Betta + other fish?

[Fish Meister]

Hi, I'm new to the fish world! I currently have a Siamese Betta fish whom I just adore, and have recently purchased a 45L biOrb Life (+ a heater) for.

I wanted to get him some companions, so I looked online and thought that a sailfin pleco and maybe half a dozen cochus blue tetra fish would be nice. I've read that my Betta won't try to eat them, but is 45L enough for them? I want to include some live plants in the tank too.

Thanks!

 

[OliveFish05]

Hi! Your tank would be just over ten gallons, which unfortunately is not enough space for the pleco. I’m not sure on the tetras, space wise, but I know that bettas often do best on their own. Due to their aggressive and solitary nature it can be very risky giving them tank mates. Shrimp and snails would really be your best bet! A lot of people put their bettas with Pygmy cories, but in that tank size I just don’t think you would get that level of enjoyment from them. If I were you I would look into cherry shrimp, they’re colorful and adorable, and most bettas do pretty well with them!

 

[Circus]

You could do something like a couple of nerite snails, or a colorful mystery snail. The pleco would be a big no, since sailfin plecos get 12 in and larger. Maybe khuli loaches would work?

Of course, this is all depending on your gh and ph.

 

[NannaLou]

As always, my view is that Betta fish should be housed on their own. They are solitary by nature and we should respect that in the homes we provide for them.

 

[Spyro]

Hi, I'm new to the fish world! I currently have a Siamese Betta fish whom I just adore, and have recently purchased a 45L biOrb Life (+ a heater) for.

I wanted to get him some companions, so I looked online and thought that a sailfin pleco and maybe half a dozen cochus blue tetra fish would be nice. I've read that my Betta won't try to eat them, but is 45L enough for them? I want to include some live plants in the tank too.

Thanks!

I had Betta with: Platies, Guppies (not fancy ones, it might try to kill them), mollies, pigmy cory, bristlenose Pleco. It gets along with all of them.
Cherry shrimp, it will hunt them down to the last one. Unless you get very young Betta and let it grow up with shrimp.

 

[Spyro]

As always, my view is that Betta fish should be housed on their own. They are solitary by nature and we should respect that in the homes we provide for them.

People confuse term 'solitary' with prefer to be completely alone.

A lot of male animals are 'solitary' by nature and will not tolerate another male member of their species anywhere in their vicinity. But it doesn't mean that solitary bull Elephant will go and start killing Zebras or not interact with Rhinos.
Bettas get depressed when they have nothing to interact with same as bull Elephant will get depressed if you chuck it into a cage with some grass and trees; but no Zebra, Buffalo to interact with.

 

[OliveFish05]

I had Betta with: Platies, Guppies (not fancy ones, it might try to kill them), mollies, pigmy cory, bristlenose Pleco. It gets along with all of them.
Cherry shrimp, it will hunt them down to the last one. Unless you get very young Betta and let it grow up with shrimp.

The water parameter needs for many of those species and a betta do not line up correctly. Guppies I know (and I think platies and mollies) are hard water fish while bettas are soft water. I do not recommend keeping them together.



Just because they get along doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for the fish, and in the case of many bettas it’s best to keep them without other tank mates, especially when you start considering the tank size

 

[Essjay]

The biorb life is a tall thin tank. L 38 cm/15 inches x W 26 cm/ 10 inches x H 58 cm/23 inches.

There are very few fish suitable for a tank with a footprint of 38 cm/15 inches x 26 cm/10 inches. A sailfin plec, for example, will grow bigger than the tank. Cochu blue tetra need a tank at least 80 cm/32 inches long and have a tendency to nip fish with long fins.
Any fish small enough for a tank this size would be small enough for a betta to eat.

 

[Spyro]

The water parameter needs for many of those species and a betta do not line up correctly. Guppies I know (and I think platies and mollies) are hard water fish while bettas are soft water. I do not recommend keeping them together.



Just because they get along doesn’t mean it’s what’s best for the fish, and in the case of many bettas it’s best to keep them without other tank mates, especially when you start considering the tank size

I'll let you in on little secret:
All these fish have been breed and lived in the water with same parameters for generations.
Your recommendation would be valid in old days when fish was wild caught and breed by specialized breeders that imitated wild conditions.

As for Betta:
everyone knows that Bettas are super mean little creatures that will kill anything that is put into a tank with them. Even if fish is 5 times larger than them.
I know that for a fact like everyone else. It is part of fascination with Betta for the last 200 years. Tough little Rambo fish with mean reputation, like Pit Bull.
Well it turns out that is just plain and simple: not true! Myth and great marketing to sell a kid fish in a bowl. Nothing more