# Questions for starting a Betta tank.



## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

I have an empty 10 gallon tank and I was thinking of putting a Betta in it.
And I know that they are super aggressive but could I put a male and a female in the same tank together? And what works best for feeding?


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## phil_pl (Apr 10, 2009)

Betta's are not aggressive they just hate each other(males and males that is). you can keep them with tetras and mollies with no problem. you shouldnt have any problems having a female they work good together but this is about the extent of my knowledge on betta i know what they like and what they go with but someone who keeps them would be able to help you more


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

No male and female bettas or for that matter 2 bettas of any kind really shouldn't be put in that small of a tank. I know that it is said that females can be put together but even if you do this it needs to be in a very large tank and then with no less than 6 or 8 females to keep the problems down and then you need to always have a back up tank for any problems that might happen but under NO circumstances can a male and female go into the same tank unless it is for the 2 or 3 hours they are spawning and then there has to be a human being there at all times to observe so they do not kill each other.

Breeding bettas is a hazard to both fish and takes a lot of equipment and time and money and work. It is not in any way like breeding any other fish and begins with a process weeks before the actual spawning. Also just having a male and female betta does not mean you will have a spawning. The bettas themselves determine whether or not anything will happen and it is by no means going to happen unless they decide they like each other. I know of one gentleman who had 9 spawns in his bettas and ended up with one fry who matured to full growth out of all those spawning and lost 2 pairs of his breeding pairs. It was an expensive and long time experiment to get one female out of it. Do not get me wrong it can work but there are not any guarantees and it is a 24 hour a day commitment best left to the professionals.

As far as feeding is concerned. I have never met a betta yet who would not eat bloodworms. I feed mine Hikari freeze dried bloodworms or Atison's betta pro pellets or Hikari freeze dried daphnia. Hikari also makes frozen food for them that is dependable but I find that unless you have a lot of fish there is a lot of waste in buying frozen food for them.

You have to be careful not to overfeed bettas and remember that their stomachs are only as big as their eye is and feed them accordingly no more than 2 times a day but never more than the size of what would fit in their eye. and if you feed pellets please do remember that the pellets swell when they are in moisture. So unless you soak them for 5 to 10 minutes ahead of time cut the food to half of what would fit in their eye.


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

Ok, thanks for your help!


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## phil_pl (Apr 10, 2009)

i was hoping you would find this chickadee, you know so much about betta's


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Sorry to disagree but the only tetras that can be safely kept with bettas are the Cardinal Tetra. All the others are known to be fin nippers and the bettas do not see them as threats so will simply allow them to do it and end up with infected fins.

Mollies have long flowing fins and can be mistaken by Mr. Betta as another of his species and attacked as such. So it would not be advisable to put them in with a betta or for that matter any other fish with long fins either. 

Bettas are not raised in tanks with other fish and do not recognize the rights of the other fish to be in the same water with them. This is one reason why they do not do well in some community settings. The ones who do are usually the last fish introduced into the tank and have small nocturnal fish that do not get into their way. Fish with long fins, territorial fish and semi-aggressive fish, and fish that are related in any way to bettas should be definitely avoided. A partial listing is:
THESE FISH ARE NOT GOOD TANK MATES FOR BETTAS
Platies .... resemble female bettas
Guppies
Mollies
Swords
Rams
Gourami
Sharks
Barbs
Cichlids
Angels



THESE FISH ARE BETTER TANK MATES FOR BETTAS OR AT LEAST HAVE PASSED IN MY TANKS
loaches -smaller ones particularly (chain or dwarf loach, kuhlis, angelicus, yo-yo) tank size depending
plecos - (clown, queen arabesque, common) tank size depending
otos - no more than 2 per 5 gallon of tank size
cories - tank size depending

Hope this helps


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## LauMooij (Jun 26, 2009)

Chickadee said:


> Platies .... resemble female bettas
> Guppies
> Mollies
> Swords
> ...


Barbs are not always suitable, Barbus tetrazona* is a good example...
at the other side Rasbora heteromorpha is completely peaceful.

* I wonder how they can reach so much damage. They haven't got any teeth!


