bettas can live for about 3-4 years. Bettas kept in less-than-ideal conditions such as betta vases, small cups, or so-called "betta bowls" are lucky to live an entire year, and most die well before that.

Temperament:

Male bettas are territorial and aggressive with other males of their kind, and occasionally with females of their kind. While it is true that great care should be taken when putting a betta in with any others of its kind, it is equally true that they make excellent community fish.

Female bettas are less territorial, but still have the potential for aggression with other females. Sorority tanks, or all-female betta tanks, are often successful, though care must be taken while they're being set up to make sure that there is no excessive aggression amongst the fish.

Tank mates:

Bettas go well with just about any small, non-aggressive community fish such as platies, guppies, smaller tetras such as neons and cardinals, medium-sized non-aggressive tetras such as ghost tetras, and smaller danios.

Swordtails can sometimes cause problems in a betta tank. Because of their similar size and bright coloring, male bettas sometimes see swordtails as rivals. Nippy fish such as barbs (except cherry barbs), larger danios, and anything else that might try to chew on the betta's fins are not good choices.

Care should be taken if you're mixing bettas with any kind of fry as well as invertebrates such as snails or shrimp, as the betta may pick on these.

Conclusion:

While bettas are one of the hardiest, most attractive fish in the fishkeeping hobby, they are still a living thing. As such, due diligence must be given to research and care to ensure your fish's health and safety. This may seem like a lot of information and it is just the tip of the iceberg in all there is to know about these gorgeous fish, but once learned can lead to some of the most rewarding experiences imaginable.

Learn more about this author, Rebecca Brown.
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