Zui Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Hi all Here is a few pics of my community tank. There is 3 giant plakats and 1 standard plakat. Just proves they can be housed together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 You're going to cop some flack for this... but hey, each their own. So 4 male plakat, what else is in there? I see Gouramis? and.. a Molly? If you're going to go down this path (in public) I'd suggest some more plants and coverage, they're less likely to take chunks out of each other (such as the top photo) if they can steak out their own territories and have more visual barriers. goodluck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zui Posted May 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 (edited) Been in there for 3 months with very little agression. Some flairing but no serious fighting. There is also guppies, black neons,flagtail,cardinal tetras,swordtails gibbiceps,reticulate loaches etc,etc. Edited May 8, 2012 by Zui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zui Posted May 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Also the fin damage was not done in this tank it was done whilst trying to spawn him ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thanks for the pics, Andrew. Before you told me, I would have never have thought. Always have said "it's not a matter of IF they'll fight, but when", but you have convinced me that these particular fish ARE able to live together (although I'll still say that to everybody else.. errm, selectiveness I guess). Personality, tank set up, etc etc I'm sure would all play a large roll. As Nessa said, you probably will get a few people telling you otherwise. Each to their own, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afr3178 Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Yeah, really really interesting mix! Don't get me wrong, the colours look amazing! I guess you got lucky with all of the fish having quite calm and not aggressive personalities. I really like the colors in the tank and if it works keep it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zui Posted May 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 I probably will get some flack but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think the fact the tank is "so busy" that they are kept out each others road. As you can see that their paths do cross and even at feeding time they are not aggressive towards each other. There is a definite heirachy and it is followed. The green dragon is top followed by the blue then the mettalic. The standard plakat is not even looked at by the others as represents no threat. These particular individuals are not very aggressive and as is blatantly obvious,the damage to the fish in pic 1, this was done buy a female and the male had to be rescued.@ afr3178 It works and I watched them for hours before I was content to let them stay together. I wouldn't suggest that everybody does the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jha Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Great pics mate,I have personally seen these guys swim together in this tank and did not witness any aggression from them even when they swam past each other face to face.They seemed more interested in food rather than fight lol. I sometimes put a fair few male bettas together when I'm giving their containers a clean but I make sure The temp of the water is below 21 degrees ,they are not very active in colder temps which gives me time(5-6mins max) to spray out their containers with the garden hose.Female bettas tend to be more nastier than males in my experience ,they will arch up no matter what temp their in lol. Female crowns Male veil tails Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Looks good mate. Rules are ment to be broken. :-). Just be aware that trouble could flare up at any time but hey, if it's working, leave em be. Without trying different things, we never learn. My father had so many different cichlids in the one tank, both African and American. Many people still don't believe me until I show pics. Have been accused many times in an aquarium of lying or the best "you must not know your fish, they would never live together". Lol. Not sure if you remember my black orchid spawn, I took dad out when the fry were old enough to JAR. Six or more weeks. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 JHA - those shots just make me want to throw all my males in together... oh my god our fish look good together.... look at those colours! Shame all my boys would rather tear the place apart than hold hands. It's always going to be a shame that (for the majority) our male betta can't live together I guess you're likely to get the occasional nOOb that walks into a LFS and buys six to throw in the tank together without doing any research.... (which probably happens quite a bit - which is why betta keepers on other forums and youtube seem to totally over-react) ...but Zui, it's interesting to watch an established tank like yours. I still think it's a freakish occurrence that "shouldn't be tried at home folks" but even seeing Joan's XXL heavily planted tank, I saw 3 males in there, sure they fought, but there was a pecking order and territories, so it sort of worked. I guess you dont' keep show fish in a community tank with other betta, my show females don't make it into the sorority, them girls is naaaasty! keep us updated on it, do you happen to know if the boys were from same spawns or grew up together? or just plonked in and it worked? (is it just me, or are the Plakat a bit more diplomatic than our long finned friends?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 I have found male giants to be mostly docile (the females on the other hand.... ) As for PK and HMPKs, it depends on the individual fish and you'd have to keep an eye on them regularly. Zui, you've got a great looking tank mate. I'm of the opinion "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it." You obviously have the right balance in there. I've been screamed at on other forums for having a sorority. I was called a nOOb and was told that my fish would be dead within a month - even though I had stated that some had been together in the tank for 18 months. All I can say is keep doing what you're doing, because whatever it is, it works for you Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zui Posted May 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 (edited) I really appreciate the positive feedback. I did expect quite a few people to give me some S#*T over it. @melbournebetta . these fellows were all purchased at different times and are definitely not related. I also agree this is a case of "don't try this at home folkes" IMO plakat males seem more diplomatic, as it was so eloquently put, than other long fin types. in my experience DO NOT put giant plakat females together. Edited May 9, 2012 by Zui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Lol. Shadohs giant girl was "nasty". I find that once I jar a girl, she is no longer able to be in my community tank. Each time I have returned one, she turns agro. After a few days I have to remove them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zui Posted May 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 My Giant plakat females are just out right NASTY . Hence the damage to the male in the first photo. But a lesson learned all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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