Betta friends?

[Lemon]

So I have a female betta in a 10 gallon and I want to add live plants (currently have silk) and some other swimmers in there. I do know that betta are not social fish and she is not lonely. I also know that I want more fish in the tank because my other one is apparently toxic to all life rn(kill count:2 betta males 11 tadpoles 2 snails and a bunch of plants) so no one come after me for having more then one fish in a tank, I know how bettas work and I know how to keep them for the most part. I also know how to cycle a tank just to clear that. I do not want help with my other tank I am in the process of getting the needed materials. BUT what are y’all’s recommendations on more lil guys? I have had tetras and I want a bristle nosed pleco if that’s a option. any ideas?

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

If you already have tetras in the tank too then you are probably already stocked. What kind and how many tetras do you have?

 

[Lemon]

I don’t currently have any in the tank but I have experience owning them in the past I have previously owned neon tetras

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

In that case the answer is that female bettas can be just as territorial and aggressive as males. It all depends on the individual betta's personality whether or not they will tolerate tank mates. I would suggest trying to show her a mirror and see if she flares at her reflection. If she does then that's a good indicator that she probably can't have any tankmates. If she doesn't flare then you could maybe try a few shrimp to see how she reacts to them. Just be aware that it's more common for bettas to try to kill anything that enters their "territory" or tanks especially when they are small.

 

[Lemon]

I fully understand that both genders are aggressive. The only reason I’m trying this is because she has not flared at all and has gotten along with other small animals previously when my kid threw in some “lil fish” aka tadpole in. She didn’t react or seem bothered other then a lil peek at the new arrivals(Obviously I removed all of the tadpoles and did a water change and monitored her for a while to make sure she was fine eta eta. This was a month ago don’t come after me)

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

So I have a female betta in a 10 gallon

BUT what are y’all’s recommendations on more lil guys? I have had tetras and I want a bristle nosed pleco if that’s a option. any ideas?

I don't want to recommend any particular species for a ten gal to live with a betta I'm afraid, since it always poses a risk. Not going to 'come at you' about the idea of mixing other fish with betta either, I know that while it wouldn't be my choice, that a lot of people do, and sometimes it works out fine.

Not coming at you either when I suggest the following, just want to say that even leaving aside the betta issue, that there are not that many species that can happily live in a ten gallon. That's too small for a pleco, even the smaller bristlenose plecos I wouldn't put in anything less than a 20g. Not just because of their adult size and needing swimming space, but because they're poop monsters with a high bioload, which can get out of control fast in a heavily stocked 10g.

Many of the usual tetra and rasbora also need more horizontal swimming space than a 10g provides, and need to be kept in reasonably large numbers for them to feel secure. Neons/cardinals/harlequins need groups of 8-12 minimum really, and that's a lot of fish with not a lot of swimming space in a ten gal, but would be perfect in a 20 long.

There are some gorgeous nano species that you can keep in larger numbers in a smaller tank, like chili rasbora, celestial pearl danio, ember tetra, even dwarf corydoras - so they could theoretically live in a ten gallon, with a good school size - but these smaller species also all tend to be easily spooked, easily bullied, and much more vulnerable to a betta. If the betta turns on them it'll be a massacre, but even if the betta never so much as looks at them, these nano fish are very likely to be scared of the betta. They will be aware that they're living with a much larger, very territorial fish. That stress won't be good for their health, nor for displaying their natural behaviours. So while the stocking/bioload might be hypothetically okay if you add 8 pygmy corydoras to a ten gal with a medium sized centrepiece fish - in practice, the pygmies would be hiding all the time and not schooling around and chilling out in the open the way they would if they weren't with the betta.

So make sure to research whichever species you're considering carefully; check their minimum tank size on Seriously Fish as well as consider whether they'd be okay with a peaceful betta or not. Bristlenose and neons wouldn't work. If you do decide to add other fish, make sure you have a back up plan for what to do if things go wrong. A spare place to separate the betta if she starts attacking the new tankmates.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Neon's would be a no-go in a 10 gallon since despite their smallish size, they do need a group and a larger amount of space than 10 gallons to really thrive. A BN also needs more room to thrive.

Add to that the fact that they are brightly coloured which will inevitably flick the kill switch in the Betta - regardless of being male or female.

Betta need to be alone end of story. They are genetically wired to fight and if that perceived intruder into their water space does not leave, they will harrass it, nip it and generally worry & stress it to death....add in bright colours and/or flowy fins and that will increase the fury of having a perceived intruder on the Betta's patch that needs to be removed.

Betta weigh up their tankmates over time. They scout them out, watch their habits, favourite places to hide. Initially a Betta will tolerate...or at least appear to tolerate...their tankmates. But over time their tolerance will start to crack and little subtle signs will appear that all is not good.

I understand your desire to add fish. I understand that you want more fish.

However, fishkeeping is not all about what the human desires or wants.

It is entirely about what the fish needs, what the fish can cope with and what you as its human caretaker does for it to enable it to thrive.

