# Male Betta tank companions



## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

Hey everyone it's been a while, but my plants are growing my cycle is done and my Betta is doing just fine so I've decided to start stocking. I've grown attached to the little guy, so if possible I'd like to keep him with the rest of my stock. Here are some of the fish I would like to put in, if they will work:
-Zebra Danio
-Bumblebee Goby
-School of Tetra (they would mainly be my fallback)
-Bumblebee Catfish
-White Cloud Minnow, Golden hopefully

What I'd really like is a Cichlid of some sort... but I know I probably don't have the room.

Any suggestions are appreciated!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

What size is the tank?I cant recall.

-Zebra Danios,are far too nippy for a betta,especially a long finned one.
-Bumblebee gobys need cooler waters than a betta,and they need to be in a group.
-Tetras are a great choice,they school,like the same water temps and several are actually found in the same area as bettas. 
-The bumblebee cat is a hit and miss,as in certain ones stay small,around three and a half inches,where as some get about eight.Unless you know how to tell the difference,I would skip this as well.
-WCMM are great little fish,but again,they like cooler waters than a betta.

A cichlid is definatly not compatible,many will get way to big and make a snack out of the betta.
Black neon tetras,head and taillight tetras,glolight tetras,harlequin rasboras,badis bais,and a few other schoolers are well suited to share a tank with a betta provided you have the room.Small cory species are great for the bottom,and a select few bettas can coexist with shrimps,though its not a promise.


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

majerah1 said:


> What size is the tank?I cant recall.


I forgot to mention, I'm sorry! it's a 10 gal.

I might look into some shrimp, snails too maybe. So mainly Tetras look like the best choice? I like the Badis Bais.

Also have you heard of a Galaxy Rasbora?


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

I've been reading into Ghost Shrimp and I think I'll get some to help keep the Java Moss clean. Can anyone give me any info on how to tell the difference between the bumblebee cats? I've been trying to read about them and I've found that theres one species from Asia and one South America, but I can't find which one is the smaller of the two :fish-in-bowl:


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## IslandRzrbk (Aug 14, 2011)

I think you'd be better sticking with the tetras based on your tank size. If you had a larger tank you might be able to get away with more of a variety. I've heard that minnows will get along with bettas. 

But I think that no matter what you need to stay away from the cichlid. They're pretty but things will not go well in your current setup. Hope that helps.


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## Kehy (Apr 19, 2011)

I wouldn't really recommend ghost shrimp with bettas, especially longer finned ones. When I had them, they all eventually became betta lunch, but before that they used to hitch rides on my betta's tail and clipped off part of it. Fun to watch, but I wouldn't mix them. I've had better luck with Amano shimp though, large enough so betta didn't much it, peaceful enough that it didn't munch betta.


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

Yeah I wasn't really thinking the Cichlid would work, especially with other fish, one day though. 

And thanks Kehy I'll look into Amanos. I'm really open to anything I'd just like a healthy variety. I wish the pickings weren't so slim in my town though, my LFS really doesn't have much outside of basic fish and plants.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I would stick with the tetras.A nice small school of glolights or black neons will be good.Amanos may become lunch,just a warning.You are very limited on your tank size.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I agree with everything Majerah has said in her two posts. Tetras are your best bet in such a small tank. (The Amanos are possibly big enough to not get eaten... it really just depends on the Betta - some are fine with shrimp and some will eat them.)


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

thanks everybody for the replies. I got back from my LFS about 3 hours ago, and just released my new troops into their home. I got 4 Lemon Tetra, 2 Apple snails, and 6 Ghost Shrimp that were good sized and cheap, so I'll give them a shot.

I'll upload a couple pictures.





:animated_fish_swimm


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I'd get maybe 2 more of the Lemon Tetras... they like to be in at least 6. (They are gorgeous fish though!) Wait a week or so first though, because you don't want to over load the bio-load too much at once.

Apple Snails can grow to the size of a fist, so you may have to re-home them later - or better yet, get a bigger tank.

Good luck with the new additions.


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

I really hope I'm wrong about them being Apple Snails then haha. I'll try and get a proper I.D. on them tonight. 

You don't think more Tetras might make me overstocked? if not then I'll definitely make the addition.

The Betta hasn't shown any aggressive behavior, he's only flaring at his own reflection as always. Ghost Shrimp love the Moss too!


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

What is your filter? (Ex: Aqua Clear 20, Aqueon 20?) That would help figure out how many fish you can have...

Aqua Advisor recommends at least 5 Lemon Tetras, and that plus the shrimp, betta and snails puts you at 97% stocking.... so.... if the Tetras seem happy and not stressed, I suppose you would be ok with 4 (which puts you at 88% stocking). If they are really shy though, you may have to get 1 more and just keep a close eye on water params.

Knowing what filter you have will be helpful to figure out if you are going to be safe with that level of stocking or not.


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

Aqueon 10 quiet flow

my pH is 7.0
ammonia 0ppm

but i need to get a better liquid test kit


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Excellent - you have over the filtration needed! That's perfect!

So, like I said, just keep an eye on the Lemons. If they seem ok in their group of 4, don't worry about it. If they are really hiding a lot or getting aggressive with each other, try adding one more. 

Keep an eye on water params and make sure you do a 15-25% water change each week, as well as a weekly sand/gravel vacuum with a tank that size and heavily stocked.

Keep an eye on the ammonia over the next week or so. It's not un-common to get a spike after adding a bunch of new critters. If you see it rise, just do some partial water changes to keep it in check.

Here's the link to Aqua Advisor, where I figured out your tank. (It's just a tool to help figure out your stocking - it's not always 100% correct, so use good judgement when applying the results to your tank.) AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

Thanks so much that website is very helpful. I think I'll add one more Lemon Tetra sometime after this coming week, and do a little less than 50% water change while I'm waiting. I'm hoping the shrimp will take care of any eggs the snails lay to prevent some sort of invert tank takeover.


As for the vacuum, is there any other way to clean the substrate that's a bit less invasive? I ask because my plants are loosely planted in the sand and I'd like to avoid damaging them

:betta:


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

Mjgately said:


> Can anyone give me any info on how to tell the difference between the bumblebee cats? I've been trying to read about them and I've found that theres one species from Asia and one South America, but I can't find which one is the smaller of the two :fish-in-bowl:


South American is the smaller one.

Generally most fish stores will be selling the SA Bumblebee, most noticeable difference is the mouth, the SA mouth will be more linear while the Asian Bagrid's is more pointy.


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

Thanks Pigeonfish, one day I'll definitely get one, maybe my next tank, once I've gotten all the science behind this stuff down. As for now I don't want to cause any trouble for the shrimp who spend all their time on the bottom


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Don't vac' over the loosely planted plants until they are rooted better. The shrimp will clean in and around them for now.

I believe Apple Snails lay eggs above the water line - on the side of the tank, on the hood - so you can just pick them off when you find them. (Some one correct me if I'm wrong there.)

I've also read they are pink, so should be easy to find: Apple Snail Eggs - Google Search


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## Mjgately (Jul 30, 2011)

I'll be picking up a vac and better test kit tomorrow afternoon. Thanks everyone


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