any attitude he just went for the barb from an ambush (hidden behind a leaf) teeth first into the fish, almost as if he were hunting. Bear in mind that the barbs are fully grown and the betta isn't so he's the same size or smaller than the cherry barbs.

I've just set up the smaller tank properly with a substrate and everything now (Elvis was not happy waiting in a bucket while I got things settled). Planted some pygmy chain swords in there too which will hopefully take off so it's a really pretty little tank now. I'll post some pictures later on.

Still yeah, plan B is essential

Can't wait to see his new home Siggav......Just shows that size doesn't matter sometimes when it come to bettas :lol!:

My cherry bards are great i have 2 males and 2 females, and ive never had a problem with them yet. They are really peaceful.

I have never dared but a betta in with anything else. Even my girls have separate little pads! Nawty fishes!"