Tankmates - I Know What You're Thinking!

[jaarus]

Yet another tankmate question in the betta forum?
No it can't be..!

Well I am sorry to say it is


I have a 20g tank that currently houses "Blue" my (you guessed it..) blue VT betta.
It’s a planted tank - and I am looking for some tankmates for him as a 20g containing one fish, attractive though he is - does look a little empty

Going to get a group of true julii cory's for the bottom as I think they are cute as hell and love the way they 'wink' at you!

Want a small shoal of mid-dwelling fish that wont either attack or fall victim to the betta.
Preferably something colourful (a flash of red would be nice…but hey I aint picky) and must be non threatening.

My last betta was a complete softy and lived with guppies his whole life no problem - this one was originally housed in with the guppies but as soon as he was settled and made his first bubble nest he then developed a taste for guppy tail.
Hence him being moved to another tank.

Current is no problem - I have the tank set up so one area has fast current and one area very gentle current (gentle enough for a bubble nest to remain)

Any good ideas?

 

[alessasavoca]

One fish that a few people on here have never had problems with are white cloud mountain minnows. They aren't red but can be very attractive with the dash of orange on their tails and lovely iridecent sheen to their bodies. It's an idea.

 

[jaarus]

Sure is - thanks for the reply


Keep em coming guys!

 

[starrynightxxi]

keeping bettas with other fish is sort of a try-and-see thing. harlequin rasboras are popular, or maybe Rasbora espei, which is very similar to the harlequin but a little more colorful. Many of the microrasboras are red, but they are hard to find, can be expensive, and small enough that your betta may see them as prey.

Best course of action for a tank with a male betta is to stock the tank with fish you like that the bettas will hopefully get along with, but to have a gallon+ container to move the betta to if he gets cranky.

 

[Biulu]

Whatever fish you choose, make sure that the betta is the last one to go in (move at least the decor around), as he is more likely to react agressive to other fish invading what he considers to be his territory.

 

[jaarus]

Good point about disassociating the betta with the tank prior/during adding tankmates - hadn't thought about doing that, I will certainly remeber to do that when the time comes to add something....dont want him just to think "yum...wriggly food!"

Anyone had any luck with any kind of tetras?
I know that tetra's can be quite "nippy" but are there any more dosile varieties than the cocky little neon?
I only ask they are all rather pretty fish in their own right - Black/Red Phantoms, Glolights, silver tips etc

Tricky to find something really thats suitable for both of us - we are both as picky as each other!!

 

[Kaz1814]

Silver tips are little Gits!! As are serpae's. Both will munch on any tail/fin that passes by.... W.C.M.M are cool but as mentioned it depends on the Betta.
None of my boys will share their tanks, have tried them all with the minnows but they all seem to have the same problem... "this is my tank and i aint sharin with you"

 

[lljdma06]

I've kept Boraras brigittae with bettas before. They are too fast for your average VT or other long-finned variety to catch. I wouldn't put them with a plakat, though, they are much faster. Cherry barbs may be a nice thought. They are practically on Valium and a breeding male can be a very bright red. A word of warning, however, bettas tend to be attracted to very bright colors, so the splash of red may not be the best idea. That's why harlequins tend to work so well, they are drab and mid-shoaling. Feed a harlequin well, though, and the colors will pop out. An underestimated fish, colorwise. Mine were lovely when I kept them with a Plakat.

llj