whats a good mate for my betta

[chishnfips]

hello folks,

i recently bought a siamese fighting fish the other day to go into my 14 gallon tank. Along with him I bought two red honey gouramis (well smart) to go into my 29 gallon, in the mean time for quarantine they are in with the betta.

But what I have noticed is the betta is really displaying his fins to the gouramis and then trying to nip them, the gouramis wont be there long, but my question is what is a good pal for him.

I was thinking about two female bettas or some neons or something and an algae eater.

Bearing in mind its only 14 G I need an algae eater that wont get too big and gets on ok with the betta.


cheers.

 

[-*-MicHAeL-*-]

i am no betta expert but you cannot keep the male with the females as he will most likely kill them LOL and the females would bully each other aswell

as for a bottom dweller i would go with pygmy cories and the only fish i can think of keeping with the male would be white cloud mountain minnows

and for the neons they may nip the males fin and bother him

someone who knows more about bettas will give you more help!!

 

[sylvia]

Bettas and gouramies don't get along. Move the dawrfs out as soon as possible.

Male bettas cannot be mixed with other bettas. Again, they'll kill any females or another male.

If you want just female bettas, you need at least 4 to distribute aggression evenly and they cannot be kept with a male (or with dwarf gouramies).

If you want an algae eater that would work in this size tank, otos are realy the only option. 2-3 would be good. Keep in ming that they MUST have vegetable foods and algae to eat and are sensitive to water quality. They preffer, and often need, a planted tank. Alternartively, a single bristlenose plec would work but should idealy be in a larger tank as, though it will only get to between 4" and 6" (depending on exact species), they are poop machines and add a lot of bioload.

If what you want is just any bottom dweller. A couple of kuhlie loaches or 3-4 pygmy cories would work. Pygmy cories actualy spend more time in the middle layers but nevermind... Kuhlies would preffer a sand substrate as they enjoy burrowing.

If you plan to keep the male betta alone with some bottom dwellers, a schooling fish you could try would be 5 white cloud mountain minnows. Alternatively, a trio of platies usualy works as well. 6 spotted rasboras would also work theoreticaly though some bettas tend to dislike them and, because they are only about 1", they an be killed easily if attacked.

Most bettas will also get along with snails, african dwarf frogs and sometimes shrimp. If you plant heavily, some cherry shrimp would make a lovely addition.

 

[boxman]

I have 2x Otos in my tank with my betta, he's obviously a happy chappy as his bubblenests are only getting bigger!!!

The otos seem happy and in one piece too!

I'm going for white clouds and / or platys / balloon mollies in the tank. I wanted neons but decided against it.

Good luck!

 

[chishnfips]

cheers folks, thats well useful info.

I think I might go with the platies and the ottos.

I haven't seen any of those minnows in any of the shops around here.

 

[OohFeeshy]

No, don't go with platies. They are too brightly coloured and also nip. TBH I'd only go with bottom feeders, but they still get aggressive, especially when they're bubblenesting.

 

[chishnfips]

what about the mountain minnows

 

[OohFeeshy]

They should be alright, but again, could nip, and the betta may chase them. Its really a case of trial and error.

 

[wwestar2000]

If you want company for him that much why dont you get another betta and divid the tank into 2. They will entertain eachother flairing and you dont have to worry about anyone getting nipped. Or if you dont want that just be safe and get a snail.

 

[sylvia]

The platies won't nip if they are kept as a trio. They should occupy each other. As for their bright colors, I have never had problems. It's more the shape that gets bettas attacking (which is why guppies are a no-no and the same for most gouramies).

With bettas and gouramies you always run a risk with whatever tankmates you are choosing because each fish is truly an individual and their character varies. Just watch closely and be ready to take fish out if necessary and you'll be fine. This doesn't only apply to platies but to white clouds, cories, kuhlies etc as well.

BTW, keeping bettas in a devided tank is ok but the constant flaring and showing off is quite stressful. That's why most people try to use opague deviders for male bettas.

Also, a male betta doesn't need company. If that's the only reason you are getting more fish, be aware that he'd rather be alone.

I think OohFeeshy got it right with 'It's a case of trial and error'. Unfortunately, with these fish it is more an educated guess than certainty.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Plant the tank and add plenty of hiding places to reduce the chances of things going wrong.

 

[Annastasia]

The platies won't nip if they are kept as a trio. They should occupy each other. As for their bright colors, I have never had problems. It's more the shape that gets bettas attacking (which is why guppies are a no-no and the same for most gouramies).

I've had Bettas with Platies, no problem. I had three girls, and one male Betta and never had any problems. However, I have also had a trio of Platies, and the male was constantly going after the Male Betta. I think he saw him as competition for his girls. Also, with a trio of Platies, you are going to be VERY over-run with fry. The Betta won't eat all of them, and neither will the Platies. Fry are smart, they'll hide. And all those little guys are going to need homes. I would not recommend a trio. I'd say go for just females, and this will cut down on the fry somewhat (They can still store sperm and have pregnancies) and the aggression.

Edit: It's also trial and error, as said. Some Bettas just simply won't tolerate tankmates. However, some others love them. For example, my Fire Crystal is always schooling with the Cories. They go one way, he goes the same way. They go up, he goes up.

 

[fishwatcher]

I have just added a few fish with my male betta today. I have 3 harlequin rasboras and 2 cory cats with him in a 10-gal. So far they enjoy each other. The betta has followed the cories around watching them, and even played in the current from the filter with the rasboras. I'm going to keep a close eye on them though, just in case.
Good luck to you!

Edit: Just to let you know, I have 2 male bettas, and I put the one that was very laid-back in with the other fish. I will not try the other betta as he flares at EVERYTHING!

 

[chishnfips]

Yeah I think that my betta will be like that, he flares non stop at the gouramis. I am taking them out today because they have been quarantined for 4-5 days.

trial and error like you say and plenty of plants.



So corrie cats, cloud minnows platies and ottos. Thats not a bad selection to pick from. cheers folks. will keep you posted

 

[Kiarra]

I've had no success with Platies being kept with my male or female Bettas. I've noticed too much aggression from the Platies, especially the females, attacking the Bettas, much to their detriment (severely torn fins, or missing scales). I honestly wouldn't recommend any kind of livebearer to be with Bettas, as I've personally had several species simply not work for different reasons (Guppies, Mollies, Platies).

White Cloud Mountain Minnows are fine, but they are a coolwater fish, and don't like their water over 75 degrees. African Dwarf Frogs are pretty cool little critters, and most of my Bettas really don't mind having them around. Same with Cory Cats...the Bettas dont' take much notice of them, and, if they do, they're just curious, and don't generally get aggressive. I've had success with the Albino version. As for Ottos, I had some in with my girls, and they followed them around with their noses glued to them for about a day. They NEVER bit them, but those are unusually mellow girls, so I don't know how many Bettas are the same way. My Ottos both died within a couple days of purchase, so I can't tell you how well they do long-term with Bettas. But they did fine on a short-term basis.