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

Platies .... resemble female bettas
Guppies
Mollies
Swords
Rams
Gourami
Sharks
Barbs
Cichlids
Angels

Those fish passing as good tank mates for bettas



Hope this helps[/QUOTE]

Sorry I have one more question, I see that you said sharks can pass as good tank mates. At my local fish store they have these really cool albino rainbow sharks and I was wondering would I put them in the tank at the same time that I put the Beta in or would I have to put say, the Beta in first then wait to put the sharks in? Thank you for already answering my previous questions by the way. =]


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

No I said the ones in that list are NOT good tank mates. The good tank mates are listed below the line in the bottom list. Sharks and all those in the top list are not compatible.

Sorry for the confusion and thanks I will go and correct it now.

Rose


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

oh, I'm sorry, I must have read it wrong.
But thanks for all your help, I can't wait to get my Betta tank started!


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

I do not think I wrote it clearly. Thank you for bringing it to my attention so others did not misunderstand me as well.


Rose


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

Of course!
Do Glow fish or Tetras make for a proper tank mate?
Or do only the fish on the bottom of your previous reply?


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

The only tetras that do seem to work with them are the Cardinal tetras, not because of the bettas believe it or not but because the tetras like to nibble on the fins of the bettas and the Cardinals are the only ones who do not seem to bother them. This is an invitation to have infected fins on your betta. For some strange reason the betta does not see them as threats and will just let them nibble. So yes CARDINAL tetras make okay tank mates but neons and the others do not . Since the only reference to Glow fish that I have refers to a couple more types of tetra I would have to say that they are probably not the best choices either.

My answer would have to stay the only tetra I would chance would be the Cardinal but they are really quite beautiful. You would need a school of at least 6 of them and with a betta that would fill a 10 gallon tank and then some.

Rose


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

Thank you so much for all your help!
You made it so much easier on me then having to go and research everything!
Thanks again for you time. =]


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

kris, this is what I do and I do it because I love it. You are most welcome. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Rose


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## LauMooij (Jun 26, 2009)

Most tetras are completely peaceful.

ATTENTION: 
I said *most*, not *all*... clear example I take:
_Distichodus sexfasciatus_ is way too big and will have a serious hunt on your betta's
Why piranha's are not suitable i don't even have to explain/​Also you must be sure they CAN defend themselves. Example:
Hatchet fish (_Gasteropelecus, Carnegiëlla_) have their mouth above their body, so they cant!
_Lepidarchus adonis_ is way too small!​

* It are just examples, but...


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

I must most respectfully disagree when it comes to tetras. There have been too many instances of neon tetras and some of the more common ones here nipping on betta fins and causing infections that are horrid to try to clear up. The fish themselves ARE peaceful but not harmless to bettas. This is a behavior that while not necessarily totally hostile is not acceptable to betta owners due to the problem it causes with the bettas health.

They are fine fish but not good tankmates for this type of fish as they are not seen as threats and the bettas many times allow them to simply nip away to the destruction of the fins.

Rose


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

Chickadee, my father agreed to let me set up the Betta tank!
But as I was re-reading your previous reply I read that it is crucial not to over feed them.
Since I am going to be putting in Cardinal Tetras as you suggested, how can I make sure that the Betta wont eat more than what I'm giving just for him? And I plan on feeding him pellets for a while, so once it's done eating the pellets will it even make an attempt to touch the tropical flakes I have for the Tetras? Once again thanks in advance. =]


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Kris I am sorry I missed this post. I will tell you that most bettas will not bother flake food unless they are really hungry. This is why I feed the betta first if they have tank mates and then go to the far side of the tank and put any flake food in that I have to feed and they will not bother to chase it down. Bettas are picky eaters and unless they have not been fed themselves they generally will not bother the food of the other fish and tetras are much quicker fish swimming than bettas and can beat the bettas to the food any day. 

If he does eat a mouthfull of flake it will not overfeed him to the point of being sick. It is when they are given double or triple the amount they should have that it becomes dangerous to them. When you open the tank and dump in the food for the betta and he has way more than he should have of the high protein food that is made for bettas you will be in trouble. But a flake piece here and there is not going to get him in trouble. The tetras are not going to let him have that much of their food.

Rose

Again I am so sorry I missed this post I will not let it happen again. If you have something you note that I miss please PM me.


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## swiftless_fire (Jul 11, 2009)

NO!!!! dont put the male and female together unless they are about to breed. If you wanna breed them put a divider in a breeding tnak and let them watch eachother untill the male makes a bubble nest. Once that happens, take divider out. There is more to do but you can look that up online.

