# Which fish species can go with a male betta in a 26 gallon tank?



## animalluvergrl (Mar 12, 2010)

Hello there everyone. I am new to this forum, but not to betta fish. I've only ever kept one betta of either gender per tank, so I'm not certain which other fish can get along with a betta.

I am basically just making plans now. I would like to get a 26 gallon tank kit from Marineland (with the BioWheel, 3 stage filtration, etc). So, that pretty much leaves me with 22-23 inches of fish space left, right? Since bettas reach a max of about 3 inches long? 
I also don't plan on stocking it to the max, either. 

Anyways, I know that the tankmates can't be fin nibblers, and can't be faster moving than the betta (or else the betta wouldn't get enough food, right?). They also need to be "rated" as peaceful temperament, correct?


I had some people on another forum suggest tetras, maybe guppies (depending on the species of guppy is what they said), and they might've said something about mollies too...



Anyways, any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks in advance.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum. It really depends on the temperament of the betta as to whether he'll do ok with tankmates or not. A lot of people keep corydoras catfish with their bettas with no problem. African dwarf frogs and ghost shrimp are also good tankmates. I'm sure others will come along soon and tell you their opinions and experiences.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I wouldn't go by the inches per gallon rule.. that is a really simple guideline and there is much more involved in stocking.

In a 26 gallon community the first thing your going to want to do is plant it IMO live plants and lots of them is the best way to make a betta comfortable in a community. Next I would look into getting mainly bottom feeders: corys, snails, and shrimp. ADFs don't do well in tall tanks as it is too hard for them to swim to the top for air.

Of course in a tall tank you are going to want to have some top dwelling fish. For people that want bettas I would first suggest going with a female sorority. If you want to have a male though you need to know that he has a mellow personality. If he is overly aggressive I would NOT put him in. Other top dwelling fish that could work are tetras (not the bright guys) but they have been known to fin nip, I've heard of guppies working as well but I wouldn't suggest it. Tetras are probably your best bet.

To be perfectly honest I would go with either a female sorority and no other top dwelling fish or a female betta and schooling fish such as guppies and tetras.


----------



## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Neon tetras are a risk-sometimes bettas eat them sometimes neons nip at them, and sometimes they get along fine.

White cloud minnows are a peaceful community fish, as well as corydoras catfish. But it really depends on your bettas' personality.


----------



## Erik (Sep 9, 2009)

I have 5 black neon tetras and 5 cory cats in a 20 gallon with my betta, the only issue I ever have is my betta trying to eat everyone elses dinner :roll:


----------



## puppyrjjkm (Aug 2, 2009)

I had neon tetras, cories, hatchetfish, and platies in my 29 gallon with a male betta, and then later with my sorority. Everyone got along  Good luck with your tank!


----------



## Hadouken441 (Jan 27, 2010)

Everytime I hear about people having mean bettas it makes me laugh because mine are so nice its silly. I have a male with a variety of fish and there are no problems at all haha. 30 gallon with 7 Neons, 5 Zebra Danio,3 Corys, Angelfish ( Most people shun this but they look right at eachother and the betta didnt even flair) and 2 Tiger barbs believe it or not. No fighting, and the only nipping is the fish nipping the same species (barb nipping barb, danio chasing nipping) Tank has been up for a while now also. And FYI i didnt stock the tank my stupid parents did haha If it were me I wouldnt have done the jumps that they did.


----------



## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Are thre any betta friends that don't need to school?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

The only tank mates for bettas that don't school would be non-fish tank mates such as snails and shrimp.


----------



## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Darn


----------



## xrayman7040 (Mar 19, 2010)

Well I just tossed one in a 70 gallon tank with a variety of fish. Stay tuned. So far so good.


----------



## PRichs87 (Dec 30, 2009)

im buying a snail for my 5 gallon with my CT today!


----------



## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

> A lot of people keep corydoras catfish with their bettas with no problem.


 Do you have to keep more than one of those for the catfish to be happy?


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Cory catfish do best in groups of 4 or more because they are schooling fish.


----------



## hamfist (Mar 25, 2010)

bloo97 said:


> Do you have to keep more than one of those for the catfish to be happy?


Yes, a singleton cory will be very lonely. At least 3, absolute minimum.

Back to the original question. I have had, or am still having, luck with male bettas with normal cories, pygmy cories, stiphodon gobies, neon tetras, red eyed tetras, brochis splendens, a huge angelfish (amazingly !!), bristlenose catfish, other very small pleco species.

I will add that the enormous plakat male I keep with most of that list is a HUGE softy,


----------



## Phantom (Mar 30, 2010)

My betta has been alone for a year almost and hes just gotten a 1.5 gal tank is that too small to keep a fish friend with him? He's shy I think since he hides behind the filter now.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

A 1.5 gallon is not big enough to add more fish. It's barely big enough for 1 betta.


----------



## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

What Dramaqueen said. We recommend 2.5 gallons per betta. With 5 gallons you could add something small, like some shrimp, a snail, or an ADF or two. For fish, you;d need at least 10 gallons.


----------



## Phantom (Mar 30, 2010)

Oh okay I guess the people at Pet-Co arent very well versed. They first said a small bowl then the 1.5 gallon tank.


----------



## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Usually people at petstores aren't very knowledgable about bettas, unfortunately.


----------



## Phantom (Mar 30, 2010)

Well I guess I'll let him be then I think he prefers alone anyway


----------



## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

> Yes, a singleton cory will be very lonely. At least 3, absolute minimum.


Thanks!


----------



## aydengryphon (Apr 1, 2010)

*re*

I have a pretty calm betta, but he's lived with several types of mollies and does not mind them at all. I have to be a little careful to make sure he is getting the food he needs, as the lyretail dalmation in the tank will literally steal the food from his mouth if he's eating it too slow, but other than that they will swim togeither or ignore eachother. He also tolerated an orange creamsicle lyretail, which strangely seemed to phase him far less than the previously mentioned dalmation despite its bright color. 

If you have a bigger tank, I have found that some breeds of loach can also be a really fun coinhabitants. This depends partially on your betta's personality (as it seems most things do), as an agressive betta (especially if they are smaller loaches) might mistake them for worms and try to chase them. The betta would never catch them, loaches are ridiculously fast, but I'd imagine it would be quite stressful for the loach so if your betta is prone to chasing fish in general (or if you already feed him worms) this would not be a good solution. On the other hand they burrow and are largely nocturnal, so if you have a betta that is mostly fine with other fish but can occasionally be tempermental they can be a good solution as they will mostly stay out of his way in general. 
(Loaches are like corys though in that they do best in groups, at least 3 and preferably between 5-7. Like corys they CAN be kept on their own, they will most likely just be rather lonely... Sorry people who were looking for non-schooling options.)


----------

