Can Hatchet fish live with betta fish?
Can Hatchet fish live with betta fish? Hatchet fish are aggressive by nature. Generally, it is not recommended to keep betta with hatchet fish as they might get into trouble. To balance the aggression, you can put Hatchet fish in a group, fighting with each other instead of bothering the betta fish.
Table of Contents
- What to do if your Betta is chasing Hatchet fish?
- Can Hatchet fish Eat Betta Food?
- Can betta fish kill Hatchet fish?
- How Many Hatchetfish can you keep with your Betta?
- What temperature do betta and Hatchet fish need?
What to do if your Betta is chasing Hatchet fish?
Betta fish might like to eat the fins and tails of Hatchet fish; that is why they are chasing them. Another reason will be betta is uncomfortable with the Hatchet fish. The fish might be making betta upset, and they are trying to attack them to move them away from their community.
There are ways you can make betta calm down and make them not to chase the Hatchet fish.
1) Put some live plants in the tank. It will reduce the stress of the betta and find themselves in a safe environment.
2) Feed the betta on time; they will attack the Hatchet fish unless it finds the fins tastier.
3) Put the hatchet fish in a group, so betta will not take a chance to enter their territory. Betta fish generally charge the fish when they find any fish alone in the water.
4) Check if your betta fish is feeling anxious. There are possibilities that something in the water makes it difficult for the fish to live comfortably. Scrutinize the fish tank and see anything that you can identify that needs fixing.
5) Rising temperatures in an aquarium could make it difficult for the fish to breathe and survive. Control the temperature of the water with various methods, such as replacing the 25% of water. Use the electronic device to track the water temperature regularly.
6) Control the pH level in a tank. When the pH level rises, the betta fish will sense something is wrong in the water, and it may stress out. It may start attacking other fish in the tank and make it challenging for them to live comfortably together.
Can Hatchet fish Eat Betta Food?
Yes. But you should keep track of the food contain as betta and Hatchet fish may have different choices for the food. When you offer betta food to Hatchet fish, observe whether they are enjoying the food or not.
If most of the food tank is down and not eaten by the Hatchet fish, change the food to relevant.
Hatchet fish is devout carnivores. They can eat anything that offers nutrition to their body. Food such as flakes, tubifex, bloodworms, brine shrimp, small floating and carnivore pellets are some of the food types you can offer to them.
Put the Hatchet fish on the control diet plan. Please do not feed them with an excessive amount of food. It might have a negative health impact on the fish.
Can betta fish kill Hatchet fish?
Betta fish will not kill Hatchet fish, but it may stress out the fish, which may have serious health problems in Hatchet fish. If you do not separate them in time, the Hatchet fish eventually die. You must offer them sufficient space to swim in the tank.
When you put too many fish in the small tank, the betta and Hatchet fish may find it difficult to roam around.
However, Hatchet fish generally stay close to the surface, which may not bother much to betta fish, but it is essential to know that they are not good companions to each other.
Betta is not aggressive fish by nature, but they like to chase other fish, making it difficult for Hatchet fish to live in the tank.
Betta may start eating their fins and tail, making them uncomfortable. Growing stress in the fish may make them stop eating and focus on their service.
When you keep both the fish together, ensure that they have their space to swim and sufficient food to survive. Avoid any circumstance that may cause the fish to feel uncomfortable in the aquarium and get stressed out.
How Many Hatchetfish can you keep with your Betta?
Depending on the tank size, you should decide how many Hatchet fish you can put in the single tank with a betta. A 20-gallon tank could support a group of 6 Hatchet with betta fish.
If you have too many decorations in the tank, reducing swimming space reduces the numbers to half.
Fish would need sufficient space to swim around. Otherwise, they will get stress out. Fish would start attacking each other when they have close contact.
Usually, Hatchet fish spend their time near the surface, and betta stays at the bottom of the tank, so there will be fewer clashes between them. You can comfortably put them together without making them feel anxious about other fish in the tank.
What temperature do betta and Hatchet fish need?
Both the fish are susceptible when it comes to water temperature. Use a temperature detection device to monitor the water temperature.
Keep the temperature between 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Colder water will have a severe health impact on the betta.
It may kill the betta and make it difficult for them to sustain longer. The immune system slows down when the temperature drops, and they stop their activities. You will see they mostly spend time in the corner of the tank or hidden behind the plants in the cold water.
Also, as the water temperature goes below what they can manage, they start developing stress and anxiety. If you do not take any action to recover the temperature to normal condition, the fish will die soon.
A similar impact can be seen in Hatchet fish. The temperature makes them feel something is wrong with the water. The fish will stop eating regular food and become ill.
Control the temperature
It is essential to control the temperature to what the fish require. Use different methods to control the temperature, such as changing the water and adding warm water to the tank.
Turn on the heater to make the water stay warm enough to make fish live comfortably. Anything that makes the water stay at moderate temperature should be manage else, and it will have a lethal impact on the fish.
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