Anyways...

Here is a nice combination of fish for your 10 gallon:

~your male betta
~3 cory cat...you can get one type or make an arrangment of different types
~2 otocinclus
~5 or more neon or cardinal tetra (make sure they dont nip your bettas fins...if this starts happening either give them back to petstore or move to another tank)

and be sure to have lots of plants for hiding and maybe one small cave.


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## swiftless_fire (Jul 11, 2009)

oh and glofish work with them too


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

phil_pl said:


> i was hoping you would find this chickadee, you know so much about betta's


Agreed  She is the best person I know who knows so much about Bettas


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

swiftless_fire said:


> NO!!!! dont put the male and female together unless they are about to breed. If you wanna breed them put a divider in a breeding tnak and let them watch eachother untill the male makes a bubble nest. Once that happens, take divider out. There is more to do but you can look that up online.
> 
> Anyways...
> 
> ...


Yeah I agree with your nice setup. I've got some cory cats too. I have one in my 10 gallon, 2 in my 29 gallon, and 20 for my 125 gallon tank. Also, I find that Cardinal Tetras are a lot more stronger than Neon Tetras. Neons aren't as tough as Cardinals meaning that Cardinals can withstand more of the water parameter levels changing. Like the pH could change slightly or a lot and they would be able to adapt to it, also, Neons may die if the water isn't very clean. I've had cardinals survive and the water isn't very clean. Although at that point when the water gets too cloudy, I start to do lots of water changes. 15% twice on the first day, and then 10% on second day, and then after that I will do a 5% water change once a day until the cloudiness has gone.

So I agree with everything, but the Neons. Unless you are able to have a good filter, and do water changes frequently. Like two times a week. that's what I do. One water change on every Wednesday, and a gravel wash, and water change every Fridays.


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

I think kris has in mind what he wants in his tank and I would not stick all those fish in a 10 gallon. Sorry to say that in my opinion that is hugely overstocked. the betta and Cardinals by themselves will fill that tank and be a good load. Cories will take up the tank nearly alone with no other fish and otos on top of it all would be way too much.

No neons with bettas please they are serious fin nippers but to my knowledge the Cardinals have not ever been a problem. 

It is fine to recommend fish for a tank but in the end it has to be a person's own choice what they put in there as it is after all their own tank and they should make it their own but remember there is a reason that some fish are not recommended to be together and there are limits to how many fish can be in a tank of any size.

While I think the tank that you suggested would be lovely without the neons but with Cardinals instead, it would need at least a 29 gallon tank to be appropriate for those fish and a betta.

Rose


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

Yeah I've heard of the same thing with Neons. That's why I don't bother buying them. Unless they are in a large school in a large tank. I've kept some with angels before but the tank was huge. I've kept neons and angels in a 250 US gallon long tank, and as long as I've got a LOT of live plants, and give a good amount of food to all of my fishes, then that seemed fine for me  

Other than that, I wouldn't bother keeping Neons in with Bettas, or Angels or any fishes that have long fins. Cardinals, I like better. I try to get a male Betta that has the colors similarly alike to the Cardinals. A friend of mine raises Betta fishes as a hobby. She has more than 50 of male and/or female Bettas. She told me they are easy to maintain, especially if you have a bunch of tanks, jars, vases etc.


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

No on the jars or vases if you want to keep them healthy, but that is my way of doing it. Some people keep them in them but I do not believe in it. They do so much better in heated and filtered tanks, they are actually tropical fish after all.

Rose


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

Chickadee said:


> No on the jars or vases if you want to keep them healthy, but that is my way of doing it. Some people keep them in them but I do not believe in it. They do so much better in heated and filtered tanks, they are actually tropical fish after all.
> 
> Rose


Ah yes. I hear they are native fishes from South East Asia. Like Thailand or India?


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

My little guy in my avatar came from Thailand but some come from Cambodia or other areas of the Orient and some are bred right here in the USA. But the general origin of the species is Southeast Asia. The fish found in the wild there do not in any way too much resemble the fish we own or see in the stores though. The body shape is similar but they do not have fins like the beauties we see here and they are not lovely colors. They tend to be green/brown in color and have very short spade shaped fins. These long finned beauties would not last a day in the waters they live in.

Rose


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