# Tankmates for a 10 gallon tank?



## Lupialex (Aug 8, 2013)

Hi everyone!
I'm new here and I want to add a betta to my home. 
I am thinking of doing a planted 10 gallon tank or a 20 gallon. I'm still not sure.
I'm trying to do all my research before I get anything though. 

I really like:
African dwarf frogs
Panda Corys
Zebra Danios
Albino Corys
Shrimp
Otos

Which can I put together in a planted 10 gallon? In a 20 gallon?

Thank you for your help!


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## Betta Adventures (Jun 16, 2013)

Just keep in mind that some ADF's will nip at your betta. 
Otos need to be in groups but I love how confident they are in their little groups as opposed to one. 
there's more info here
Tank Mates


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## Lupialex (Aug 8, 2013)

Betta Adventures said:


> Just keep in mind that some ADF's will nip at your betta.
> Otos need to be in groups but I love how confident they are in their little groups as opposed to one.
> there's more info here
> Tank Mates


Thank you for that!
I hadn't considered tetras. 
Now I'm thinking:
1 Betta
5-6 neon tetras
Shrimp
4 otos
maybe 2 ADF

Would this be doable in a 10 gallon? If not, I may end up going with the 20 gallon tank.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Neon tetras, they're a bit active, and a bigger shoal of them would be better + it'd look better, a 20g would be way better if you wanted to do the tetras like neons, cardinals, rummy-nose, etc. 

Ember tetras are nice and small for a 10g. I have some in my 10g. 

Shrimp, depends on what kind of shrimp. Ghost? RCS? Amano? Most important thing is to give them cover if your Betta attacks them, dwarf shrimps like RCS could be gobbled up easily by a Betta. 

Otos, unless your tank is a mature cycled tank with lots of plants I would not recommend these guys. They're very sensitive to water parameters and eat a lot of algae.

All in all your tank is overstocked with that many fish in it.


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## Torla (Aug 15, 2013)

Where did you get your ember tetras? They're a rare find in retail. LFS?


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## Lupialex (Aug 8, 2013)

Micho said:


> Neon tetras, they're a bit active, and a bigger shoal of them would be better + it'd look better, a 20g would be way better if you wanted to do the tetras like neons, cardinals, rummy-nose, etc.
> 
> Ember tetras are nice and small for a 10g. I have some in my 10g.
> 
> ...


I liked the tetras, but think I might scratch them of my list.

For the shrimp, I was thinking ghost shrimp. I have heard of bettas choking on RCS. 

For the otos, I was thinking of waiting until the tank was cycled. Actually, my intention was to cycle the tank first, before getting any fish.

What combination of fish would you suggest for a 10 gallon or a 20 gallon tank?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Shrimp are something a lot of people recommend to people with a new tank. 

Don't mean to be a Dorothy Downer, but they are not a piece of cake to keep with Bettas. Shrimp of any kind need a mature, stable tank; not just a cycled one. For the best chance of survival the tank should be three months or so after cycling is complete. They need lots of plants for hiding from and avoiding a Betta. They also should have established biofilm to eat or you'll need to supplement. 

Ghosties are "feeder" shrimp and their care is not the best. When you pick yours out, make sure they are active.

It is also best to have your Betta for a while so you can try to judge whether he is docile enough to even have tank mates. They're all individuals and some are fine and some are always on a "seek and destroy" mission.

All that being said, I successfully keep them with three Bettas in a divided, heavily planted 20 long tank. They mainly make their appearance when I feed.


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## Lupialex (Aug 8, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Shrimp are something a lot of people recommend to people with a new tank.
> 
> Don't mean to be a Dorothy Downer, but they are not a piece of cake to keep with Bettas. Shrimp of any kind need a mature, stable tank; not just a cycled one. For the best chance of survival the tank should be three months or so after cycling is complete. They need lots of plants for hiding from and avoiding a Betta. They also should have established biofilm to eat or you'll need to supplement.
> 
> ...


You're not a Dorothy Downer! I appreciate that tidbit on the shrimps. I thought they just needed a cycled tank. 

I'll make sure to use lots of plants for the tank. I'll also add some hiding spots. 

With the Betta, I was planning to wait until I was able to make out his personality. I know animals can be vary greatly in their personalities (my guinea pigs prove that everyday :lol.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

It'd be hard to list all the possibilities for a 10g & 20g, but I'll just list down what you could have in each tank and how many of them for a proper shoal/group.

