Both betta fish and goldfish are the best pet fish for your home’s aquarium. Who doesn’t like the colors they brought in? Some orange is not enough. Maybe you think that the blue or pink betta fish will be nice for the tank. And the first idea comes to your mind is, can betta fish live with goldfish? The next is where to find the exact answer. Let me tell you everything you need to know. It’s not too much for beginners. I spent time researching this, and here is where you can find the answer.
Can Betta Fish Live With Goldfish?
From our point of view, becoming fish parents is not easy. Each type of fish has different requirements regarding food, tank size, temperatures… Choosing fish species can be difficult because so many interests you, but not all can live with each other. So do they.
The answer is yes. Betta fish can live with goldfish. How nice. However, because bettas and goldfish have different habitats and requirements, we do not recommend keeping their houses together. Moreover, goldfish are popular as “dirty fish,” Because ammonia levels rise in the water, their waste can harm betta fish.
Why We Not Recommend Betta Fish Live With Goldfish?
Goldfish and Betta fish like to nip fins
Undoubtedly a tragedy is waiting to happen! Goldfish are famous for pursuing and biting at the fins of other fish. They have long, sensitive fins. In the meantime, betta fish frequently bite on the fins of other fish. Additionally, they have their own long, flowing fins.
Therefore, you have two species who enjoy biting on fins, and both have long fins that demand to be bitten! You’ll end up with one fish chasing the other practically always, or your goldfish and betta fish will start biting each other.
Furthermore, it’s critical to recognize that fin-nipping is a significant problem. A fish can become sick from stress, which is brought on by having its fins trimmed, but it can also injure its fins, resulting in wounds and infections.
Large goldfish could try to eat betta fish
Anything that a goldfish can fit in their mouths, it will attempt to eat. And that might also happen to your betta fish. And keep in mind that your goldfish will eventually get much bigger than your betta fish. Even if your goldfish don’t initially want to eat your betta fish, they might change their minds once they get big enough.
Goldfish and betta fish eat different foods
If two fish are housed in the same tank, preventing them from sharing food may be challenging. It’s certain that some food may end up in the wrong fish tank, whether it happens right away when you add it or later when the fish are looking for leftovers buried in the bottom.
You can be sure that if they share a tank, they will share food because both species try to eat just about anything. Unfortunately, they have very different needs when it comes to feeding.
Compared to goldfish, who are plant eaters and don’t require as much protein, betta fish and carnivores benefit from high-protein diets. A goldfish’s diet could become very protein-rich if it consumes a lot of betta food, which could be dangerous for its health.
Betta Fish & Goldfish Living Conditions
The sole similarity between bettas and goldfish is that both are amiable and like interacting with their owners. To better comprehend the differences between them, we’ll compare them side by side in this post. Hopefully, this article will be helpful to you.
Life expectancy
Fish owners are interested in learning more about the lifespan of their fish in addition to wondering whether a goldfish and a betta can live together. The answer largely depends on the species, but as a rule, bigger fish typically live longer than smaller fish. Additionally, animals that produce live younglings have shorter lifespans than those that lay eggs.
Even though goldfish and bettas are two of the most popular fish to keep as pets, they have very different lifespans. Bettas live between two and four years, but goldfish can live for nearly two decades. The environment in which a betta lives affects how long it can live; however, if you control its nutrition and keep the tank clean, it can survive.
Temperament
Bettas have a single guideline regarding their temperament: anything that swims is the enemy! Bettas are solitary fish, meaning they should never be kept with other bettas or fish, as they will become aggressive and possibly fight. They can also become stressed out by the presence of other fish, so it’s best to keep them alone in their own tank.
Otocinclus catfish (Otocinclus affinis) and various varieties of tetras are two exceptions, though.
Unlike bettas, goldfish are pretty calm fish that live nicely with various varieties of fish. One of the explanations for why many people favor maintaining goldfish over all others is because of this. As omnivores, goldfish shouldn’t be kept in aquariums with small fish they could ingest.
Habitat and Tank size
Bettas are quite small, usually reaching about 2 and 3″ when mature. So the experts advised that a 10-gallon tank would be the best. They will have enough space to swim, play, and relax. Although bettas are small fish, you can’t keep them in a tiny bowl. They need to explore their environment. So, if you asked for the bare minimum to keep your bettas in case you don’t have a 10-gallon tank, the answer is a 2-gallon tank. But trust me, you should provide a tropical fish with a 5 to 10-gallon tank for a healthy and happy life.
