# What else should my betta have for a friend?



## purplex (Apr 12, 2012)

Hi guys,

I have my lovely male betta in his tank, and recently got 10 neon tetras to keep him a bit of company. There's been no problems at all between them, and I can't decide what to get next. I have a 50L tank, weasling my hubby around to a cheap 200L that I saw the other day, not 100% sure yet as to whether I'm going to move my boy and his friends over to the 200L, or start a different community though.

The lady at the pet shop suggested either cat fish or cherry barbs... I like the look of both, but don't want to crowd my tank. 

I have a heater, filter, air, and light setup with both real and fake plants (slowly replacing the fake with real), and just wanted to see what everyone would suggest. 

Thanks in advance


----------



## ravenwinds (Feb 5, 2012)

If I did my math correctly, you have about a 10gallon tank...if that is the case, your tank is already full based on 1inch per gallon "rule". If you add more fish, it would be too much bioload for your filter, resulting in a messy tank and too much ammonia. You could probably get away with adding some snails but anything else would make your tank sick and too many friends in such a small space would probably stress out your betta.
If you went for the 200L tank, I would get a school of at least 6 Cory cats(bronze, panda, sterbai are all cute)...they are so much fun to watch!
Of course, it's kind of the pot calling the kettle black as I usually overstock my tanks, too!


----------



## purplex (Apr 12, 2012)

I believe that 50L is about 13 US Gallons... damn imperial system!

I think it looks empty LOL


----------



## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

The 1 inch per gallon is pretty outdated now. You should base it on bioload, the space needed for activity (neons are very active) and compatability with the species you already own. Plus you need to take into account if you have plants for hiding spots and appropriate substrate for bottom feeders like corys. 

I did some rough calculations on AQadvisor and if it was 52ltr it would be 14gal. AQ says it's 76% stocked but I'm not sure on the method they use. Corys would work well. I have 4 bronze and they are lovely little fish and are highly entertaining, something smaller like a pygmy or panda cories would be lovely and will be easier on the bio load. You'd need at least 6 and they prefer sand substrate to protect their barbels. Very fine and smooth gravel is adequate but sand is much more rewarding as it's so entertaining to watch them sifting away searching for food  Avoid anymore fast moving schooling fish as they may stress your betta out if there's too many schools and they would max out your stocking, I only let my stocking get to 80-90% so if I get pest snails it wont cause too much problems with my water quality. 

Hope I helped


----------



## ravenwinds (Feb 5, 2012)

The 1 inch rule is still used. Although I do agree that it's outdated and basing it on bioload/activity levels/ hiding places is a much better and more thorough method, but in the interest of keeping answer short and easy to comprehend, I figured more people would get the 1 inch visualization quicker. 
I'm on my htc droid so, it is all done in my head....if the tank is 14g, I would plant it moderately so the fish can carve out their territories, leave enough room for your schools to play, and I would get corie catfish (i happen to love sterbai Cory cats...but whatever your taste!)...cories are great fish, playful, and they look like an intricate dance routine.
With your size tank, I would get at least 6 corie cats, since they will do better in a school.
Also, keep in mind that this stocking of the tank takes care of all 3 levels w/o overcrowding one level: bottom feeders, neons are mid water column, and betta at the top.

Just beware that your betta would probably dislike too rambunctious roomies as well as overcrowding and might begin to get violent.


----------



## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

The one inch per gallon rule is actually valid here. It breaks down with fish larger than 2 inches because fish grow in 3 dimensions not just one. But that is beside the point. About the stocking: personally, I wouldn't add any more schooling fish to the 50L (13.21 US gal). I believe a single bottom-dweller like a bristlenose pleco (more info here) could work and would help a bit with algae cleanup, but you still need to feed them. Depending on how old your tank is, you could also do a few otos (read more here). 

As for the tank looking rather bare, I would plant it more densely. Both the betta and the neon tetra will benefit from more cover as these fish naturally come from pretty densely planted streams. They will color up nicely with some floating plants, too. 

If you get the 200L (52.83 US gal) then you could have many more options that include a school of cherry barb or cory cats. I suggest you look through the fish profiles here and here to get an idea about these fish and find others that might interest you. And finally, to begin building a stocking plan, we need to know your local water parameters such as pH and water hardness.


----------



## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

So if I use the 1 inch per gallon rule I can get a fan tail in my 5 gallon... That is why it doesn't really work. Go by the fishes swimming levels, activeness, bioload, and aggression. You don't want a large amount of cories in a tall tank as the floor swimming space will be cramped. 

I would say cherry barbs, cories, harliquin (spelled that wrong lol) rasboras, and tummy nose tetras could all work. Rummynoses are harder to find as they aren't super popular, though because of their nice coloring and schooling tightly (They actually school together, unlike neons and cardinals that scatter the tank) they are becoming more popular. Cherry barbs are also very hardy, some say as hard as bettas are.