10g:
Ember Tetras / 6 or more
Pygmy Cories (similar to Otos, stay small, less demanding than Otos) / 6 or more
ADFs / 2 or more

Here's an example of a possible combination:

Betta / 6 Pygmy Cories / 3 Ghost Shrimps

20g (long):
Albino Cories / 6 or more
Zebra Danios / 8 or more

Possible combination:
10 Zebra Danios / Betta / 6 Pygmy Cories / 3 Ghost Shrimps

Granted these might seen as overstocking to some people but I'm adding into consideration that you'll have good filtration + plants to help. 

Also if you want cories remember your substrate must be sand or coarse gravel, they have cute little barbels they need to protect.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Oooh, Micho! I forgot about Pygmy Cories. I love, love, love mine. They are so cute and happy! I'm actually planning on getting more. I like my Panda Guppies but the Cories have a real place in my heart. 

And Lupialex, first, welcome to the forum. And, second, thank you. I really want people who try inverts to be successful with them. Actually, if you can find Amano shrimp, two of those instead of Ghosties would be a lot of fun. My Bettas may chase the RCS (Red Cherry Shrimp) but they leave the bigger Amanos completely alone.

And when you get the hang of it, you may find Dwarf Orange Crayfish tempting.


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## ashleylyn (Mar 30, 2013)

Don't do the zebra danios - I've tried it. They're fast swimmers and would really probably do best in a 20 long. Two of mine also jumped to their deaths. -__- Though maybe others have had better experiences lol!

I have guppies in with my sorority right now, and they've done great with my males too. Even the fancy tail ones I haven't had a problem with. I have the tequila sunrise ones and they're beautiful, colorful, and fun to watch.  I have an albino cory too. They really are schooling fish, but many tend to only get one (which is what I did). He's absolutely adorable! And definitely seems content without other cories - he hangs out with the other fish just fine.


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## Lupialex (Aug 8, 2013)

*Micho*: I'm really torn about which fish to go for! D:
I've seen the cories and they're so cute, but I also like the ADF!
I might end up going with the 10 gallon tank and the combination you suggested. 
Quick question though, could I do the ADF instead of the cories?
Sorry about all the back and forth, I just can't seem to make up my mind yet. 

For sure, I plan to use a ton plants with sand as a cap. Still researching that. 

*RussellTheShihTzu*: Thank you! It's great to have a place to ask all my crazy questions. 
I think my LFS has Amano shrimp, so I (very) likely will get the Amano shrimp once my tank is cycled and mature.

*ashleylyn*: Yea, after doing some more reading, I did see that zebra danios do better in a 20 long. 
I can't get over the cories. They're so cute! I've been spending too much time on Youtube just looking them up. :mrgreen:


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## ashleylyn (Mar 30, 2013)

Get at least one cory. I named mine Giuseppe.  Cutest little thing ever. And they're so fun to watch! Plus he munches on all the food that drops, though I give him bottom feeder pellets too. Don't tell the bettas, but it may take them a while to win me over from him.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Lupialex said:


> *Micho*: I'm really torn about which fish to go for! D:
> I've seen the cories and they're so cute, but I also like the ADF!
> I might end up going with the 10 gallon tank and the combination you suggested.
> Quick question though, could I do the ADF instead of the cories?
> ...


Yes you could do the ADF instead of cories.

Betta / 2 ~ 4 ADFs / 2 ~ 6 Ghost Shrimps

If you go for 3 or more ADFs, stick with lower numbers of Ghost Shrimps, if you get only a pair of ADFs, you can go for more Ghost Shrimps. 

I'm not sure if ADF will harm the shrimps or not though, they might chomp them up, I've never had ADF so I wouldn't know.


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## Betta Adventures (Jun 16, 2013)

I had some shrimp with my bettas. It really depends on the betta. One of my bettas will not leave the shrimp alone even with a lot of cover and... well... 
but the other betta did really well and left them alone.
I finally decided to do a big shrimp bowl though. They've colonized better there and the mosses are so pretty!


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## Lupialex (Aug 8, 2013)

Thank you for the help everyone!
I think I will end up going with the betta, ADF and shrimp. Of course, it will depend on the the betta's temperament. Hopefully, I'll have a tank set up in the coming weeks.


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