Betta Friends

[Bengilbey]

Hello everyone,

I have a 6 gallon planted aquarium with a small piece of bogwood. The tank has a three stage filter and is heated at around 24'

At the moment the only fish living in the tank is my betta, is there room for any other fish? if so what would you suggest,

Thanks for your time and help,
Ben

 

[Sacred]

Corydoras's seem to be good tank mates for Bettas. For such a small tank you would want the pygmy ones. Not sure how many you could have in a 6 gallon though. He might be happy enough just being on his own mind.

 

[Bengilbey]

Would a couple of Neon Tetras be no good? (although they can be a bit nippy)

 

[Sacred]

They are ok for tank mates, but again your a bit limited by your 6 gal tank size. Mines a 10 gal and my betta lives with 5 neons and 1 corydoras. It's pretty much all I can have.

From what I read Betta's are quite happy living alone and enjoy having all the space to themselves.

 

[Bengilbey]

I heard that if betta's get bored in a tank on their own, they can become stressed out and it can shorten there life span?

 

[Sacred]

I heard that if betta's get bored in a tank on their own, they can become stressed out and it can shorten there life span?

I am not an expert on them, but you can do things to keep them amused. They are highly curious though, so having lots of planting for the them to rummage around in or maybe some nice wood pieces to explore, maybe a cave of sorts. You can also rearrange bits of the tank from time to time to give them a change of scene.

I'd get the cories myself, ideally the pygmies as you could have a few, because they don't grow too big. They are quite active and they do seem to be the popular choice for tank mates.

 

[Bengilbey]

How many cories would you suggest?

 

[Sacred]

I think you could get away with 4 or possibly 5 of the pygmy version if you can find them, my local fish suppliers don't sell pygmy's. You really are limited by your 6 gal tank though for regular cories (People reckon they need to be in schools of 5 or more to be happy) Have you considered maybe getting a larger tank? Then you can add a mix of fish.

If not then just keep him on his own, he has his own little kingdom. Having more fish in there can cause more stress for your betta anyway. If you want some more action then try get some Pygmies. I have only seen them online here in the UK, so you'd get charged for the delivery. I don't know where your located, but it seems they are more common in the states in shops.

It's very tempting to get too excited when you think about adding more fish to a tank, but the best thing if you want lots of fish is larger tanks. My other one is 55 gals and I have lots of different fish in there. I have not had luck with bettas in it though. Larger tanks open up all sorts of more considerations, like avoiding fish that could harrass the betta and nip him or chase him, or him chase them. I kidna wish I had got a 20 gal instead of my 10 gal, it usually only costs a little more. Oh well

I am sure he could live a full and happy life on his own though, king of his own little kingdom where it's peaceful, but having the pygmy's would add some more activity to the tank and a nice peaceful companion, providing he doesn't get grumpy with them, but I doubt he would.

 

[Bengilbey]

Okay then, I am going to look around my local pet shops, I am in essex, near london. I think I will go down the pygmy route and just get 3 or 4, if I cant find them anywhere, so you know of anywhere online that sell them?

 

[Sacred]

I do know one or two, but delivery is often around £14 for fish unless you go to pick them up yourself if you go down that route, the extra cost on delivery is normally for a 24 hour courier service as well as making the fish as comfy as possible on the journey.

 

[-FighterFishh]

I'd say in a tank that size just leave him by himself. If you really wanted tank mates, I suggest apple snails or some sort of shrimp

 

[Bengilbey]

Okie doke, thanks guys

 

[Sacred]

So you know what your gonna get now? When you going to get them

 

[Bengilbey]

I ended up at my local fish store and picked up 5 neon's they are more then happy in the tank with the betta. The betta hasnt even flared up at them or chased them. Added coulour and movement to the tank and there is still plenty of room

 

[Sacred]

Don't end up like I did. It's tempting to look in there and think 'lost more room still' I've learnt a hard way that can be bad. See how the neons get on, you might get away with them in there, but don't add any more life for at least a week.

My betta doesn't flare at anything that I have seen. Still, keep an eye on what happens.