Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone, I hope I can get some expert help from you guys, regarding to my problem.

Here my situation:

I m a beginner and got 3 weeks ago for my birthday my first Aquarium (80 liters) I always loved betta splendens and decided to to arrange my aquarium for one of these great fish (a male crown tail). I researched on the internet a lot to decide on the right (betta compatible) community fish for the tank, as cory catfish and mollies were frequently named I decided on 2 cory cats(bronze catfish), 2 ballon molies and 2 regular mollies as companions for my betta. Everything was alright till yesterday, when I discovered to my shock that my bettas tail fin was severely nipped ;.; ! I guess that one fish or a certain species must be responsible and have been trying to figure out who it is, to remove them from the tank and return them to the shop, but so far without success. Does anyone had the same problem with one of the named fish species or a clue what one is likely responsible for the damage? Could it have been a one off thing? Could it have been anything else beside another fish? I also have been feeding bloodworms, the day before I noticed the fin nipping, could the molies (which were displaying an eager appetite for the worms)have mistaken his crowntail fin for worms? What should I do ?

Please I would be utmost thankful for any helpful advice.

Regards

Roy

There is no such thing as betta compatible. Bettas are aggressive fish and should be housed alone. They are also not community fish and should not be housed as such. As far as I know, in the community world mollies can be a bit aggressive at times, so I think that is your culprit. Although I do strongly suggest having 2 tanks: one for your betta, and one for your community fish. Both offer hours of relaxation while watching them swim peacefully. It is hard to tell the exact culprit, but like I mentioned before, bettas are solitary fish especially the crown tails because they have very long flowing fins.
I'm not trying to sound mean, but I'm just telling you what the problems are. Sounds like everything else is working out fine for you, so why get rid of the fish you already have, just give them a new tank.
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Phishie

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."