# new betta question, and compatible fish?



## equestrian.xoxo

Hello everyone, im new to the forum. i just got a fluva edge 6gall. tank today, and i love it! I have black gravel, a sphinx rock hideout and two live plants, and one male betta. He was very lively at the store, which is why i picked him, and when i put him in the tank he was very active. Now it has been a few hours and he's just lying at the bottom. Is it to cold? Whats the ideal temp? Its room temp now, prob. 72F. i have a heater, just dont know what to set it as. It has a filter and everything too. I treated the water with cycling booster stuff and tap conditioner. Why is he not swimming around much anymore?
And another question, what small fish are compatible with a male betta? Can i get guppies, tetras, neons, danios, glofish, etc? What should i get and how many concidering that they are school fish. How long should i wait before i buy them? Im getting a water test tomorrow. 
Lastly, can i get a shrimp or two? what kind? What about a snail?

Thank you!


----------



## equestrian.xoxo

Also, what temp is best for the whole tank if i have other tropical fish and a betta?


----------



## susankat

welcome to the site. First off the temp needs to be raised to at least 80 slowly. In a 6 gal I would maybe put a snail but not much of anything else as the tank isn't big enough.


----------



## SuckMyCichlids

agreed, id even say try to raise the temp even alittle more than that, around 84, and with the aggro levels male bettas have i dont think you can get away with too many buddies for him, as susan said, atleast if you get one docile enough, you might beable to get away with a snail but personally i wouldnt even see if i could. females on the other hand are a tad bit more friendly usually


----------



## hanky

Welcome, so far you've gotten good advice but sounds like you just got the tank filled it and put in a fish, read up on the nitrogen cycle in tanks. there is a whole section devoted to Bettas here just look for the Betta forum and read read read,tons of great info in there, he needs a spot to hide like a cave or something, get your own API Master Test kit to keep up on water parameters. raise the temp slowly like 1 degree per day untill you get to 80-84.Good Luck


----------



## zero

i was going to say, did you cycle the tank?


----------



## majerah1

Welcome to the forum!

As everyone has said,the temp is a bit low for him.I keep my bettas at a toasty 84 degrees.

Six gallons is too small for much of anything else in there,I suggest you just plant it and enjoy him as the centerpiece fish.


----------



## luananeko

I used to keep a male betta with a couple of African Dwarf Frogs in my 6 gallon with no issues, but it really is dependent on the betta's personality. Some male bettas will not tolerate any tankmates, while others seem to enjoy them. Also, bettas are pigs, so be prepared to feed the frogs with a turkey baster or tweezers while the betta is distracted to make sure the betta doesn't eat all their food.

Edit: An alternative to a frog or two would be an oto. They help clean the place while typically being non-intrusive enough that most bettas ignore them. Frogs just jump to mind first for me because my betta always seemed so fascinated by the frogs. He always kept swimming down and staring at them (no flaring or aggression) like he was trying to figure out what they were


----------



## lkfishy

My betta gets along perfectly with his tank mates, but it really does depend on the fish (as with any animal, they are all unique!) I would listen to everyone and warm up his water as well as get him some live plants. Harold, my betta, LOVES plants that float on the surface, or rise all the way to the surface, because he can lurk in them and doesn't have to swim far to get a breath. Plus, giving him a space to hide in near the surface and call his own will encourage him to blow bubble nests and feel comfortable in his space. I agree with everyone that a 6gal is a little small for much more than one betta, but there is nothing wrong with upgrading your betta tank one day and introducing him to a bigger world


----------



## equestrian.xoxo

Thanks everyone! I am in the process of cycling it right now. he is doing good! getting adjusted to the tank! Im just worried that he's going to be aggressive to his tankmates im getting soon. he flares at his reflection sometimes, so i hope he doesnt attack them. I would choose other fish over him probably so i could get more variety, so lets hope it works out!


----------



## luananeko

If you ended up giving back the betta in favor of more fish you still won't be able to fit much in such a small tank. Six gallons is just too small for much more than 2-3 fish. Also, just because a betta flares at his reflection doesn't mean he'll be mean to any tankmates. My previous betta spent half the day flaring at his reflection and was completely oblivious to any other fish that went past him, even when a male guppy crashed into him.


----------



## lilmamabear

Hi, sorry for the late reply. My betta male (before his tank was turned into a breeding tank) was kept in a 10 gallon with 6 neon tetras, 4 dwarf frogs, and a white tipped tetra. My female lives in my community 55 that houses everything under the sun. It all depends on the betta. I've had a 3 male bettas in a 20 gallon with no problems but a bit of nipping like you'd have in any other aggressive tank (tho I wouldn't try this unless they have been together since they were fry and you have A LOT of hiding places. Best of luck and try some frogs and neons (its a nice combo with the betta)


----------



## lilmamabear

And as for the lethargy. Turn up the temp to around 80-82 and I'd like to know if you added water dechlorinator...if not you need to do so. Also make sure the tank is cycled before adding any more fish. An uncycled tank leads to disease and dead fish. Maybe even get someone you know worth a cycled tank to take him until yours is ready. Check him for any white spots, color loss or anything else abnormal and just to be certain he isn't sick. Let's hope he snaps out of it and starts loving his new tank


----------



## Brendalynn23

I have always had good luck with my bettas being fine with the tank mates. My new boy was very shy for a few days and stayed pretty much in the plants or under a log but, after a week he was just fine and is lively and seems pretty happy with the others in the tank. I have 2 female platys and 1 female molly and one male molly in a ten gallon. 
My 1st tank had some tetras, a pair of swordtails, and a male and female betta, and life was very harmonious for them as well.


