Betta tank mates. What to keep and what not to (if any at all)

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BLACKPINK

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I am thinking about turning my 30+ gallon tank into a community tank with a single betta, few maybe 4 or 6 cherry shrimps and same amount of neon tetras or maybe something else. I knew bettas are very territorial and made this decision after some research on the internet however people keep suggesting me not to keep betta in there and the shopkeepers keep saying get angel fish instead. All this has made me confused about whether to keep a betta or angel fish or simply just keep a few goldfish (ranchus and orandas). This is my third time keeping fish. My first 2 times weren't great as I kept going according to shopkeepers and didn't do my own research. So my question is whether I should go with the shrimps + tetras + betta or shrimp + tetras + angels or just goldfish.
 
No to betta + neon tetras. Bettas are not community fish and are best kept alone.

Shrimps with a betta are hit and miss as some bettas ignore shrimps, others eat them.

Angelfish need a bigger tank than 30 gallons.

Goldfish need 26 gallons for 1 fish and an additional 13 litres for every extra goldfish.



It seems a pity to have just one fish and perhaps shrimp in a tank that size. Are they any other suitable fish which you would be willing to build a community around? By suitable I mean a species suited to your tank size, and your water - do you know how hard your water is?
 
Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) are territorial and will attack other male Bettas that come into their territory. They will also attack other brightly coloured fish they consider to be a rival for territory, habitat or food.

Some Betta splendens will get along with other fish but others don't, and there's no way of telling if the fish you get will be happy or go on a killing spree. They can be fine for weeks and then one day they snap and you start finding dead fish. This is why most people keep them on their own.
 
Like so many in this hobby, you are getting the wrong advice from the internet and the store employees.

First, male bettas are not community fish and adding other fish in with them is only asking for trouble. A few times it works, for whatever reason, but most of the time it fails, eventually if not immediately. A 30g tank is a nice size for small shoaling fish, but not with a betta.

Second, angelfish are not suitable here. This is a shoaling fish, it lives in groups, and when denied this there can be real trouble. And as it grows to six inches body length with an 8-inch vertical fin span, it needs a lot more tank space. Males can be very territorial, that leads to all sorts of issues.

Others posted as I have been tying, but we are saying the same things. I would like to know however, what fish you already have and in what size tank? If there is already one or more fish, we may have to work around that.
 
I am thinking about turning my 30+ gallon tank into a community tank with a single betta, few maybe 4 or 6 cherry shrimps and same amount of neon tetras or maybe something else. I knew bettas are very territorial and made this decision after some research on the internet however people keep suggesting me not to keep betta in there and the shopkeepers keep saying get angel fish instead. All this has made me confused about whether to keep a betta or angel fish or simply just keep a few goldfish (ranchus and orandas). This is my third time keeping fish. My first 2 times weren't great as I kept going according to shopkeepers and didn't do my own research. So my question is whether I should go with the shrimps + tetras + betta or shrimp + tetras + angels or just goldfish.
I kept my short-finned koi betta, Pugsley, in a 36-gallon community tank with rasboras, tetras, corys, and kuhli loaches for awhile. He loved it, and he was fine...until he wasn't. He started harassing the corys for their pellets, and then he just turned into a complete jerk, and I evicted him to his own 10-gallon tank. Now he lives with one nerite snail. He eats all shrimp he sees. Shrimps and tetras or shrimps and rasboras makes a very nice tank.
 
No to betta + neon tetras. Bettas are not community fish and are best kept alone.

Shrimps with a betta are hit and miss as some bettas ignore shrimps, others eat them.

Angelfish need a bigger tank than 30 gallons.

Goldfish need 26 gallons for 1 fish and an additional 13 litres for every extra goldfish.



It seems a pity to have just one fish and perhaps shrimp in a tank that size. Are they any other suitable fish which you would be willing to build a community around? By suitable I mean a species suited to your tank size, and your water - do you know how hard your water is?
I do not know the hardness of the water. Most shopkeepers here (pakistan) just keep and sell fish with experience and luck. I asked a few about it and they did not have any idea about what hardness or pH is. I shall be able to check the pH soon. But I couldn't find anything to measure the hardness.
I am not interested in other fish neither do I know many types. Maybe I can keep a betta separately in a smaller tank and the community in the other.
 
Like so many in this hobby, you are getting the wrong advice from the internet and the store employees.

First, male bettas are not community fish and adding other fish in with them is only asking for trouble. A few times it works, for whatever reason, but most of the time it fails, eventually if not immediately. A 30g tank is a nice size for small shoaling fish, but not with a betta.

Second, angelfish are not suitable here. This is a shoaling fish, it lives in groups, and when denied this there can be real trouble. And as it grows to six inches body length with an 8-inch vertical fin span, it needs a lot more tank space. Males can be very territorial, that leads to all sorts of issues.

Others posted as I have been tying, but we are saying the same things. I would like to know however, what fish you already have and in what size tank? If there is already one or more fish, we may have to work around that.
Well that's a bummer. I do not own any fish at the moment it is completely empty right now. Size of tank is 30+ gallons. I'll have to measure it again for exact size.
 
OK, so that brings us to the water parameters. GH (general hardness) is the most important to fish, followed by pH, and then temperature. Do you know the GH and pH of your source water (tap water you'll be using)? For this sized tank, you have many options if it is softish water, fewer if quite hard.
 
OK, so that brings us to the water parameters. GH (general hardness) is the most important to fish, followed by pH, and then temperature. Do you know the GH and pH of your source water (tap water you'll be using)? For this sized tank, you have many options if it is softish water, fewer if quite hard.
Our tap water is underground water from our own bore. We dont drink this water, we drink the mineral water. We have never checked its hardness I'll try to figure something out. Its drinkable and we have used to drink it and still do sometimes.
 
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I am thinking about turning my 30+ gallon tank into a community tank with a single betta, few maybe 4 or 6 cherry shrimps and same amount of neon tetras or maybe something else. I knew bettas are very territorial and made this decision after some research on the internet however people keep suggesting me not to keep betta in there and the shopkeepers keep saying get angel fish instead. All this has made me confused about whether to keep a betta or angel fish or simply just keep a few goldfish (ranchus and orandas). This is my third time keeping fish. My first 2 times weren't great as I kept going according to shopkeepers and didn't do my own research. So my question is whether I should go with the shrimps + tetras + betta or shrimp + tetras + angels or just goldfish.
I have had horrible experience with bettas+neon tetras. My betta (In pfp) is in a live-planted 20 gallon high tank and has left the shrimp alone for the most part and the shrimp were even able to reproduce in the tank.
 

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