friends for my betta

[I_hate_platies]

howdy.
I have a betta in a 2.5 gallon (cause I think sticking em in a cold, filterless tank no bigger than a drinking glass is cruel...) and I'd like to add a few more fish in there to liven up the tank.
what would get along well with a betta? obviously can't get any nippers or anything the betta would want to attack.

I'm not a fan of boring fish, something that moves around a lot and isn't afraid of its shadow would be nice.
also, not sure how many fish max should go in there. suppose it depends on their size

 

[wrs]

id say platties, but u hate them, how can u hate them?? bettas dont get lonley though. and umm a good fish minght be a........ a tetra maybe?

 

[Dwarfs]

Hmmm...That tank is kind of small for more than one fish but if you have really good filtration then maybe you could pull off getting a couple of cories or ottos. You could get ghost shrimp without heavy filtration though

 

[Dwarfs]

id say platties, but u hate them, how can u hate them?? bettas dont get lonley though. and umm a good fish minght be a........ a tetra maybe?

He said no fin nippers Tetras may have a meal out of the betta's fins

 

[I_hate_platies]

I hate platies cause they're a bore to look at, slow-moving and scared of everything. the betta in my big tank is constantly smacking the platies around.

I've been told a few neons in there would be cool. just trying to find out what gets along best with a betta.


btw, I'm not worried about him getting lonely. I'm just looking to have something more to look at when I'm at my desk

 

[Gabe]

Cories would go very well with a Betta. I think Panda Cories are adorable, but with a tank that small you might want to see about getting at least 3 Pygmie Cories. Cories are very active fish and are really interesting. That's my opinion, someone might have another idea though.

Gabe

 

[wrs]

my platties are fun, lol, i dont think my brothers tetra eats my betta, i put it w/others when i clean its tank, and it seems good, all thish i have listed, except the guppys, all did good w/my betta

 

[Becca]

Zebra Danios are small enough to fit well in your tank and seemed to do well when I had a Betta in a 3-Gal. I only added two of them at the time. And, of course, they're extremely active, so you'll see a lot of movement.

 

[noelberg]

He said no fin nippers Tetras may have a meal out of the betta's fins

depends on the tetra - serpaes definitely, black widows probably. Smaller, tube-shaped tetras shouldn't do any damage at all. However they're a heck of a lot faster and may snatch the betta's food before he can get it.

Zebra Danios are small enough to fit well in your tank and seemed to do well when I had a Betta in a 3-Gal. I only added two of them at the time. And, of course, they're extremely active, so you'll see a lot of movement.

sometimes danios can be nippy around bettas, but then again I've heard of mollies ripping bettas to pieces... seems like it depends on the individual(s). and sometimes you don't want really zippy fish with bettas, as i already said.

but as dwarfs said, talk of adding other fish is moot if you don't have filtration.

 

[Becca]

Take noelberg's advice over mine. I"m still new to the whole game.

 

[noelberg]

nah, danios can be great with bettas, Becca. u just have to have a backup plan in case you get a few who aren't. So if you only have a 2.5 tank and want to keep a betta, then you would have to take nippy danios back to the lfs.

people thought i was going to kill my betta putting him in with black widows and a golden wonder, but he's the boss of the tank. some bettas might not have lived through that situation - all fish have different personalities

 

[BigSteve]

Σ I hate people who hate platies. But to answer your question
(one that seems to pop up frequently), white cloud minnows are
a good addition to a betta tank. And like a betta, they can take
cool water.

 

[BettaBabe]

I have a 2 gallon with 3 zebra danio. They've been together for 4 months, but lived with another Betta in the same tank for 2 years.

My tank's water parameters are great! So I am not worried that it's over stocked. I'll post aquarium photos in that section soon.

BB

 

[noelberg]

Bettas do not do best in coldwater! About the only thing they need in a tank is a heater. Bettas are TROPICAL fish - read almost any literature from a knowledgable or credible source - especially people who breed bettas or collect wild bettas - and you will see they prefer temps at least in the low 70's.

i don't think anybody mentioned the possibility of dividing the tank and having 2 bettas. thats a possibility

 

[luxum]

Maybe you could pull off 3 cories, but you'd need pygmies or similiar that stay small, some cories can get suprisingly large. I have tried small tetras (neons) with a betta, and while the neons didn't nip his fins, the betta chased them around until he harassed them to death.