# The good, the bad and the ugly



## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I read a lot of threads on many websites asking about suitable tankmates for bettas. I thought I'd do a write-up of some common species I hear as suggestions. These are just my experiences and research and people should feel free to comment and amend what I have written.  Naturally, you should always take into account your individual betta's temperament. 

*THE GOOD:*
_Snails_
Snails are always a good starting point when figuring out if your betta is compatible with other species. If it attacks something as non-threatening as a snail, chances are it won't fare well with other species. 
Snails are generally a safe bet, even if the betta objects at first. Their shells protect them from any initial nibbles, although some snails may lose their eyestalks to over-aggressive bettas. Some snails, like nerites, are good algae eaters. Others, like malaysian trumpet snails, are good at stirring up substrate, and assassin snails can be introduced to deal with infestations of other snails. That, of course, is one of the downsides – snails breed like crazy. They also have a high bioload for their size and are not a good idea in less than 5 gallons. 

_Plecos_
If you have a 15 gallon tank or larger, then a smaller species of pleco, like the bristlenose, may be an option. Although large fish, reaching 6 inches, they are generally peaceful and juveniles make short work of many types of algae. Adults would rather nom on food you supply, and plecos should have driftwood in their diet. Bettas are generally quite likely to accept these non-threatening bottom dwellers. The downside? Their huge bioload, and the fact that inexperienced petshop employees may well sell you a common pleco by mistake. Commons can get 2ft long. 

_Corydoras_
These little catfish are favourites with many aquarists. They range in size from the tiny pygmies, perfect for a ten gallon, through the small, sensitive pandas up to the larger bronze and emerald species. They come in many attractive varieties. 
Cories are great for cleaning up leftover food, but expect to have to supplement their diet with sinking meaty pellets. They are NOT algae eaters. They don’t eat poop, either. Again, as bottom dwellers, cories are a non-threatening species that most bettas should tolerate well. 

_Shrimp_
Although shrimp may well become a snack for bettas, they are excellent tankmates. They have a miniscule bioload. They come in a variety of sizes – the algae eating amano shrimp, the scavenging ghost shrimp, and the attractive red cherry shrimp, who do a bit of both. You may not want to risk more expensive varieties, like crystal reds and tigers, with your bettas. 
Shrimp will always stand a better chance of survival in a densely planted tank. Java moss is a really good, hardy plant that provides plenty of cover for them. 

*THE NOT BAD:*
_Tetras_
There are a lot of different species of tetra out there, some better than others. The species I always recommend are embers. They are very small, not as active as most tetras and not at all nippy – in short, perfect betta tankmates. They are not even remotely threatening and are very pretty. They are perfect for a ten gallon.
Other good tetras for a 15 gallon or larger include neons and variants like black neons; cardinals; glowlights; and pristellas. In a 20 gallon or up, you could potentially consider rummynoses, bloodfins, and head-and-taillights. Blind-cave tetras are an option, but may nip at first.
Avoid larger, more territorial tetras such as bleeding hearts, red-eyes, serpaes and black phantoms. Also avoid those with long fins, such as black widows, which may become a target for bettas. 

_Loaches:_
In a 20 gallon tank, kuhli or Pakistani loaches are generally pretty good. The betta may be a bit baffled by these eel-things, but so will your visitors, because there is no denying that loaches are very cool. The massive, poop-machine, insanely-active clown loaches may not be a good idea, though. 

_Livebearers_
Guppies
Guppies can be a hit-and-miss idea. Males, with their long fins, may be very attractive to nippy bettas, and may nip in return. Duller males or females may be less of a problem, but their similar size may still make them enemies. 

Endlers
These tiny livebearers are less threatening, due to their small size, and still provide a nice splash of colour without sending bettas into murderous fits. 

Platies
Like guppies, the larger size and bright colours of the platy may either stress or infuriate the betta, but with their shorter fins they are less likely to be targets of nipping.

Mollies
Not generally a good idea. Mollies are big, can be nippy and generally do better in brackish water, which bettas can’t tolerate. 

Swordtails
In a 20 gallon or larger this might work, but swordtails are big and colourful, and could easily freak your betta out. 

_Barbs_
Although peaceful cherry barbs may get on well with bettas (though watch out for male barbs harassing similar-coloured females when they want to mate), other barbs may not work out so well. Tiger barbs are notoriously nippy. Ruby, chilli and checked barbs are all possibilities. Keep them in large schools to avoid nipping problems. 

