Ok, it seems like there are a million threads asking about betta tankmates. Well, here are some FAQ's and my opinions on them.

Q: Can a Betta live with white cloud mountain minnows?

A: Yes, they can. But only under the right circumstances. They need to be in a 10 gallon minimum, filtered and heated tank. Filtered because there's going to be a lot of poop in there, and heated because I personally think bettas do better in heated water. The filter needs to be current killed, there is a pinned thread about it. Or it needs to be an UGF or one where you can control the flow. The minnows are schooling fish that need to be kept in a group of at least six to be happy. Bettas can be nippy at the white clouds, and vise verse, so watch them. It all depends on the fish you have.

Q: Can I keep a betta with an african dwarf frog or a snail?

A: Yes, but once again, only inder the right circumstances. Both snails and frogs are extremely messy. They produce a lot of waste. I wouldn't keep them in anything less than 2.5 gallons. If you do keep them in a 2.5, be prepared to do bi weekly water changes. Apple snails are an iffy choice, because they are SO messy and get quite big. (talk to bettamomma) but I have not heard of anyone having issues with mystery and ramshorn snails. If the betta is nipping at the african dwarf frog at all, the frog needs to be taken out. But once again, it all depends on the fish. My bettas have always been OK with them.

Q: Can bettas live with my livebearers?

A: they CAN, and some people on this forum have done so with success, but I wouldn't. Livebearers have long fins and bright colors, hence they resemble a betta. You could end up with dead fish, since we all know how bettas fight.

Q; Can my betta live with tetras?

A: No. they shouldn't at all in my opinion. Once again, people have done this successfully, but most tetras (neons in particular) are the nippiest darn things, and will tear apart your betta's delicate fins.

Q: Can my betta live with ghost shrimp?

A: Yes. But the shrimp are usually eaten by the betta. And the shrimp, I've heard, need iodine in the water to thrive, and this shouldn't be in betta's water.

Q: Can my female bettas live in a species tank?

A: Yes, but you need at least 10 gallon. And no more than 6 girls, no less than 4 will usually get along. Make sure you watch close to make sure no one gets ganged up on. You can keep a ton of girls together, it is really unlimited. but I wouldn't ever keep more than 6 in something as small as a 10 gallon.

Q: can my females live in my community tank?

A: I have found that females can live with exactly what males can. They are aggressive too. They might not fight other girl bettas, but they are fiesty little buggers. Once again, some people have kept them no problem with other things, but it isn't always a good idea, nor is it usually safe.

Thanks for reading, feel free to comment.

Edited: Forgot one.

Q: Can males and females live together?

A: Not unless you want a tank of dead fish. They should only be together if you are spawning, or if the tank is full of fry.

This post has been edited by OrkyBetta: Jun 25 2005, 08:30 PM

Typo maybe? You say no *less* than 6 girls...
Should it be no *more*?


Oh, by the way - GREAT info !

This post has been edited by BettaMomma: Jun 24 2005, 08:00 PM

I agree with no less than 6. No more than 6 would imply that three was okay... or anything *less* than 6 is acceptable. Which is not so. I also believe that four is too few, so six is right on. I personally feel an overstocked female tank is the way to go.
If I were to set up a female species tank in a ten gallon, I would house it with a least eight females. Provided the tank was sufficiently filtered & cycled, it should be perfect. With a twenty gallon female tank, I personally would stock it with around a dozen+ females. Which would be awesome

Great write up,Orky. I'll give it a few days and then pin it in the FAQ section, if you don't mind. Remind me though because I tend to forget about these things.

Also, on the subject of snails...in my experience the bettas LOVE to snap at the snail eyes....err,feelers? And also the snail,if large enough, can close on the betta and hold him captive long enough to drowned him. Just something to consider when keeping the two together.

GREAT INFO (and opinions) ! About the ghost shrimp, do you think they can live with bettas once they're like over an inch in length because I have a ghost shrimp over an inch and I was wondering if it as alright.

I was going to comment on that as well. In my experience it is really,really easy to be sold 'prawn' instead of ghosties. Ghost shrimp have a soft shell and they're an easy kill....but prawn they're tougher and they grow quite HUGE. Well over 3 or 4 inches in length. I've had several escape the mouths of my cichlids in the big tanks and after they grow to a certain length they get downright nasty. They'll snap at the fish and try to catch them. I can't even tell you how many times I peered in my smaller fish tank and found them munching on my khulies Or chasing my bigger fish. They're horrible. I would never recommend one with a betta.
A ghost shrimp, over an inch, should be ok. Just be sure it's a ghost shrimp

I meant no more than six, in addition to the no less than 4. (for a 10G tank)
4 or less is not going to work.

I probably wouldn't go more than 6 because of the overload and the sheer need to have their own swimming space - some of my girls hog up half the tank to themselves.

Just my opinion.

This post has been edited by BettaMomma: Jun 24 2005, 08:58 PM

I thought mystery snails WERE apple snails...

That's how many I am stocking in my 20 gallon long (I picked that over 20 gallon high, I hope it was the right choice )

That should be perfect, especially if they're all sisters. If you're getting sisters you could probably go with fifteen.

Actually, 13 total, forgot about the baby I have already. She is smaller and younger though, so I think she will fit in.

12 will be right from Yeevia, so I imagine several will be sisters. It is so heavily planted, I think it takes a new meaning on the word heavily I've got about four caves in there, and a nice filteration system, so I think this number will work out.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I don't mind at all if you pin this. I edited about the girl community, to clear up what I meant. Thanks again!

I currently have 17 females in my 20g. It is heavily planted with 4 caves and a larger piece that acts as a "cave". I am going to thin the numbers a bit on payday. I am going to keep 11 in there, and I am going to put the other 6 in either a 10G or a 20G. If I go with the 20G I would probably buy more. Right now the girls are small and there is no real agression at all. But they will grow and I think they need more space.

I agree that males can be kept with frogs. Black Beauty is in a 5G with 2 ADF's, Fred and Ginger. Fred sings for Ginger every night. They get along beautifully. I often find BB sleeping with the frogs.

I also thought that apple snails were also called mystery snails, but I have been known to be wrong.

I agree with the rest of the article. It was very well written, with good information.

Edited yet again, to add on to my girl community topic.

Thanks for the feedback, it just seemed like the kind of article we needed. I have no idea if apple snails and mystery snails are the same or not, I have seen them labeled at tmy lfs, and the ones labaeled as apple snails looked a bit different than the mystery snails, but I too am often mistaken.

Bumped!

my bettas fine in my community, my black neons have never bothered him they stay away!

Is your betta male or female and what else do you have in your community?
Thanks

my male was ok with my lemon tetras until i bought him his own tank hehe!!