# Betta Tankmates



## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

I just got a 10 gallon tank for my male betta. I was wondering if i can add any other fish and what types are good with bettas. Please help!


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## Shimizoki (Jul 8, 2011)

10gal I believe (as do many here) is the smallest tank you can have and still have tank mates. Luckily you just barely squeeked in there.

In a 10gal you could keep a few snails, maybe a cory cat or 2, a few tetras, a few ottos (will clean the tank).

If you wish you can divide the tank and make it hold 2 bettas.


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## hedgehog (Sep 1, 2010)

Both cory cats and otos are schooling fish and you would need to keep them in groups. Cories do best in groups of four or more. In a ten gallon I would be four or five depending on the species of the cory with the betta and nothing else.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Definitely don't get otos! They are really sensitive and generally don't do well in less than 20 gallons. There are exceptions, as always, but they aren't the rule. 
If you want cories, I would go with 4 pandas or 6 pygmy cories. 
If your betta is chilled, you could go with tetras. I strongly recommend embers, as they are tiny, so the betta won't see them as a threat and they have a smaller bioload, they aren't even slightly nippy, and they are very peaceful, so the betta won't be stressed out by any frantic tankmate activity. 

If you are super good at water quality maintenance, 6 pygmy cories and 6 embers with a betta would stock you. That wouldn't be overcrowding on any level, at least.


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## Fermin (Apr 18, 2010)

Depends on your betta's personality. Some are sweethearts that seem to enjoy tankmates. Others are murderous psychopaths that will torture and kill anything that moves (I've had both types of bettas). Only YOU can guess at how your betta will act.

Just remember that if you add tankmates and your betta terrorizes them, as a responsible pet owner you must be prepared to move them to a separate tank - - - now you'll have 2 tanks to care for.


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

well, i was just at a carnival and I happened to win 4 fish (omg) so i put them in my 10 gallon which has my betta and 3 platys. 8 fish in a 10 gallon? Idk what to do because I have no room to upgrade. I also have a female i wanted to breed in my 1/2 gallon but since the 10 gallon is crowded i can't. Any suggestions of what I should do? I think I have a little more room for maybe a 1-7 gallon tank. I also need to know which fish to put in what tank. Thanks!


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

What kind of fish did you win?? If they are goldfish, you're in a world of trouble.

If you have no room to upgrade, you shouldn't be breeding your bettas. Your female needs 2.5g tank, you need a spawning tank of 5g+ and a grow out tank of 20-30g+. Then you need containers for your offspring. You're in over your head lol Upgrade your female, figure out your 10g and then work in your supplies for breeding.


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

should I take out the goldfish and put them in another tank, then put the female in the 10 gallon? (my mom is saying thats okay but I'm saying "my betta is litterally gonna kill the poor female!" I don't want to breed them automatically. I also have this huge beautiful goldfish that was the biggest one in the goldfish tank (i picked it) oh and it's not those HUGE HUGE goldfish in the petstore. Its like the small version of it.


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

Look, this is my female in the 1/2 gallon. http://www.bettafish.com/picture.php?albumid=2821&pictureid=19208 
She's still pretty young, you can look at my album and see more pics of her and the male. And I would not want 4 goldfish floating dead in a tank the next or day after. Well, it depends on how I take care of them...


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Can you get a picture of the goldfish? Goldfish are coldwater fish and need massive tanks. 2 goldfish (the small fancy types) need 30g minimum. If you could post a pic or video, someone could tell you what type they are. Sadly, 4 goldfish in your tank is way way over stocking it. They get big fast. Your betta needs warm water, the goldfish need cold. Someone will come along and help you, as I cannot, I don't own goldfish as the tanks are too large for my home and I can't have a pond. 

And no, do NOT put your female with your male unless you want dead fish. Others will back me up on this.


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

well the goldfish i have sorta look like this- http://www.google.com/imgres?q=smal...tbnw=151&start=20&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:20


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

and the slightly bigger one looks like this- http://www.google.com/imgres?q=smal...bnw=177&start=62&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:62


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Wait for someone experienced with goldfish to see this  No matter what type they are, they will need colder water and big tanks sadly. I would find them their own tank asap. Your male betta is at risk being in a tank with them since they are very dirty fish, and one goldfish is too much for a 10g tank. Your Platy and betta male can live together though  

Walmart has 2g cookie jars for cheap that your female would love! Just make sure of you get one, don't seal the cover, leave it slightly open. Critter keepers are cheap too, around $10ea. 

Right now as I see it, you're gonna need 3 tanks for the fish you currently have, a large one for the goldfish, a 1-3g for your female and the 10g for your male betta and platys


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

You need to rehome your golfish. I'm not saying this to be cruel, but it's important that you do it soon. If those are the ones in the pictures, the slim bodied, long-tailed ones, they are comets. They can grow to more than a foot long and produce enormous amounts of waste - they also can't tolerate higher temperatures like fancies can. As a bare minimum, you want 55 gallons for the first and 20 gallons for each additional. They are pond fish and it takes a huge tank to keep them indoors. I've you've got 4, you are looking at easily 100 gallons plus. 
Do you know anyone with a pond who could take them?


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

are you sure its the ones I have? The ones I have are smaller than my betta! But the slightly bigger one is exactly the size of my betta. You can see my betta in my album.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Oh god. You have Goldfish. 

Here are the problems-

Bettas are Tropical and need warm water, Goldfish are colwater and need cold water.

I need to see actual pictures to see wether you have fancies (If they are ALL fancies you are looking at at least 100 gallons. Okay? If they are Commons, you're going to need a pond or at least 200 gallons! You see, Goldfish produce massive waste. They have an extremely large bioload. To add on to that, eventually, you won't be able to physically fit a Goldfish into a ten gallon. They get at LEAST 10" (1 foot and up is not uncommon). 

