With the huge popularity of the betta fish currently making it the second most commonly kept freshwater fish within the fish keeping hobby, it easy to see why we see so many people asking a range of different questions about caring for their pet bettas.
Although the celestial pearl danio is no where near as popular as the betta fish, we have seen more and more people picking them up and adding them to their aquariums.
Due to this, there are a number of people asking about keeping celestial pearl danios and a betta fish in the same aquarium as each other.
As this can sometimes be a little controversial with valid arguments being made both for and against keeping a celestial pearl danio with a betta fish, we wanted to publish this article to help any of our readers thinking about keeping these two fish in the same tank.
Our hope is that our impartial look at the two species will be able to help our readers make up their mind as well as better understand how they are able to keep the two species in the same tank with minimal issues.
Are Betta Fish Aggressive?
The first thing that we need to do is answer the question of whether or not betta fish are actually aggressive.
This is one of the most common questions that we see being asked and unfortunately, it is a question with no black and white answer.
Most male betta fish can have an aggressive streak to them, especially in smaller aquarium tanks with fin nipping, chasing, and aggression being higher than average. Some male betta fish are hyper aggressive too and will try to attack everything in their tank.
On the flipside of that though, there are a small number of male betta fish that are placid and relaxed. The issue is that it is impossible to know how a betta will act before you put it in your tank and try it.
Female bettas tend to be less aggressive than the males but they are still generally more aggressive than other fish species, especially in a small or heavily stocked aquarium.
Are Celestial Pearl Danios Aggressive?
Celestial pearl danios are very peaceful fish and are considered to be one of the best community fish that you can keep. They do not attack other fish, they do not chase other fish, and it is very rare that they will nip at the fins of other fish.
The only time that a celestial pearl danio may become aggressive is if it feels that its territory is being threatened or if another male celestial pearl danio is trying to mate with it the females in a tank. However, these are very rare instances and in general, the celestial pearl danio is one of the most peaceful freshwater fish that you can keep.
The issue with celestial pearl danios is that they are somewhat hyper and that their rapid, constant movements can stress out the other fish in their tank.
Stressing out a betta fish, especially a male betta fish is never a good idea so although the celestial pearl danio is just going about its business in the tank and acting naturally, it can accidently increase the chances of the betta fish being aggressive towards it.
Can You Put Celestial Pearl Danio With Betta Fish?
You can keep a betta fish and a celestial pearl danio in the same aquarium as each other provided that you plan the tank out prior to adding the fish.
Trying to add the fish when they are as young as possible is also usually a good idea so neither think that the tank is their terratory.
Tank size and the number of hiding places and sight breaks in the aquarium are also more important than the majority of people initially think but our tips and tricks below for keeping a betta with celestial pearl danios should be able to prevent you from having any of these problems that so many other people have.
Please note that you should be looking to keep around six celestial pearl danios in your tank rather than just one single celestial pearl danio. Ideally, you will have more female celestial pearl danios than male too.
When it comes to the betta fish, you should usually lean more towards a single male betta fish unless you are keeping females and are looking to setup a betta harem tank but even then, we only recommend species specific tanks for that setup.
What Tank Size Do You Need For Celestial Pearl Danios And Bettas To Be In The Same Tank?
Although a betta fish or some celestial pearl danios can do well in a simple 10 gallon tank setup, keeping both species together really does mean that you should be aiming for a 20 gallon tank or more if possible.
The larger the tank, the better for both species of fish but if you are unable to increase the tank size then a simple 10 gallon tank can still work for one of the two species but you should not mix them.
Aggression levels from the betta fish can be increased drastically in a 10 gallon tank due to the smaller size, the fact there there should be around six celestial pearl danio in there and the fact that celestial pearl danios are a hyper fish that move around rapidly.
Thankfully though, there are some excellent, cheap 20 gallon tanks on the market these days that can offer the perfect home for a betta fish to be kept with some celestial pearl danios.
Should You Put Fish Hides In The Tank?
Hiding places are extremely important for both bettas and celestial pearl danios as it offers both species a place to call their own in the tank, somewhere to rest and somewhere to feel safe from any potential predators.
Most hiding places in a fish tank can also act as a sight break for the betta to break its line of sight of the celestial pearl danio when they are swimming around helping to keep everything as calm as possible too.
Here are some examples of various fish hides that you are able to use in a tank with celestial pearl danios and a betta fish.
1. Live or Fake Plants – Both live and fake plants can offer a great hiding place for both celestial pearl danios and bettas whilst also adding some decoration to the tank at the same time too.
2. Rocks & Driftwood – If you are looking to setup a more natural looking tank then rocks and driftwood can offer some good hiding places for both species of fish.
3. Hides & Ornaments – You can also find various aquarium ornaments that have been specifically designed to act as a hiding place for your fish too which are definitely worth considering if you are struggling to come up with anything else.
4. DIY Hides – It is also relatively easy to make your own fish hides using various materials that you may have around the house too which can work out a lot cheaper than buying something like this from the store.
You should try to have at least two or three hiding places in the tank for each fish to help keep aggression levels down as much as possible.