_Rasboras_
Very cute, generally small and almost always peaceful. Keep your rasboras in a school of 6 or more and they shouldn’t bother your betta. Harlequins are the most common rasboras, but micro-rasboras such as borasas maculate and borasas brigittae are attractive, if sensitive, alternatives. 

_Hatchetfish_
Like many species, a bit hit and miss. Like bettas, hatches love to jump, so a lid is needed. Hatchets are cool top-dwellers, but may be stressed out by a betta. Also, they look like a giant floating fin, just waiting to be nipped...

_African Dwarf Frogs_
Generally, ADFs are pretty good tankmates. There are a couple of risks, though – they don’t have the best eyesight and may well latch on to the betta’s tail by mistake. They are also slow to get food, meaning you may have to do some tedious spot-feeding. 

_Killifish_
There is such a massive assortment of killies, it’s just not possible to say outright yay or nay. Generally, though, given their bright colours, it’s a nay.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

*THE BAD:*
_Danios_
Although very hardy and attractive, there are several problems with danios (and their genetically altered cousins, glofish), as betta tankmates. They are very fast and active, which may stress the betta, are technically sub-tropical, liking cooler temperatures, and may be nippy. 

_Cichlids_
Sticking two fish as territorial as a betta and a cichlid in a tank is generally asking for a disaster. I have seen this work in very rare and limited circumstances, most of which were just pure luck, but it’s really, really not a good idea. Cichlids include angelfish. 

_Gouramis_
They are closely related to bettas and will fight. 

_Other bettas_
Obviously, there are peaceful bettas like betta imbellis who will live together well, and sororities may well by very successful, but never put two male betta splendens together. Male and females should only be together in special circumstances, such as breeding. 

_Crayfish_
These awesome crustaceans will snack on your betta’s fins, then his body. Same goes for crabs. 

_Puffers_
Not good for the same reason they shouldn’t be kept in community tanks: hugely aggressive, quite out of proportion with their tiny size. Many species are also brackish, frequently needing full saltwater as they age. 

_Sharks_
Too big and too aggressive. 

_Goldfish (and other coldwater fish like minnows)_
They are coldwater. Bettas are tropical. Nuff said.

_Arowanas_
Too big. Waaay too big. 


Sorry about how long this is. It's by no means an exhaustive list, just the species I could think of.


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

ooo awesome list =D ..

where do octocats (sp?) fall in?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Bah, totally forgot to mention otos. 

_Otocinclus_
Much like plecos, otos are good little algae eaters, but stay small, maxing out at just 2 inches. However, they do prefer to be in schools, and their extreme sensitivity due to the methods used to catch them in the wild make a 20 gallon the minimum new oto-keepers should try them in. The water quality in smaller tanks is generally not stable enough. An acclimatised oto can be moved to a smaller tank later, provided it has other oto buddies. 
As betta tankmates they are good, being inconspicuous, peaceful and good at swimming away. Just make sure you have plenty of algae for these voracious herbivores.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

So under Good, I suppose. If a betta is going to be happy with a snail, it will probably cope with an oto. Thanks for the compliment.


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## Trobar (Aug 29, 2011)

I have 7 glofish in a 20L with my male crowntail, they get along fine


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## hotrodjimmy (Oct 3, 2011)

This is great! Thanks a lot!

I'm just recently getting into this hobby (read: a month). We've got two bettas, one in his own 10 gallon tank and one in a community 29 gallon tank. Like you said, it seems that the Bettas temperament seems to be the primary driving force in most of these 'maybe yes-maybe no' fish.

I second platies, guppies etc. in the 'not bad' category. One of our Bettas, a small little guy, is a fierce warrior. He is constantly patrolling every inch of his tank, day/night it's insane. I worry he never rests. He is fun to watch though. Anyway, I knew he probably wasn't going to get along in the community tank, but I thought we'd try anyway, and see if maybe it would be OK. Well, it wasn't. He was crazy while floating in his cup, and when he finally calmed down, we let him out. He chased after a few guppies (non-flashy lyre-tails) and even black platies as fast as he could. Thankfully he couldn't catch them, but we took him out, disappointing, but unsurprised.

