# Tankmates for 1 female betta in a 5gal?



## aphroditeandco (Nov 10, 2015)

I have one female crowntail betta in a 5 gallon tank. To be specific, an Aqueon Minibow 5 Gal. I have a few natural plants but silk plants in addition if that affects what kind of tankmates she can have. I want one to add some life to her currently very quiet and dull tank. I'm thinking ghost shrimp or maybe a dwarf frog, but I'm not sure. Does anyone have any suggestions and basic info on the care for whatever their suggestion is?


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## Mousie (Feb 16, 2015)

Probably one or two snails. Only one betta can be in a 5 gallon... no more fish.

The tank is only dull to you. Fish don't care... they do not get bored.


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## BlueSky99 (Aug 7, 2014)

I wouldn't recommend putting african dwarf frogs in anything smaller than a 10g as they need to be in a group of at least 2-3. There's not much to put in a 5g with a betta, and going off previous experience of mine, I wouldn't put anything other than a betta in a 5g. Maybe a snail would be fine, but they're poopers with a big bioload for their size.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

If you do get a snail, there's a chance that your betta will attack it. My female attacks anything in her territory that she can catch. I tried to add shrimp to her tank once, and she killed them during the 20 minute dark time that I gave them to hide (with a blanket over the tank and everything).


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## Innerbeauty (Jul 31, 2014)

If she is mild mannered you could try a mystery snail. They are very active and come in interesting colors. I *love* my mysteries. A few shrimps would probably be a good choice too.


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## CuddlesTheBetta (Nov 15, 2015)

Indian Whisker shrimp. $0.99 each at Petco.

1. They're roughly the same size as a betta, so any betta that's not overly aggressive will know better than to mess with them.
2. They don't hunt or antagonize the betta. If the betta gets too close they may feel threatened, but all they'll do is playfully swat at it with their whiskers. My betta's respectful of their space, but in no way feels threatened by them, and he still regularly patrols the crevices on the floor of the tank even though he knows the shrimp are there.
3. They're quite hardy. They even regrow claws, as I found out.
4. They're see-through, so you always know when they're fed because you can see the food in their stomachs haha.
5. They're fun to watch
6. They will live just fine on betta flakes.

I've got two in with my betta, and it's been working great. They make the tank feel so much less lonely.


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## Crash (Jul 19, 2015)

Make sure if you get ghost shrimp that they don't have pincers, I've heard bad stories about faux ghost shrimp that are actually a type of dwarf prawn attacking their betta! I know red cherry shrimp would be fine, but there's the strong possibility of your betta killing them and trying to eat them, they are carnivores after all  I have had luck with blue velvet shrimp but only because they blend in so well with my darker decor, my betta does pick on the oddball shrimp I have that is mostly white with blue stripes because he stands out.

Just some food for thought! Snails are cool too  just remember they produce quite a bit of waste so you have to keep up with the tank cleaning.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Crash said:


> Make sure if you get ghost shrimp that they don't have pincers, I've heard bad stories about faux ghost shrimp that are actually a type of dwarf prawn attacking their betta! I know red cherry shrimp would be fine, but there's the strong possibility of your betta killing them and trying to eat them, they are carnivores after all  I have had luck with blue velvet shrimp but only because they blend in so well with my darker decor, my betta does pick on the oddball shrimp I have that is mostly white with blue stripes because he stands out.
> 
> Just some food for thought! Snails are cool too  just remember they produce quite a bit of waste so you have to keep up with the tank cleaning.


By faux Ghost Shrimp I believe you are referring to Macrobrachium sp. They are also called "Whisker Shrimp." As juvvies they are often mistaken for Ghost Shrimp. They are predatory and can be extremely aggressive and known to take down smaller/slower fish and do severe damage to long-finned Betta fins and bodies. Females and Plakats might be okay. They are, however, quite interesting in a species-only tank and great fun to watch. I really enjoyed mine when I had them.

BTW, animals don't "playfully swat." A "swat" is an aggressive move meant as a serious warning.

I love my Assassin Snails and have them in all of my tanks. They are small and have small bioloads compared to larger snails. They don't overproduce, either. IMO, their striped shells are quite pretty. You can have other fish in a five gallon if it is heavily planted and you stick to Nano/Micro species. I prefer small bottom-dwellers like Habrosus Cory. Five or six do quite well in my two 5.5 tanks with my Betta. I would not add Neons as they need a lot more swimmin space.

All of that being said, it is quite true: Dull is our perception; not hers. And you are not cheating or depriving your Betta by giving her a tank to herself. Tank mates other than snails are for us; not them. If she is active then I'd let her be or add a small species snail to clean up any leftover food.


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## Allaria4 (Nov 25, 2015)

Amano shrimp are nice and eat algae. They get big enough so the betta wont seem them as food and female betta's like having something be subservient to them. (they like to be queen) Nerite snails will eat the algae off the walls of the tank and less cleaning for you. Nerites do not reproduce in fresh water but they will lay eggs on things. Some nebetta do not like nerites. My male would body slam them but luckily the snails are smooth. They come in different patters and might try to escape your tank. They get about an inch in size. The horned verity are smaller (half the size) and are bright yellow but they are more social and need at least two preferably 3 since they like to play piggy back and not clean as quickly.


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## Carlos Vicente (Nov 15, 2015)

Wouldn't a couple of cherry shrimp be nice??
That's what I was thinking of adding to my 10g once complete, unless there is a reason why I shouldn't then I won't.


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## Allaria4 (Nov 25, 2015)

Carlos Vicente said:


> Wouldn't a couple of cherry shrimp be nice??
> That's what I was thinking of adding to my 10g once complete, unless there is a reason why I shouldn't then I won't.


Given the size of the cherry shrimp betta might see them as food and since they are brightly colored it is hard for the shrimp to hide. If you had enough hiding spots like some Java moss they might be ok although the moss does not stop my dwarf gourami from eating them every now and then. They are also prolific breeders and fish love to eat the babies. I had a mini heart attack when I saw my dwarf gourami look look like he swallowed a fish sized basketball after gorging on slow moving baby cherry shrimp. 

If you really want to do it I would start with one or two and only get the males. The males are are a lighter color so the betta will have a hard time finding them. If those live then see about getting more.


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