After publishing our article going over keeping a bumblebee goby with shrimp, we noticed a number of people asking questions about keeping a bumblebee goby with a betta fish so we wanted to publish this article on the topic.
Although the betta fish does have a reputation for being an aggressive fish, there are ways that you are able to integrate the species into community tanks.
The bumblebee goby is a peaceful creature that spends most of its time scavenging for food along the bottom of the tank.
They are relatively small, only growing to be about 2 inches in length. Betta fish are a little bit larger, averaging about 3 inches in length and will often for a territory in the tank that it may try to protect with aggression.
Provided that your aquarium tank is large enough, you are able to keep a bumblebee goby with betta without having problems with aggression between the two.
You will usually need an aquarium that is at least 15 gallons in size for this to work but a tank over 20 gallons will usually better and open up different setups to keep both fish safe.
Can Bumblebee Gobies Live With Bettas?
A bumblebee goby can live with a betta fish as long as the aquarium is large enough and although it is not a popular pairing, people within the fish keeping community do keep the two together.
You are able to help reduce the chances of aggression from your betta fish by only using female betta fish in a tank with a bumblebee gobie.
All female betta sorority tanks are becoming increasingly popular right now with a large number of people being able to keep multiple female betta fish in the same aquarium without them being aggressive to each other.
This is due to the fact that female betta fish do not produce the same levels of testosterone as males and are significantly less likely to become aggressive.
There is no need to try to integrate a bumblebee goby to an aquarium that contains multiple female betta fish but a single female betta can be a good start.
If you are an experienced fish keeper and have an aquarium larger enough then a male betta fish can work but we would recommend plenty of decorations and plants in the tank to act as a sight break.
What Size Tank Do You Need To Keep A Bumblebee Goby With A Betta Fish?
Although the bumblebee goby and betta are small fish that can live in small tanks when kept alone, we do recommend that you go with a medium sized aquarium if you plan to keep them together.
A 15 gallon aquarium is the absolute minimum thank size that we would recommend for the two in a single tank but a 20 gallon tank or larger will be better.
Try to make sure that you go with an aquarium tank with a long design rather than a high design.
A bumblebee goby tends to prefer to stay close to the bottom of their tank but a long tank design will still offer plenty of space for both fish to swim around without getting too close to each other.
Longer tank designs also make it much easier to take advantage of fish hides, decorations, and sight breaks too. If you are looking to keep an aquarium tank that is over 30 gallons in size then you can often look to add additional fish to the tank too without having problems.
Should You Add Decorations And Plants To A Tank With A Bumblebee Goby And Betta In It?
You will definitely want to make sure that you are adding decorations and plants to a tank with a bumblebee goby and betta in it.
Decorations such as rocks, driftwood, and caves can offer each fish their own little territory within the tank. This will help to reduce the chances of aggression between the two species.
Live or fake plants are particularly useful as they can help to offer a sense of security for the bumblebee goby as well as providing some level of filtration for the water too.
Sight breaks in a tank can help your bumblebee goby unintentionally get out of line of sight from your betta fish too which can help to reduce aggression.
Even if you plan to keep your bumblebee goby with a female betta fish, we still recommend that you use decorations and plants in the tank to help reduce aggression and stress.
Aquascaping is very popular right now in the fish keeping community and can offer a lot of benefits for the fish while also providing cover and hiding spots as well as helping your tank look beautiful too.
Is There Enough Cross Over In Water Parameter Requirements Between The Two Fish Species?
Although the bumblebee goby is a brackish water fish, it can do very well in a freshwater tank with similar water parameters to the needs of a betta fish. You just have to be sure to keep your water parameters very stable and consistent to avoid issues with the goby.
Once both fish are settled in and your water parameters are stable, you should not have any issues with keeping the bumblebee goby in a freshwater tank. They will often start to adapt to the water conditions over time and be less susceptible to issues due to flucutation.
The betta will do well in most freshwater tank setups but in some cases, adding tannins to the water can help your betta fish. Most bumblebee gobies can also do well in tanks with tannins in the water too so this may be something that you can explore for your own tank in the future.
What Can You Do To Discourage Aggression Between A Bumblebee Goby And Betta Fish?
There are a few things that you can do to discourage aggression between your bumblebee goby and betta fish but the most important thing is to make sure that you provide plenty of space for each fish to have their own territory.
Providing plenty of decorations, plants, and hiding spots for each fish in the tank is also important. This will help to reduce the chances of aggression as each fish will have their own little piece of territory to call home.
Making sure that you have a good ratio of bumblebee goby to betta fish is also important. A single bumblebee goby with a single betta fish is often the best ratio but you are able to keep multiple bumblebee gobies in larger tanks with minimal issues.
You can keep multiple bettas in the same tank if you are looking to setup a betta sorority tank. If you are specifically wanting a betta harem tank then we wouldn’t recommend you add a bumblebee goby to the setup as managing aggression can be difficult as it is.
