I'm Getting A Bigger Tank, And What Kind Of Tank Mate For My Betta

[kizno1]

The number and type of tank mates you can have with a betta will be extremely limited. 5 gallons is a small tank, and the less occupants you have in it, the easier it will be to keep it clean and the water stable and safe.

Choose only one other species to go in the tank.

For actual fish, you could safely go for 4-6 endlers livebearers. Or Rice fish ( same number)

Really , shrimp or a snail would be an easier and safe choice if you have not kept a betta with tankmates before.

I HAVE heard of shrimp going after betta's fins... never had any experience, so I'm not sure. And how much of a chance would the shrimp become fish food? Lol, I'd actually like shrimp too. But don't think I can do it.

Yeah, I wouldn't even consider mixing a betta with shrimp. In the fall, one of my bettas was a bit ill and kept sitting at the bottom of the tank. He did get better, however, IF there had been shrimp in the tank, it would have been likely that the shrimp would have picked apart the betta before he would have a chance to have responded to the treatment he was given.

If the betta was ill you should remove the shrimp while treating. Simple.

Amano ,Cherry and Bee shrimp are the best shrimp to have with a betta . Ghost shrimp are best avoided as those are the type to have a go at a fish which is what guppygoddess is trying to express I think.

Cherries and Bees are small safe shrimp who feed on bits of waste food and algae, Amanos will feed primarily on alage tabs or any algal growth in the tank. I have seen them pick at fish food too.

Shrimp are a great choice for tank mates because they are peaceful and produce very very small amounts of waste, and won't overload your filter.

Apple snails will grow to around the size of a golf ball and basically just cruise around looking good. They will not eat live plants, but do like to graze on any dead plant material. You should also feed them either a alage tab or bottom feeder wafers. An apple snail will add a noticable amount of waste to the tank, as they are rather messy and count as approximately 1-2 fishes worth of waste (poo) .


Your betta is more than capable of living alone, and they do not absolutely require tankmates. You say your betta is peaceful but you actually have absolutely no idea wether he is or not. He's got no tankmates and is in a one gallon bowl. He's never seen any tankmates or had to share his territory so you can't possibly know his reaction to any additions when you have him in the 5 gallon.

It's best to cycle your tank first, then add any tankmates and leave them in there for one week to adjust and settle. Then add your betta.

To get him used to his new home, a good way of making sure he doesn't sulk or panic at the bigger space is to buy a cheap breeding net of the sort used for guppies. They usually float or stick to the side of the tank.

Release your betta into this net and keep him in there for one week. He can get used to seeing his new home, and seeing his new friends. After the week has passed you can release him, and he will be better able to deal with being in a bigger tank and is more likely to settle down easier .

Four to five endlers in a 5-gallon tank is too many! I tried it and the tank was very crowded. Now I only have two in the tank and it's much better off.

its really not if there all male. what i male and 5 small fish is overcrowded for a 5g but a bettas is fine in a 2g



i would go for a betta and 6 pygmy corys there one of the few corys that will work in there. and you need to get atleast 6 or they will be really shy.

 

[woodstock]

Go ahead and buy a fluorescent bulb as well. Incandescent does nothing good for you, and highly unflattering to all colors in your tank, including your betta. You can get a fluorescent bulb (up to 15w only) at Walmart as well. Got mine for $4 TOTAL.

Will fluorescent bulbs work on incandescent hoods? My bulb right now is horrible, and I'd like a fluorescent one. Thanks!

Sorry, I never noticed your post!! I replaced me incandescent with a COMPACT FLUORESCENT bulb of the same wattage, and size.. Don't get the swirly ones, so I've been told. Just get regular, compact fluorescent. My hood only accepts up to 15w. Oh, and it's gotta be for aquariums too. Not just any regular bulb. I'll fnd pics when I'm on a computer. Currently on an iTouch right now, not a good multitasker, haha.

 

[silverrabbit]

Just to say.... I have shrimp in with nearly all my bettas (even river/ghost shrimp) and have never had a problem with aggression towards the betta. One of my bettas did try and chase the cherry shrimp for a little bit, but he could never catch them and so got bored

 

[woodstock]

Has anybody ever kept snails with a betta? I'm interested in shrimp / snails, but there's just so much limited info with snails.

i think Volleyball_rox already put in a platy with her betta, if I read correctly.

 

[Volleyball_Rox]

Has anybody ever kept snails with a betta? I'm interested in shrimp / snails, but there's just so much limited info with snails.

i think Volleyball_rox already put in a platy with her betta, if I read correctly.

Yes, you are a good reader!

 

[woodstock]

No wonder I have an A in Honors english, then. Hahaha

 

[Honeythorn]

Has anybody ever kept snails with a betta? I'm interested in shrimp / snails, but there's just so much limited info with snails.

i think Volleyball_rox already put in a platy with her betta, if I read correctly.

Yes, I've kept an apple snail with a betta before, no problem. They like to feed on dead plant matter if you have it, and also algae tabs and bottom feeder wafers. They do produce a noticable amount of waste for an invertebrate, and the general consensus is that an apple snail needs around 2 gals of water . If your betta is in a 5 gal then I'd say avoid the snails and go for shrimp, who have an almost non existant waste footprint. If the betta is in around 8+ gals then a snail should work out just fine ( and shrimp too )

 

[woodstock]

Honeythorn, have you kept nerite snails before? Apparently they poop much less (and so you can keep much more of them in a 5gal and one betta) and only grow up to 1''. Also interested in mystery snails, too. Like maybe one of each in a 5gal with a betta. This is what I'm using to judge, though:

http/www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=16&AquTankDepth=8&AquTankHeight=9&FormSubmit=Update&AquListBoxFilter=Aqua-Tech+5-15&AquTextFilterRate=15+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=Shrimp&AquListBoxChooser=Ghost+Shrimp+%28Palaemonetes+sp.%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&AlreadySelected=200909300017%3A1%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=F&AqVolUnit=gUS&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple

I play around with it a lot, seems useful, and pretty trustworthy. It's a general guideline for when I fly blind in seeing if a tankmate will work or not. Apparently One betta in a 5 gal ~ 80% (However two ~ 100%). Each nerite is about ~5%, and mysteries / apples ~ 10% each.

 

[Essjay]

Woodstock, I have a bumblebee nerite in with my betta. They are only about half the size of the zebra nerites so produce a bit less waste. But it does a good job of keeping the tank algae-free.

 

[woodstock]

How often do you feed him algae wafers? And are they "interesting"? And how fast do they go? Sorry for the questions, lol. I don't really want shrimp because I can't guarantee they will be safe during their molting period, and I'm just too unsure for them.

 

[Essjay]

All I feed the snail in the betta's tank is algae pellets (smaller than wafers) and only one a week. The tank is free of algae though! But I also have two bumblebee nerites in my 60 litre tank and I do rotate them with the one in the betta's tank. The 60 litre also has apple snails. I feed that tank with courgette (zucchini) and there's the odd bit of fish food gets past the fish - that doesn't happen with the betta!
For a bumblebee nerite, I would put a small piece of algae wafer in the tank last thing at night - say about 2mm square - and remove what's left in the morning. Of course the betta might beat you to it! For a bigger nerite, the same amount maybe twice a week.
I got the bumblebees in March 2008, so they are not starving to death.