Can I Keep A Betta With Rosy Barbs?

Betta is not community fish. Mostly betta fish is live alone and hide behind the stone or live plants.

Can I Keep A Betta With Rosy Barbs? No. Both Betta and Rosy Barbs are aggressive, and they might have a close fight frequently. If you plan to house them in the same tank, ensure that you choose a large tank to provide sufficient space. Betta and Rosy Barbs don’t jell with each other very well.

What to do if your Betta is Chasing Rosy Barbs?
What Size Tank is best to bettas with Rosy Barbs?
Can betta fish eat Rosy Barb’s food?
Can betas kill Rosy Barb fish?

How many Rosy Barbs can you keep with your Betta?
What temperature do bettas and Rosy Barbs need?
Can Rosy Barbs live with female bettas?

What to do if your Betta is Chasing Rosy Barbs?

There are several reasons why Betta could start chasing Rosy Barbs. Understanding their behavior and condition in the water would give you an idea of dealing with the situation effectively.

Coupling

Male generally get attracted to a female. In your case, the Rosy Barbs female could have an attractive appearance which might have activated the Betta. The chasing shows the interest of the male in the Rosy Barbs female. Betta might want to mate with the female, so he is trying to chase and impress her.

Identify the fish and confirm their genders. If you face the Coupling problem, you might have to add more female Betta in the tank.

Generally, 2: 1 ratio are considered for housing the female and male in the fish tank where every two female will have one male partner. This keeps Betta engaged with the female, and they do not bother other fish in the tank.

You do not have to worry if the problem is related to coupling. The fish would find their way out, and Betta would no longer chase the Rosy Barbs fish.

Incompatible

This is the most common reason why one fish chase another. Betta usually does not get along with any of the fish. They are territorial fish who like to spread their territory as long as possible. These unusual behaviors make them aggressive in the water.

The chasing could be a sign that the Rosy barbs might have a close encounter with the Betta.

When any fish try to enter into bettas territory, they become aggressive and push the other fish away from their home. They become violent and sometimes kill the fish by tearing them down piece by piece.

There are two ways to deal with the incompatibility issues.

Either you separate them in a different tank, or another way is to have a bigger tank with densely populated plants and decoratives. The plants will react as a barrier between two fish and stay calm and comfortable in the tank.

Competition for food

When the food is poured into the tank, all the fish will attack it to get big pieces for themselves. Betta would not like to see other fish taking away their food.

Thus, they will attack the other fish and try to push them back. Betta will not allow the Rosy barbs to come close to the food until they eat it.

There are possibilities that the Rosy Barbs fish do not get to each other as Betta would eat most of it, and the remaining food will sink to the bottom of the tank.

Betta will become the dominant player and pull everyone aside by attacking them whenever there is a food race.

Territorial Dispute

Betta generally gets into a territorial dispute, and they do not want anyone sneaking into their property.

Especially when it comes to protecting the female Betta, any other fish having a close encounter with the betta female would have to deal with the aggression of the betta male. Therefore, you should pack your fish tank with a good amount of obstacles and hiding spaces.

A densely packed tank with the plant will give you the desired support to the Rosy Barbs and protect them from the betta attack.

Fish will have less face to face encounters which will keep them calm. Also, the hiding space will reduce the stress of betta fish. They will feel protected from predators.

What Size Tank is best to bettas with Rosy Barbs?

The minimum tank size for the Betta with the Rosy Barbs would be around 20 to 30 gallons. Both the fish live in the school, so ensure that you increase the capacity as the number of fish grows.

Also, if any of the fish breeds is producing fry, you should move them to the larger tank. The safety and growth of the fry could make the water more conducted.

Betta would feel uncomfortable sharing the space with too many of Rosy Barbs around and become more aggressive.

Can betta fish eat Rosy Barb’s food?

Yes. Betta can eat Rosy Barbs food without any trouble. Most of the food is similar to betta fish, and Betta would love to eat the Rosy Barbs.

Rosy barbs eat different types of food, including vegetables, plants, worms, larvae, flakes, pellets, insects, frozen foods, and crustaceans. They love to eat live food which is tiny enough to swallow, and you can also feed them brine shrimps and bloodworms.

Can betas kill Rosy Barb fish?

Betas sometimes become too aggressive to their opponent and may start attacking the other fish. The fins of the fish are the first thing that they start tearing down. Rosy barbs fish would not be able to defend themselves from the betta attack.

Also, while chasing, the Betta will eat their tails and make them challenging to swim in the water.

The decreased speed and broken fins would make them develop anxiety. Growing stress also causes the Rosy barbs to create pressure, and over time, they will fall sick and eventually die.

How many Rosy Barbs can you keep with your Betta?

Rosy Barbs feel comfortable when they are kept in the group. They will not live longer if you put them alone in the tank with the betta fish. The betta fish try to push them away and make them develop stress.

It is suggested that you should house 4 to 5 Rosy Barbs in the tank. The school of fish makes them comfortable, and they will make their territory where no other fish is allowed to enter.

What temperature do bettas and Rosy Barbs need?

Rosy barbs are immune to tolerate the changing water temperature. The fish would need a temperature between 64 to 72 F.

Control the water temperature in the winter as the cold temperature could slow down the fish and make them vulnerable to illness.

Can Rosy Barbs live with female bettas?

Yes. Female bettas could be a perfect companion for the Rosy Barbs. The Female Betta lives in their space and does not bother other fish in the tank.

Compared to the male Betta, which is very aggressive to other fish, female primarily focuses on living a peaceful life. Thus Rosy Barbs and female betta would share the water comfortably.