We put our other betta in there, one who I've seen flare his gills once or twice, and never his fins. He was a little on edge in the cup, and when we released him, he explored, chose a section, and started chasing fish away from it. A few days later, he didn't even pay any attention to the other fish, and didn't even care that they were hanging out in his little area of Val grass. It's been a great success so far.

So, on the one hand, guppies and platies were a no-no. But with the other betta, it was a piece of cake. Those middle fish definitely depend on the temperament of the betta, I think.


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## Trobar (Aug 29, 2011)

+1

The glofish NEVER stop but the betta is very mellow. He will flare for food the 'look at me oh food giver' when ever he sees someone walk by the tank but he seems to leave the other fishes alone. He is a crowntail and I have seen NO damage to his fins from the glofish or the cories. The tank is fairly heavily planted so that may be helping by giving lots of places to hide.


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Trobar said:


> I have 7 glofish in a 20L with my male crowntail, they get along fine


Hi there... Glofish aren't a problem on 'getting along'. If you researched your little Glo buddies you'd realize in fact they would be better housed with Goldfish because they cannot tolerate warmer temps over extended periods. I've found they prefer 74*, and being exposed to 80*-82* regularly will have them sick/lethargic. If yours are holding up, it still isn't ok. That's like those bettas in .5 gallon bowls with weekly water changes... are they alive and healthy? Yes. Is it cruel? Yes. 

Seriously rethink your fish choices...

As for the guide, you did awesome! Everything seems to be right on the dot. Although, I think shrimps are technically considered 'ifs'. Other than that, it's perfect! It should be stickied to help newbies!


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## Echo (May 18, 2011)

i had an ADF with Zen for a while.. they got along famously, until it came time for noms. Zen would try to bully Fribbit, Fribs would turn around and kick Zen full in the face. they held their own against each other (Zen's a big guy), but i did end up separating the two after a while :roll:


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

Trobar said:


> I have 7 glofish in a 20L with my male crowntail, they get along fine


WHAT! Glo fish belong in 4 foot tanks and can't bee properly housed in anything samller than 3 foot tanks and you should NOT have them in a 5 gallon tank with a Betta


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## hedgehog (Sep 1, 2010)

fishy friend2 said:


> WHAT! Glo fish belong in 4 foot tanks and can't bee properly housed in anything samller than 3 foot tanks and you should NOT have them in a 5 gallon tank with a Betta


I kind of figured the poster meant 20 gallon long not 20 liters. Hopefully they can come clarify.


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

hedgehog said:


> I kind of figured the poster meant 20 gallon long not 20 liters. Hopefully they can come clarify.


I hope so too... :evil:


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

x_x me and my dyslexia i thought he said goldfish ..

what's glo fish ? .. must be one of the fishies us cali people can't have =(


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

Okay so I was looking at another thread and I happened to see that it is actually a 20 gallon long


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

HatsuneMiku said:


> x_x me and my dyslexia i thought he said goldfish ..
> 
> what's glo fish ? .. must be one of the fishies us cali people can't have =(


Yup, it is another illegal fish in California but there are plenty over here in Texas


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

They are genetically modified zebra danios that glow under a blacklight. Quite cool-looking, but probably would look out of place in an NPT.

One day I want to have a small child so I can legitimately have a sci-fi themed tank with glofish.


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

hehe why need a small child ? star wars theme !! yay!! i imagine the glo fish could be like neon light sabers =D should look good


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## Trobar (Aug 29, 2011)

Yes it is a 20 gallon long and the glofish seem to be fine in it. They are like shots of light in the plants. Haven't put in LED or black light strips yet thinking I can get them around Christmas. Have been more concerned getting the tank set up right and the balance of fish/plants. It has been set for a couple weeks and is doing fine. I still need to get more plants I think but the chem levels are great so maybe we'll see how it fills in for a little while yet. This picture was taken a couple days ago after I messed with some of the plants so it's a little murky


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Still wouldn't recommend it, but to each their own!

Such a cute story about the ADF! Too bad they must be separated.. still, way too cute!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I think that's the most important thing about stocking with bettas - each betta (and each owner) is different, and different things are going to work for different people. I belong to another forum that basically advises people NEVER to try bettas in community tanks, but I believe that many bettas do actually make good community fish.


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

I think everyone has their own belief, and that's perfectly alright. So I agree with you on that statement!