----------



## BettaSmart

I agree with everyone here,raise your temp test your tank every day with a LIQUID test kit and do a water change once you see the ammonia go to .50 never do a 100 percent water change it can put stress on your fish.When doing a water change from them do it slowly some or most bettas don't like the current you create when your taking out water.So go slowly and watch him for new tank syndrome.Also he can just be getting used to his tank.

Also welcome to the forum.


----------



## Mrlomography

luananeko said:


> I used to keep a male betta with a couple of African Dwarf Frogs in my 6 gallon with no issues, but it really is dependent on the betta's personality. Some male bettas will not tolerate any tankmates, while others seem to enjoy them. Also, bettas are pigs, so be prepared to feed the frogs with a turkey baster or tweezers while the betta is distracted to make sure the betta doesn't eat all their food.
> 
> Edit: An alternative to a frog or two would be an oto. They help clean the place while typically being non-intrusive enough that most bettas ignore them. Frogs just jump to mind first for me because my betta always seemed so fascinated by the frogs. He always kept swimming down and staring at them (no flaring or aggression) like he was trying to figure out what they were


*i/a*

I'm glad you said Oto, though i was led to believe that Oto should be in small schools so probably would be not suitable for this small a tank?

I would like to know how this turned out for the OP and Betta, i don't think it looks like they were really paying attention to replies here...


----------



## luananeko

Mrlomography said:


> *i/a*
> 
> I'm glad you said Oto, though i was led to believe that Oto should be in small schools so probably would be not suitable for this small a tank?
> 
> I would like to know how this turned out for the OP and Betta, i don't think it looks like they were really paying attention to replies here...


Otos do prefer being in groups of 3+, but they do fine singly too. I kept one alone with my betta for about a year before upgrading to a larger tank. I wouldn't keep more than one Oto in a tank that small not only because of space, but also because there simply won't be enough algae growth to keep more than one fed.


----------



## patch1984

Glad this thread is still going. It's pretty relevant to me right now as I'm in the process of setting up a new tank for a Betta. In my local aqautics centre, they keep a Betta on display in a 7 litre tank with 3 tetras.
It's been there for a while now so I'm hoping I can do the same with something just over twice the size and add a Malaysian Trumpet Snail and/or Algea Eating Shrimp (or maybe a Red Cherry Shrimp).

But by the sounds of it, it's all down to your Betta's personality.


----------



## luananeko

patch1984 said:


> Glad this thread is still going. It's pretty relevant to me right now as I'm in the process of setting up a new tank for a Betta. In my local aqautics centre, they keep a Betta on display in a 7 litre tank with 3 tetras.
> It's been there for a while now so I'm hoping I can do the same with something just over twice the size and add a Malaysian Trumpet Snail and/or Algea Eating Shrimp (or maybe a Red Cherry Shrimp).
> 
> But by the sounds of it, it's all down to your Betta's personality.


Compatibility-wise, every betta I've had has done fine with Neons, even my King Betta who's roughly 3 times the size of a normal betta. It's the space I'd be worried about personally. You're setting yourself up for a rough ride if you assume that because a fish store has a certain stocking means that you can do the same, even if you double the tank size... They're usually changing water on their tanks daily, and if not they often have a central filtration system so that all their tanks are connected to a much larger water supply (usually involving a large sump) that helps stabilize their parameters. 

A 14 litre tank is pretty cramped if I'm doing my conversions right... That's around 4 gallons, right? Even using the commonly cited but often too cramped calculation of 1" of fish per gallon, you're sitting at 3.5" of fish (using adult size of 1.5") with the tetras alone. Add the fact that they're shoaling fish, so they prefer groups of 5 or more, and the idea that you want a betta and shrimp or snail with them... Keeping the water parameters under control will be a nightmare, plus the betta will be more likely to attack the tetras in such a cramped space since they do tend to like a personal space bubble. I really recommend having no smaller than a 10 gallon tank for that stocking. 

If you don't have the option of a larger tank, I recommend using aqadvisor.com as a rough check to see if your stocking plans are feasible. It's not perfect, but it typically gives a more realistic stocking level than the 1" per gallon or looking at fish store tanks.


----------



## majerah1

I think that size is a bit too small for the betta alone, much less tetras too. Its just shy of 2 gallons. Cant be heated or filtered well enough to sustain four fish comfortably.


----------



## patch1984

Cool. Thanks guys.
When we got the tank, it was only ever going to house the Betta. Having set it up though, and put plants in, I thought it might be good to get a snail or shrimp to help with the algae.
I hadn't really planned on getting any tetras anyway, but it might have been nice if it were practicable.
Interesting to note what you say about stocking the same as the stores...
The tank at my local store must get daily water changes then because it's definitely not connected to a central system. It stands on the counter.

Oh, and my tank capacity is 16 litres which is approx 3 1/2 gallons (I wish the world would just agree on a standard measuring system and get on with it!).


----------



## luananeko

16 litres should be okay for a regular betta (avoid the king sized ones as they really do get big) plus one small snail. Shrimp tend to be a little fussy on water parameters so it may be difficult to keep it alive long term since small tanks are usually more easily put out of whack. It's possible to pull off if you're careful and keep a close eye on things though. Snails or no snails, or shrimp or no shrimp, your betta should be perfectly happy as long as you don't add anything past that and have regular weekly or bi-weekly cleanings


----------



## patch1984

Yes. I will get weekly water changes and cleaning.

Given the size of the tank, do you think I'll have to choose between a snail or a shrimp? Will there even be enough detritus to feed them both?


----------



## luananeko

I'd stick to one or another... Unless you're overfeeding (which will throw the water parameters off in a hurry) there probably won't be enough food for both.


----------

