# Betta and loach



## redace10 (Feb 5, 2012)

I have a small male veiltail betta that I will be putting in a 10g tank. I have seen a lot of people like to use corydoras as tankmates but I would prefer to avoid common tank setups. I was wondering if kuhli loaches would be good tankmates as they prefer nearly the same setup as far as temp and ph. I was also wondering about cherry shrimp or other tankmates that are not commonly seen.


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## Gizmothefreaky (Apr 10, 2011)

I keep khulis in my sorority, and the girls have never bothered them once. I say go for it! But get five loaches, they are more active in groups of five or more. Their bioload is super small too, so you can get away with five of them, even full grown, and a betta in a ten gallon really easily. I would avoid cherry shrimp for now, as most bettas find them a nice snack. Try ghost shrimp first, they are cheaper. XD


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Definitely go for kuhlis! Most brilliant little fish ever. I can't wait to get some.


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## wolfiegreen (Jan 23, 2012)

Go for the khulies there adorable when you see them lol


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

I have kuhlis in my 29 gal community and absolutely love them. They are some of my favorite fish, but you have to be careful with them. You can't have sharp gravel (or anything sharp in the tank). Smooth gravel is good; sand is best. I have heard of kuhlis slitting themselves from vent to gills on sharp gravel. They also benefit from lots of hiding places. More than 5 kuhlis plus lots of hiding places means they will be more active (oddly enough if the fish has lots of places to hide it feels more secure and will come out to play around).

ETA: Kuhli loaches would be the only loaches I would recommend with a betta. A lot of the botine loaches can be very nippy, and many require 55+ gal setups.


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## redace10 (Feb 5, 2012)

*Thanks guys*

Thanks for all the great posts guys I thought they would be good tank mates since they have a lot of the same requirements. I'm gonna use dark sand though so my betta buddy will be full of color. Do LPS usually carry dark sand?


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## MistersMom (Aug 9, 2011)

bettas and loaches get along fine, mine did.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

redace10 said:


> Thanks for all the great posts guys I thought they would be good tank mates since they have a lot of the same requirements. I'm gonna use dark sand though so my betta buddy will be full of color. Do LPS usually carry dark sand?


I know the Petsmart in my area carries dark bags of sand. I think Petco has some, too. I've heard a lot of good things about the CaribSea Brand. I was just looking at it today in my Petsmart.


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