I love snails and bettas... my girl just saw snails for the first time a few weeks back and tried to eat 3  She spat them out, but as they fell you could see, OH FOOD light snap back on again and make another attempt. Then she followed them around everywhere... It really is 'fool proof' and keeps them more entertained!


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## Echo (May 18, 2011)

snails.. yyyeeecchh!! i had a few hitch a ride in on some driftwood i got for mah shrimps tank.. nasty little things  all they did was tear up my plants and poop everywhere. i gave 'em a one way ticket to meet the porcelain gods.


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## copperarabian (Apr 27, 2011)

Thought I should add some 

*African Butterfly Fish(AFB)*
Top dwelling fish that is generally peaceful. Can jump extremely well and needs a secure hood. Some bettas may try nipping at their big pectoral fins or long stringy pelvic fins, I haven't had any problems in my sorority though.
If you have a gourami's they are territorial of the surface and might attack the AFB. I avoid this by keeping my aquarium heavily planted, giving all my fish a ton of places to escape. some plants left floating will help to keep the AFB from jumping because they have a safe place to run to instead of feeling their only option is to jump.

Unless it's from a really good LFS the AFB will probably only eat crickets. you can condition the fish to eat out of your hand and then they will take just about anything from you. I have mine on pellets, flakes, freeze dried, and the occasional bug I catch.

*Caution* *if you have very small bettas the AFB may try to eat them*. I have no problem with mine, and it would be hard for a AFB to actually eat a fish because they're designed to eat off the surface, but it could happen if given the chance over and over that it will finally catch it. they are extremely fast when they strike.


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## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Would you mind elaborating on tank size and such, Copper?

Snails are awesome if you get the RIGHT snail(s). I had a huge infestation of these snails and they were pooping machines and reproduced like crazy. Made me so mad. But my Assassin snail is totally harmless to my plants, doesn't reproduce (because you keep one), and has a smaller bioload. I also really enjoy Nerite snails. Won't reproduce, don't eat your plants, and don't poop nearly as much as other snails!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

How about a butterfly shrimp? I saw one of the big guys, but have no idea about them  obviously not small enough to become chow :lol:

I've had one betta successfully with zero problems with short fin leopard danios, guppies (male and female), tetra, snails, platy, baby fish from platy and balloon mollies... But then again he was raised only by me, since he was 6 months and he is 2.5 ;-)

I have kept danios successfully with that one betta, but they had a large group, it was a decent sized tank with lots of plants. The betta never mind and the danios learned that feeding time it was HIM first :lol: I've gotten my friend to take back her two danios, as one already nipped Spartan's pectoral fin (I had them while her tank was cycling), and I am certain it is because there were only two.. But her having my Crayola who has super long fins - it was out of the question.

Always depends on the tank size too.. I have seen and heard of people squeezing a betta in a 10 gallon with about 10 guppies... Also on what kind of betta your betta is :lol: I sure couldn't stick a snail in with some of my males, like Sasuke, Nemphis or Ghengis. But anyone else? sure.


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## Echo (May 18, 2011)

i've tried otos (four) with my Roxie.. bad thing was their "herd" mentality. she looks very similar in size and coloring, so they tried to school with her. they lasted less than a day :roll:


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

i think it's because octo's need odd numbers .. or i read that somewhere .. they probably thought ur roxie was their leader =D


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

My danios tried schooling with one betta xD and I had guppies accept my Spartan as their "giant guppy leader" :lol:


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

lololol !! guppy leader !! hehe that sounds really cute !! i wonder if ur betta's like .. stop following me .. stop following me .. why are you following me .. lol


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

He kinda was xD the endler tried dominating him (flare... so darn cute for an endler!) and the betta stared at him. endler: "eep..."


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Great list!


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## DanielaMarie (Jun 21, 2011)

Thank you for the list. It'll be a great help to anyone wanting to put a betta in a community tank.

I just have one question regarding the bettas temperament. Is there a way to determine if the betta will be suitable for a community tank before putting him in one? Our boy has only been on his own in a one gallon but doesn't flair at anything that I've seen.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

There is no sure-fire way of doing it. You can get him "beginner" tank mates like snails and shrimp to see if he eats them, but many bettas will accept inverts and not fish as tankmates. There is no definite way short of actually giving it a go and crossing your fingers.


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## DormDrax (Dec 1, 2010)

I have 7 neon Tetras and a bunch of Ghost Shrimp, so far happy little community. (I am also heavily planted... Finally). 10gal btw


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