Goldfish is usually bigger, with 6″ in maturity or even more. Becoming a goldfish parent means that you need a 20-gallon tank at least. And if you want to add more goldfish in the same aquarium, please use 10 more gallons. Goldfish also can need a heater, although they are cold-water fish.
Moreover, choosing plants in a goldfish is vital too. The goldfish can destroy them. Goldfish prefer to uproot the plant to find food if you don’t know.
Water flow
After knowing about the tank size, the tank environment is crucial for fish. Goldfish usually require an excellent filtration system for healthy life because they rarely live in nature. But the bad news is that this filtration system can harm bettas because it causes a strong water flow. It’s not suitable for bettas. That is an important reason why betta and goldfish can live together.
Betta Fish Tank Mates
If we can’t put betta fish and goldfish together, what are their ideal tank friends? Your question will be answered below in this part.
Betta fish live together
Given their reputation, it may not surprise you that finding the right tank mates for betta fish might be difficult while browsing pet stores.
A common query among fish keepers is, “Can you pair two betta fish?”. Because Betta fish prefer relative seclusion, extra room can be useful in protecting other occupants from their aggressive territorial behavior. Male bettas will start fighting as soon as they meet one another. However, female bettas are typically much calmer.
As a result, if you decide to keep betta fish and goldfish together, we advise looking for a female.
What kind of fish can live with a betta?
Does it surprise you if I say it is challenging to put Betta fish and others together in the same tank?
Betta fish are well-known for getting into violent confrontations with other fish in their aquarium because of their extreme territorial attitude. When you consider the Betta’s more well-known name, the Japanese fighting fish, its behavior makes more sense.
Due to their aggressiveness, these fish were frequently pitted against one another in betting rings.
When housed in a small fishbowl together, a pair of Bettas may begin to attack one another and continue doing so until one of them becomes worn out or hurt.
In conclusion, your choices are limited if you like to house other fish in a betta tank.
Goldfish Tank Mates
Besides keeping a betta, do you see that goldfish usually house with much other fish? So let’s see more about this social fish.
Goldfish live together
Goldfish get along with most neighborhood fish, unlike Bettas. They are highly well-liked by children and novice fish owners because they are not known to be hostile toward other marine creatures. Goldfish need one or more other fish to feel content and stimulated in their homes.
Only when they are smaller than your Goldfish’s mouth should you be concerned about your other aquatic pets being harmed by them. Since goldfish are omnivores, they wouldn’t hesitate to consume their little tank mates if given a chance.
Keeping goldfish with other fish
What happens when other fish and goldfish live together? In general, goldfish and other fish can live together quite happily. Goldfish are generally peaceful fish that get along well with other fish species.
However, it is important to ensure the tank is not overcrowded and that all fish in the tank are compatible. It is also important to ensure that the water parameters are suitable for both types of fish and that any aggressive fish are not housed with the goldfish.
In short, the goldfish can get along with many different fish species because it is a very social animal. These fish can truly suffer when living alone because they are social creatures. To keep the goldfish appropriately stimulated and healthy over the long run, we advise having at least one other fish.
FAQs
Can betta fish eat goldfish food?
Yes, some goldfish food can be consumed by betta fish; however, avoid feeding your betta with goldfish food too frequently. Betta needs a lot of protein in his diet, and goldfish food won’t meet those needs.
Will a betta fish kill a goldfish?
No, a betta fish and a goldfish can cohabit together. It would be best if you kept in mind that there are several reasons why these shouldn’t be kept in the same aquarium.
Can you feed goldfish betta fish food?
Yes, but not frequently or in large quantities. Goldfish can eat betta fish. Even while betta fish food is a fantastic source of protein for your goldfish, it can still result in bloating, renal failure, and swim bladder infections because the digestive system of goldfish is so small that it cannot process significant amounts of protein-rich foods.
References
- Goldfish – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish
- Betta fish – Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betta
Annette M. Chaney is an experienced marine biologist with over 20 years of experience as an aquarist and fishkeeper. She started her first aquarium at a young age, filling it with frogs and goldfish obtained from the ten-cent pet store.
Annette grew up caring for and breeding African Cichlids, which led to a hobby in high school that doubled as a profitable means. Attending Reed College gave her time to solidify herself as an accomplished aquarium caretaker with an eye for sales. After that, from 2009 – 2013, she studied at Roger Williams University – one of the most prestigious universities for Aquaculture and Aquarium in USA. She is the founder of AquariumCircle since 2010.