calming a stressed betta fish

[florizen]

Hey guys,
Today I put an angelfish with my betta. The angelfish seems really calm, not aggressive at all, but my betta's really scared and trying to hide. I'm worried about him, what can I do to calm him down?
The angelfish tries to get close to him sometimes, but he freaks out.

[goldminer]

I'm really concerned about your betta, it sounds like he's in a pretty bad situation. The angelfish might look calm but it's likely to attack your betta eventually. Honestly, I think you should separate them ASAP, the angelfish is probably too much for your betta to handle.

What's the tank size, by the way?

[coltin]

Adding plenty of plants to the tank, especially floating ones such as Water Sprite, could help your betta feel more secure. Give both fish some time to get used to each other, then observe their behavior. If your betta still seems really stressed or the angelfish is aggressive towards him, it's best to separate them. By the way, what's the tank size, and how big is the angelfish?

[florizen]

The tank is 5 gallons, and honestly, I think my betta is even bigger than the angelfish.

[florizen]

This morning I woke up and the betta looked a bit better than last night, still hiding but not as scared. He's able to stay closer to the angelfish now and the angelfish is really calm. I don't think the angelfish wants to hurt him.

[florizen]

I have a 30 gallon tank with two goldfish, I was thinking to move the angel there. The goldfish are bigger than the angel, so maybe it's okay.

[coltin]

It's likely just stress from the new addition to the tank. However, a 5-gallon tank isn't suitable for angelfish long-term, they grow too big. The 30-gallon tank would be better, but mixing goldfish and angelfish isn't ideal due to different water chemistry requirements - goldfish prefer hard alkaline water, while angels prefer soft acid water.

Goldfish can tolerate warm water, but the water chemistry would be the main issue. If you're planning to get a bigger tank in the future, you could keep the angel with the Betta for a few months, but eventually, it'll need a bigger tank. If not, perhaps consider returning the angelfish or giving it to someone with a bigger tank.

[florizen]

Thanks a lot for your help. If my betta is still scared in the next few days I'll rehouse the angel. I really appreciate it, I was super worried and didn't know what to do.