Limit: no more than 1 per tank. Only one male per tank. Females are less aggressive but still territorial; sororities need large, well-planted tanks and are not reliably peaceful (FKW). Keep sexes apart unless breeding (SF).
Long fins: avoid known fin nippers such as tiger barbs and serpae tetras.
Check a tank with Betta (male)
Good tank mates for Betta (male)
These species share its temperature range and temperament, with no fin-nipping or predation risk under our rules. Still check your tank size and bioload in the checker.
African butterflyfish · African dwarf frog · Agassiz's dwarf cichlid · Angelfish · Banjo catfish · Black phantom tetra · Black ruby barb · Bleeding heart tetra · Blue acara · Boeseman's rainbowfish · Bristlenose pleco · Bronze corydoras · Bumblebee goby · Cherry barb · Clown killifish · Clown pleco · Cockatoo dwarf cichlid · Colombian tetra · Congo tetra · Convict cichlid · Dwarf gourami · Dwarf neon rainbowfish · Emperor tetra · Firemouth cichlid
Avoid with Betta (male)
Black ghost knifefish (predation) · Common / comet goldfish (temperature) · Dojo loach (temperature) · Fancy goldfish (temperature) · Gold barb (temperature) · Medaka (temperature) · Oscar (predation) · Paradise fish (temperature) · Rosy barb (temperature) · Senegal bichir (predation) · White cloud mountain minnow (temperature)
Sources
Checked 2026-11-09 · confidence: high. These are cautious community guidelines, not guarantees. Not veterinary advice. Report an error.