[Ryan Mosby]

I have a 20 gallon long, heavily planted, with pseudomuguil luminatus and endler's-livebearers. There's a middle foreground that's just carpet and some low plants in the front sides, and then the rest just grows taller toward the back.

A few weeks ago I added a hybrid betta spadetail. He's very shy and cautious, and gets spooked if one of the nano fish gets too close to him. Vice versa, if a nano fish has swam too close, they dart away. However, for the last few days, I've noticed one of the endlers will dart after the betta and scare him away. It looks like he targets the betta's fins but I don't see any damage. I know the endlers can be very pushy with their own kind, but I've never seen them interact that way, with the dwarf rainbowfish or the betta, before.

Should I see if it improves or rehome the endler? I'm woried that he's going to teach the other endlers that this is okay because the betta immediately retreats, and I know they are very greedy when it comes near feeding time.

 

[ustabefast]

Normally one would expect the betta to be the bully.

I once had a rare hyper aggressive male endler who terrorized the other males to the point that I had to rehome him.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

If you arent seeing any damage, and the betta doesnt appear or behave stressed, you are fine.

Fighting is a part of life and bettas (not sure what type you have) mostly have large, flowing fins. This makes for a lot of movement and an easy target for other fishes.

My guess is that the betta will be fine. Watch the situation and the health of the fish.

 

[Ryan Mosby]

The betta is an imbellis hybrid spadetail; usually the ones I get shipped from Thailand are pretty passive, as he seems to be. I've only seen the endler do it 2-3 times (during non-feeding time) over the last few days, but every time it happens, he zips away and then keeps his fins clamped tight for a while. It is a big tank, so I know he has plenty of places to go, but still. The nano fish seem to congregate in the center middle (where feeding time is), while the betta likes to slink about in the underbrush of the plants. It's occasionally when he goes to the center that I have seen this happen.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

You probably know more about bettas than I, if you are importing fish from Thailand.

That said, if he isnt damaged, and his behavior is "normal" otherwise, from a general fish care standpoint, Id say you are fine.

 

[Ryan Mosby]

I just noticed today that this one particular endler is darting after other fish, too. It's normal that male endlers pick on each other, but he darts halfway across the tank to run off other fish, including doing this to the pseudomugil luminatus. The endlers have their own pecking order but I never see them bother with the dwarf rainbowfish. He seems to be trying to isolate the front center, maybe because that's where they usually have their feeding time. There is discontent in my tank!