Because of the aggressive nature of this species, tankmates must be chosen carefully, and two male B. splendens should not be housed in the same tank unless they are separated by a dividing wall. As a general rule, male Bettas cannot be housed together. It is possible to house two male bettas in a single very large tank, provided that there is plenty of cover (such as floating plants) and enough space for both males to establish their own territories. However, this is an extremely risky procedure because of the male's natural territoriality. These experiments in housing males together often end in the death of one or both inhabitants of the tank. (Male bettas do not 'fight to the death' in the wild; once one fish has clearly won the encounter, the loser will retreat to a safe location. In an aquarium, however, there is no place to run, and the winning fish will continue to attack the loser, often ending in death.)

While they might eventually mate, keeping a male and female together may prove too volatile since the male will often be much more aggressive and mating conditions must be precisely conducive. Often, breeders have a special container so the female may display without being harmed by the male prior to induced breeding.

Females may or may not be able to coexist peacefully in the same tank depending on their temperaments. They are not schooling fish, and are still rather aggressive, but with enough room and many hiding spaces, they can learn to get along. There should never be exactly two female bettas in a tank together. A pecking order, a hierarchy, is necessary for them to live peacefully. With only two fish, one will be the bully and the other will be picked on. However, with three or more, a hierarchy is established.

Before co-housing Siamese fighting fish with other species, their compatibility should be carefully researched, and the owner should have a back-up plan if the shared tank does not work. Common tankmates include mollies, catfish, or loaches. Although bettas are most aggressive towards each other, they have been known to kill very small fish or nip at the fins of fish such as fancy guppies, perhaps mistaking their finnage for that of another male betta. Certain fish should not be housed with bettas. Schooling fish often become fin-nippers, making the betta a prime target because of their flowing fins. Also, aggressive fish like barbs should not be around bettas. Keepers have also reported problems when attempting to keep Betta in the company of piranha, or bluegill for obvious reasons. It is strongly recommended that bettas given tankmates should be housed in a tank that is at least 2 gallons per fish in the community (depending on bio load) with plenty of hiding places. Anything smaller will stress the Betta. Only females can be kept in communities, and you still must watch out for aggressive females who will cause trouble in your tank.


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