----------



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I avoid the inch per gallon rule. more like pooper vs not-as-much-pooper  hence why bettas can live in say...2 gallons... VS a goldie in a 5 gallon. It really is outdated... good as a standing for some beginners as long as they understand which fish they want have a higher and lower bioload, however I've seen many people in my town say "well inch per gallon... he'd fit in a 5 gallon!" Best bet, look for the fish, the ADULT size of the fish, and bioload.  If you do have a 2 inch tetra (who generally have notso-bad bioloads), 5 would be best in a 10, then you can use the inch per gallon rule to HELP, but not STEER 

tummy nose tetras? :lol:


----------



## ravenwinds (Feb 5, 2012)

Good point koimaiden and kfryman...keep in mind the footprint of your tank when choosing fish, especially bottom dwellers. If your tank gets its increased gallon/liters by going up, your bottom dwellers will have less space. It might be a better idea to get a pleco...but beware what they tell you in fish store is probably wrong! My local fish store sold me a beautiful pleco stating he would get no larger than 5inches...this was back when I was not researching...he is q14inches and still growing. That's why koimaiden specifically suggested the bristlenose pleco.


----------



## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

kfryman said:


> So if I use the 1 inch per gallon rule I can get a fan tail in my 5 gallon... That is why it doesn't really work.


Well here is another instance where the 1 inch per gal rule breaks down: deep-bodied fish like fancy goldfish. Some are taller than they are long (my ryukins for example). Oddly enough, with normal shaped fish that will stay about 1 inch long, this rule kinda works. But in general, this rule has too many problems to be considered reliable and should not be recommended to beginners. 

There have been some good other suggestions for fishy companions, but I don't think rummynose tetra would be good. There are actually three species on the market that are commonly sold as "rummynose tetra" (_Hemigrammus bleheri_, _H. rhodostomus_, and _Petitella georgiae_), and only one of them is actually suited for the warm temps betta like (they are also seen in discus setups for this reason). The other problem being that they like large tanks. This is one tetra you should really have in schools of 10 or more and they grow around 2 inches long. However, if you have soft enough water, they would be great in your 200L! 

Cherry barb and harlequin rasbora are good fits, tho. Just make sure to get at least 6 of each as they are schooling fish.


----------



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Someone has lambchop rasbora.  they are smaller... -name of the person slips mind- x.x look almost the same as harlequin, except a bit slimmer, and smaller


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

I'm the one with lamb chops! lol My LPS sold them as harlequins - but they are too small to be harlequins.


----------



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

yeah!!! you!!! :lol:


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Sena Hansler said:


> yeah!!! you!!! :lol:


:lol: I couldn't believe you didn't even remember WHO I AM! rofl


----------



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

No no I remember YOU I just didn't remember which one of you nutty people owned them


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Sena Hansler said:


> No no I remember YOU I just didn't remember which one of you nutty people owned them


 hahaha I think lamb - chops would do good in large schools - I have a school of 5 and they are quite skittish.


----------



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

agreed


----------



## Earthworm (May 7, 2012)

I would just add two more neon tetras. You have a 14 gallon tank.


----------



## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Opps. Wrong place!


----------



## Amberawr (May 11, 2012)

So catfish are a good mate for a male betta?


----------



## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Amberawr said:


> So catfish are a good mate for a male betta?


This depends on a lot of things. There are literally thousands of species of catfish, so you are going to have to be much more specific. The second thing is tank size. Unless your betta is in a 10 gal or more tank, it's not a good idea to put other fish in with him. If you explain your situation more, maybe we can help.


----------



## Amberawr (May 11, 2012)

thekoimaiden said:


> This depends on a lot of things. There are literally thousands of species of catfish, so you are going to have to be much more specific. The second thing is tank size. Unless your betta is in a 10 gal or more tank, it's not a good idea to put other fish in with him. If you explain your situation more, maybe we can help.


i have a 3 gallon tank atm i can always get a bigger one but i want him to have a buddy and hes kinda messy with his food so a bottom feeder would be nice to clean up all the food that he lets fall to the bottom of the tank


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

In your 3 gallon you could have some shrimp or a small snail with him. Some bettas like to make a snack out of shrimp though. D:

For fishy tankmates you need a 10 gallon or above. Cory catfish are very popular bottom feeders on this forum. You need to have 4+ since they are schooling fish.


----------



## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Amberawr said:


> i have a 3 gallon tank atm i can always get a bigger one but i want him to have a buddy and hes kinda messy with his food so a bottom feeder would be nice to clean up all the food that he lets fall to the bottom of the tank


If you just want something to clean up the extra food, I would get some shrimp. Bottom feeders like cory catfish can't live on scraps alone. And shrimp can fit in a 3 gallon tank. Cory cats cannot.


----------



## Sheldon31 (Mar 21, 2012)

Corys are amazing little fish, stay relatively small and mine do a pretty good job at cleaning up excess food. Things to remember with them though: 

They need to be in schools of at least 4+ to be happy so a small tank wouldnt be able to house them. 10g with a good footprint is ideal. 

The cannot live off just scavenging and require a ballanced diet much like your Betta. 

Substrates are limited due to their sensitive barbels (whiskers). Sharp or large gravel will damage them so sand is best and more rewarding.


----------

