Another Tankmate Question

[BirdofPray]

I recently got a 12 gallon tank for a gift from my aunt. I've never had anything over a 3 gallon tank before, so I've read up on fishless cycling and I plan on starting that tomorrow. I'm going to follow that sticky post in the question section to the letter. This gives me time to decide on what fish to add. I know I want a male betta because I just love them. Now two questions.

1) Can Pleco's live hamoniously with the one male betta? If so would 2 suffice?
-and-
2)Considering that I can put 2 pleco's with the 1 betta, what options do I have in adding other fish to the tank.

I'd like to get as many options as I can, so that I can read up all the info I can on those specific fish. I thank you all for your time and expertise.

 

[iloveyou]

with bettas... hmm... some ppl keep mollies with bettas..

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm

plecos should be ok i think...


uhhh..


i have a male kribensis with my female bettas

 

[Sharlene1385]

Well I kept Platties and Mollies with my female.... but she was too mean and chased them till they died of stress. aw, but I loved her. Had her for 5 years. .. Anyway, Maybe a very hardy fish, like a hardy tetra that might not mind it. Just don't get anything that is a known fin nipper.

humm... I heard swordtails like to chase and play, now maybe that would be too playful for a betta, or it might be just fine. I think it depends on the fish. I know of someone that has an angel fish, pretty big one too, with a guppy in it. And the guppy is still alive. They also have a glass fish in with that and a large goldfish. lol, some fish just don't live up to their nature.

To me, I'd not put anything with the Betta, but thats because my luck would be that the betta would feast. lol

 

[Vip]

A pleco? i think you guys are talking about differnt pleco's cause as far i as know they get 20"+ witch is bigger than the tank.

 

[iloveyou]

im not talking about a different kind of pleco..

how many years would it take untill that pleco outgrows the tank..

probably 2 or 3..

and what are the odds that it will live to be 2 or 3 years old?

not very good.

 

[BirdofPray]

Ok, so I guess the pleco's are out of the question. But is there any other fish out there that serve the same purpose and would be fit for a betta tank?

 

[cutecotton]

i heard that platties and mollies and htings like that tend to go well with bettas...what not to put in a betta tank: tetras (they're too fast for hte betta nd might start nipping and bullying him if the'yre in groups), guppies (they got a fancy tail that a betta would find initimdating)...and uh..



sorry tha'ts all i can think of at the moment. Oh and i dont' think angels go very well with them either

 

[james..]

Don't put any type of danios with them, some people say it worked for them but I wouldn't risk it.

 

[BirdofPray]

Ok, I have a new idea. 12 gallon tank...how many female bettas can I put in there safely?

 

[wuvmybetta]

This will require much thought. Personally I wouldn't put females together But if you do, get at least 4 or 5.

Plecos do get large, your tank wouldn't be able to support the waste that two produce. There are smaller exotic plecos but they would want a tank with lots of current,which your betta wouldn't like so those are definitely out.

Danios and tetras will nip your bettas fins and make it miserable. Platties and guppies and mollies would be the focal point of your bettas aggression so my advice is...ditch the bettas all together if you want a trouble-free,peaceful community.

 

[BirdofPray]

Ok, why wouldn't females go good together?

I didn't realize pleco's would get so big. I was just thinking of some type of algae eating fish for my tank, and thought pleco's would be the best.

I'm thinkin you're right wuv. It's a shame, because I love bettas too.

 

[wuvmybetta]

I've personally never tried it. I have a tankful of about 35 sibling 2 month old females but I've been warned by a very trustworthy source that they too will start fighting eventually. Mixing girls from different spawns is a recipe for disaster, especially in a tank that size.
I'm sure some will disagree with me and I would only take their word for it if they'd kept the girls together for over 6 months without ever losing one....I'm willing to bet that nobody can say that. They turn on each other and strive for dominance, somebodies bound to get hurt. If you keep just one, you can expect her to terrorize the other occupants.

I'll think about it and see if I can come up with some good choices for a tank that size.

 

[BirdofPray]

I greatly appreciate your help. I figure now is the best time to get this sorted out, as I'm cycling for the first time. I've never done this before, so I'm being extra cautious.

 

[kittybug]

if you want something to help keep waste under control you might try putting in a snail or something like that. dont think there would be any probs with the betta and snail not getting along