Betta In A Community?

[nessar]

Okay so I've decided (with help from people on this forum, thanks btw) to stock my currently cycling 60litre (15gal) tank with the following:

4/5 african dwarf frogs
2/3 apple snails
4/5 shrimp
1 male betta

from what I've heard I should be fairly safe with these tank mates, but correct me if im wrong.
If it makes a difference I'll probably get a halfmoon or rosetail one.

The thing is I'm thinking that the middle and top level with look pretty empty with just the betta, so what can I get that he wont attack, and that wont attack him?
I'd rather not get white cloud minnows to be honest, because they're a bit boring. Could I get a small school of rainbow fish? Maybe the threadfin ones? They seem to be the smallest. Or possibly a molly?

Plus it was mentioned on another thread that Bettas like caves? What kind, where in the aquarium, and why?

And I'm new to bettas (and tropical fish in general) so if you think I should know anything else please say
Any help appreciated, thanks.

 

[Assaye]

Yes, the bettas loooove caves. They need somewhere to call their terriatory and somewhere to hide away/sleep. It makes them feel much more secure and thus much more active and less prone to stress.

Your current tank mates seem excellent. Just make sure you get the frogs feeding. They feed by smell and won't come up for flakes. They need meaty food (like bloodworm and other live/frozen mixes) and need to be handfed, initially. A syringe, pipette or turkey baster is great for this. If you always feed them in the same place they'll soon learn where to go for food.

Other mid-swimming fish. Hmmm. You never know if it is going to work, tbh. I'm about to try some male endlers with one of my boys but they might have to be moved if he doesn't take to them. I don't know much about rainbows although I have been tempted to try some threadfins with mine, just never got around to it.

What kind of shrimp? If you get lots of small shrimp (like cherry shrimp) and plant the tank up really heavily, it would look very pretty with the shrimp hanging out on the plants/wood/rocks and the betta patrolling the tank.

I used to keep my betta with neons and well, that didn't go so well. You could try some lamp eyes, maybe? I think lilacamy had come success with them. I think. I'm sure she'll correct me.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Assaye - do you use coconut caves or what kind to you have? Four of my five bettas need better hiding spots. One has a lot of silk plants. . .the others do not. Do coconut caves work well with very long-finned male bettas?

Thanks.

 

[crabbylion]

I brought home an all white betta and put him in a breeding box that hangs in the tank. The first several hours of being in there with his new mates I could tell that he wanted to get at the other fish. It was almost like he was upset at all the happiness going on in the tank. At this point i'm not sure if I want to let him out. Its a 29 gallon with ample places for seclusion but I still don't trust it.

 

[Haych]

GG - I have silk plants and coconut caves and my guys love them.

Cheap to make too - just dont forget to do what I did - let it soak for a while as I had white slime across the tank!

 

[Big_eyes]

GG - I have silk plants and coconut caves and my guys love them.

Cheap to make too - just dont forget to do what I did - let it soak for a while as I had white slime across the tank!

I boiled mine until the water stopped turning golden/brownish and worked a treat

 

[LilyRose Tank]

they love plenty of cover and hiding places...no plastic plants, they will tear his fins, i have pygmy corys in my betta tank, i'll see how he feels about it on tuesday when he arrives home

hope this gives you some idea
hope this helps

 

[Assaye]

Assaye - do you use coconut caves or what kind to you have? Four of my five bettas need better hiding spots. One has a lot of silk plants. . .the others do not. Do coconut caves work well with very long-finned male bettas?

Thanks.

I have some coconut caves. It's best if you can sand them down to smooth the rough surface a bit. I also use terracotta pots. I don't plug the holes in the pots but I do make sure they are either big enough for the fish to easily swim through or that the hole is buried under gravel.

 

[nessar]

I made my first coconut cave a few days ago bit of a chore getting all the coconut out but I guess worth it cause I've got a cave for less than a pound!
Bit worried about whether my betta will bully my frogs for cave control though, I can only really fit 2 in my tank, but I have a big bit of driftwood which has gaps underneath, will this substitute as another couple of caves?

 

[Big_eyes]

I made my first coconut cave a few days ago bit of a chore getting all the coconut out but I guess worth it cause I've got a cave for less than a pound!
Bit worried about whether my betta will bully my frogs for cave control though, I can only really fit 2 in my tank, but I have a big bit of driftwood which has gaps underneath, will this substitute as another couple of caves?

When I didn't have room for any more caves I made one that was attached to the side of the glass at the top of the tank and it worked a treat. I hid it at the back behind some plants to save it being an eyesore.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Assaye - do you use coconut caves or what kind to you have? Four of my five bettas need better hiding spots. One has a lot of silk plants. . .the others do not. Do coconut caves work well with very long-finned male bettas?

Thanks.

i have a coconut cave in with my male long-finned betta. at first he just checked it out occasionally (i guess to just make sure there wasn't a living threat in there) but lately he's been spending his nights and 'sleeping' in there. its very logical to think that it gives them a sense of security. with the coconut they have a dark area, even when its light out, and they have a roof over their heads to protect them from whatever could possibly attack them from above.

the coconut caves are inexpensive and take up very little space too... i think you should go for it

 

[MrNiceGuy]

You could try some lamp eyes, maybe? I think lilacamy had come success with them. I think. I'm sure she'll correct me.

lamp eyes?! hellz no. back when i had no idea what i was doing i had a community with lamp eyes and a male betta and it was disastrous. actually, there were a few different type of tetras in the tank with the betta and the lamp eyes were the worst by far.


to respond to the original poster though, i dont see why you'd consider white clouds boring. they give the tank lots of activity. they might not be as big or as brightly colored as other schooling fish but they give the tank lots of activity. they're always swimming somewhere as opposed to a lot of tetras that mainly hang out in one spot unless they're being fed.

 

[nessar]

When I didn't have room for any more caves I made one that was attached to the side of the glass at the top of the tank and it worked a treat. I hid it at the back behind some plants to save it being an eyesore.

how did you attach it and what kind of cave? sounds ingenious!

 

[Tortea]

No Mollie with betta, they had a massive fight, the mollie lost an eye and the betta had no fins left.


Geuss it depends on the type.

 

[nessar]

Okay just wanted to revitalise this thread a bit because i have another question, well two actually:

I saw a video of threadfin rainbow fish and it looks like they kind of 'flare' at each other - would this be seen as a threat to a betta, thereby resulting in dead rainbowfish?

Could you keep FEMALE guppies with bettas, as their fins arent as long?