Leave the Betta on its own, its healthy and if you decide to go with what you want rather than what your fish needs, then you best be prepared for tears.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@Lemon Did you read these replies? Have you thought some more on whether you still want to add more fish, and if so, which species you're thinking of?

 

[Lemon]

@Lemon Did you read these replies? Have you thought some more on whether you still want to add more fish, and if so, which species you're thinking of?

My neighbor has guppy’s that are taking over the tank so I’m taking 3 or 4 females off her hands to put in the tank plus if it doesn’t go well I wout have wasted money and wouldn’t have been risking my betta with tail biting and the Guppies have muted colors to start with plus are apparently peaceful

 

[Crispii]

My neighbor has guppy’s that are taking over the tank so I’m taking 3 or 4 females off her hands to put in the tank plus if it doesn’t go well I wout have wasted money and wouldn’t have been risking my betta with tail biting and the Guppies have muted colors to start with plus are apparently peaceful

You can always move the Betta or guppies to a Tupperware container if things don't work out or get another tank.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

My neighbor has guppy’s that are taking over the tank so I’m taking 3 or 4 females off her hands to put in the tank plus if it doesn’t go well I wout have wasted money and wouldn’t have been risking my betta with tail biting and the Guppies have muted colors to start with plus are apparently peaceful

Ah okay, let us know how it goes!

Bear in mind that female livebearers like guppies can store sperm packets from males they've mated with, and pop out fry every month for up to a year or so, even without a male around...! They mature quickly, and unless the breeder separates the male and female fry from parents and each other as soon as it's possible to sex them, then the males in a the batch/parents will mate with the young females once they mature. If your neighbour has one packed tack and is giving you females, you're very likely to have huge amounts of fry pretty soon! Can be a lot of fun and valuable breeding experience, but also can overwhelm people with just how many fry they produce! Guppies are also called "the million fish" for a reason

 

[Lemon]

Ah okay, let us know how it goes!

Bear in mind that female livebearers like guppies can store sperm packets from males they've mated with, and pop out fry every month for up to a year or so, even without a male around...! They mature quickly, and unless the breeder separates the male and female fry from parents and each other as soon as it's possible to sex them, then the males in a the batch/parents will mate with the young females once they mature. If your neighbour has one packed tack and is giving you females, you're very likely to have huge amounts of fry pretty soon! Can be a lot of fun and valuable breeding experience, but also can overwhelm people with just how many fry they produce! Guppies are also called "the million fish" for a reason

She has sexed out half of them and Quarantined the females that she’s going to be giving me to make sure that they didn’t produce any more fry accidentally and even then I have a 5 gallon I can dump them in and give back a majority of them so she can raise and breed/sell those

 

[Luna0341]

I don't want to recommend any particular species for a ten gal to live with a betta I'm afraid, since it always poses a risk. Not going to 'come at you' about the idea of mixing other fish with betta either, I know that while it wouldn't be my choice, that a lot of people do, and sometimes it works out fine.

Not coming at you either when I suggest the following, just want to say that even leaving aside the betta issue, that there are not that many species that can happily live in a ten gallon. That's too small for a pleco, even the smaller bristlenose plecos I wouldn't put in anything less than a 20g. Not just because of their adult size and needing swimming space, but because they're poop monsters with a high bioload, which can get out of control fast in a heavily stocked 10g.

Many of the usual tetra and rasbora also need more horizontal swimming space than a 10g provides, and need to be kept in reasonably large numbers for them to feel secure. Neons/cardinals/harlequins need groups of 8-12 minimum really, and that's a lot of fish with not a lot of swimming space in a ten gal, but would be perfect in a 20 long.

There are some gorgeous nano species that you can keep in larger numbers in a smaller tank, like chili rasbora, celestial pearl danio, ember tetra, even dwarf corydoras - so they could theoretically live in a ten gallon, with a good school size - but these smaller species also all tend to be easily spooked, easily bullied, and much more vulnerable to a betta. If the betta turns on them it'll be a massacre, but even if the betta never so much as looks at them, these nano fish are very likely to be scared of the betta. They will be aware that they're living with a much larger, very territorial fish. That stress won't be good for their health, nor for displaying their natural behaviours. So while the stocking/bioload might be hypothetically okay if you add 8 pygmy corydoras to a ten gal with a medium sized centrepiece fish - in practice, the pygmies would be hiding all the time and not schooling around and chilling out in the open the way they would if they weren't with the betta.

So make sure to research whichever species you're considering carefully; check their minimum tank size on Seriously Fish as well as consider whether they'd be okay with a peaceful betta or not. Bristlenose and neons wouldn't work. If you do decide to add other fish, make sure you have a back up plan for what to do if things go wrong. A spare place to separate the betta if she starts attacking the new tankmates.

 

[Luna0341]

This post was massively helpful to me. Thank you.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

This post was massively helpful to me. Thank you.

I'm really glad to hear that! You're welcome