Betta + Schooling Fish Stocking?

[Killer Smile]

okay so after my failure with otos and corys (just cant get them to eat right) i am now looking at other options for a betta tankmate,as of now i have a plakat male in a 10g and a plakat female in a 5g,they however will be moving into a new divided 5g as i plan to have my first shot at breeding them,so now im left with a free 10g and 5g,both are already cycled,as for the 5g,i plan to keep a single Halfmoon Male in there by himself,as for the 10g,i plan to keep,again another Halfmoon male however the issue is,10g seems too big for just him,i know the betta would love it however it seems a bit too empty,and since i cant get bottom dwelling fish to work for me,im looking into non nipping schooling fish. Though im pretty much lost on what i can put,my initial idea was around 10 harlequin rasboras as i know they dont nip and are fairly hardy but i want more options.

Basically
10 gal:
1 Male HM betta
6-10

correct me if im wrong as well on how many of the schooling fish i can keep,i just know 6 is the minimum and around 10 shouldnt be THAT overstocked if ever.

also if there are other options for tankmates for my 5g that wont overstock it,please include them too

thanks!

 

[KittyKat]

It sounds like you need to address the problem of why your fish were not eating. What exactly caused it? Was the food you used appropriate?

You could try 6 espei (not harlequin) rasboras and see how that goes? You should be able to tell after a while if they fit in well and if you can add 2-4 more.

 

[Killer Smile]

for the issue about the food,its partly caused by me and partly my area as well,i havent seen a store in my area that sells algae wafers,i have algae on my driftwood but i dont think it was enough.

i havent heard of espei rasboras,searched it online just now,and it seems to look just like a harlequin? whats the difference?

 

[KittyKat]

for the issue about the food,its partly caused by me and partly my area as well,i havent seen a store in my area that sells algae wafers,i have algae on my driftwood but i dont think it was enough.

What about ordering food online? That is the only way I have bought fish food in the last 5-6 years..

i havent heard of espei rasboras,searched it online just now,and it seems to look just like a harlequin? whats the difference?

Adult size and colouration are the main differences. Also espei have a slightly thinner body than heteromorpha (harlequin)s. Look at the shape of the black part:

• T. espei
  
• T. heteromorpha:
  

 

[Lacuna]

for the issue about the food,its partly caused by me and partly my area as well,i havent seen a store in my area that sells algae wafers,i have algae on my driftwood but i dont think it was enough.

i havent heard of espei rasboras,searched it online just now,and it seems to look just like a harlequin? whats the difference?

Otos eat algae but corys don't, corys actually quite like a meaty diet. They would eat algae wafers though. Otos also need mature and established tanks. If the tank didn't have loads of algae then the otos might have starved, and the corys certainly would have starved if you weren't dropping food in for them. However, otos have been known to die for unknown reasons, so maybe you just got unlucky.

 

[Killer Smile]

do the espei have the same temprament as the regular harlequins? i mean,no fin nipping,safe for bettas,yeah that basically

also if anyone can give more suggestions,id love to hear them better to have a broader range of choices

 

[KittyKat]

do the espei have the same temprament as the regular harlequins? i mean,no fin nipping,safe for bettas,yeah that basically

They have identical temperaments, in my experience. As for Betta safety, it always depends on individual fish, although I would generally say that it won't be a problem with these rasboras.

There aren't that many fish which are compatible with Bettas..

 

[Joshwainwright]

Bettas are usually kept alone due to the lack of fish that are compatible with them, if I were you I would go for the espei.