So you are in a big mess here. Can you take care of the Goldies? If not, please rehome them. They need an expert fish keeper with the time, space, and money to care for them. I hate carnivals because of this. It is awful. Absolutely awful.


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

so your saying those little tiny goldfish grow to be massive huge goldfish?!?! (like those big ones in the pet stores that are in the 50-100 gallons)


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## Ajones108 (Jul 7, 2010)

Goldfish are also major victims to stunted growth.  A sad fact is that if the aquarium is not big enough for the goldfish, and the goldfish has no room to grow, its organs will out grow it and, well... Kill the fish.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

StarBetta said:


> so your saying those little tiny goldfish grow to be massive huge goldfish?!?! (like those big ones in the pet stores that are in the 50-100 gallons)


Yep. I go by at _least_ the 5 gallons for every inch of goldfish rule to a point.. when they get about 6 inches, then it's major upgrading. So for right now, if they are about the size of a male betta they should be in 40g+. They grow big and fast.. and if kept in too small of a tank, their bodies will stop growing, but not the organs and that will spell dead fish. Even the fancy ones with big bellies get huge. A doctor out my way has a 75g tank with two of them in there.. big bellies with short bodies.. and they are at least 10 inches long, if not longer and the ones you have can easily get a foot or longer. Sad to say, but they are pretty much just feeder fish. Normally just 10 cents each at any pet store so honestly unsure just how their health is to begin with.

As for breeding.. please don't try just yet. It costs a few hundred dollars (at least), not to mention will sky rocket your electric bill which your parents may not appreciate heh.. As Pitluvs mentioned, you need many tanks, as well as bettas can have hundreds of babies easily.. where are you going to store hundred of individual jars and heat them all up while you try to find a place to sell them if/when the males and such decide they want to fight? (Most pet stores, especially chain ones won't buy them from a person off the street.)

For now, focus on taking care of the ones you have.. you need to still do research on them prior to taking on something that many experienced breeders still have trouble doing from time to time.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Yes, actually, they do. You have a couple of babies on your hands. A few weeks old, at that. They will ither get stunted with a bent spine and die, or they will get huge. 

Myates- Not to burst your bubble or anything because that was good info, but that whole organ end exploding fish thing isn't true. Instead, their organs start to shut down and their spines become really bent. Poor dears.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

BettaMiah said:


> Yes, actually, they do. You have a couple of babies on your hands. A few weeks old, at that. They will ither get stunted with a bent spine and die, or they will get huge.
> 
> Myates- Not to burst your bubble or anything because that was good info, but that whole organ end exploding fish thing isn't true. Instead, their organs start to shut down and their spines become really bent.


Never said they exploded.. just that their organs don't stop growing and pretty much common sense will tell you that they will die from it because it will shut down.
So no bursting of my bubble! =P


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Okay maybe I worded that wrong. Their organs don't really continute to grow, they just stop. The fish with it's organs will grow until it's body senses that what it is in is too small or the water quality declines because of a bigger Goldfish producing more waste, its spine just bends and the organs shut down.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Miah, what size tank do you keep your goldfish in?


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

As you can see, there is quite an issue with the Goldfish  I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, but for you and the fish, it's better to get a large tank or rehome them. The pet store might take them for you for free. Goldfish are high needs, not the fish people stick in bowls and say it's good. Goldfish live 20+ years, and when you have one in a bowl for 2 years and it dies, you've failed miserably. 

Common Goldfish 

Comet Goldfish


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

^ +1


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

DQ- Beau is getting 55 gallons once he gets a tab bit bigger. (I want him to be at least 4")


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

BettaMiah said:


> DQ- Beau is getting 55 gallons once he gets a tab bit bigger. (I want him to be at least 4")


Parents changed their minds? Last night you were saying they won't allow any large tanks. Lets hope they change their mind quickly


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

My mom did. She said when the time comes we'll confront my dad and be like 'Look, he is getting to big for that tank, and _______ offered her a free 55 gallon.'

Sp it will happen. I'd say I have about a year until that comes, though. Beau is about 2.5 inches, maybe 3. But gosh has he been growing fast! Thats good though.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

BettaMiah said:


> My mom did. She said when the time comes we'll confront my dad and be like 'Look, he is getting to big for that tank, and _______ offered her a free 55 gallon.'
> 
> Sp it will happen. I'd say I have about a year until that comes, though. Beau is about 2.5 inches, maybe 3. But gosh has he been growing fast! Thats good though.


More like a month and he'll be 4 inches.. they grow really fast and have growth spurts hehe. Good luck!


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

aw man. I'll just give it to a friend who can handle them instead of the pet store trapping the poor fish in small tanks. One more question- What if the female gets pregnant and im not prepared? What shall i do then?


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Umm.. they don't get pregnant like that, and you should NOT keep a male and female together. Period. It takes hundreds of dollars, multiple large tanks, weeks of preparing and conditioning to even think about breeding bettas. They aren't live bearers, but lay eggs in bubble nests. 
But I can't strain this enough.. do not keep the male and female in the same tank without a divider. You will have a dead fish if you do.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Myates said:


> Umm.. they don't get pregnant like that, and you should NOT keep a male and female together. Period. It takes hundreds of dollars, multiple large tanks, weeks of preparing and conditioning to even think about breeding bettas. They aren't live bearers, but lay eggs in bubble nests.
> But I can't strain this enough.. do not keep the male and female in the same tank without a divider. You will have a dead fish if you do.


+1^^ 

You are being given lots of great advise here. If you choose to ignore and place your bettas together with no knowledge (you don't even know HOW they breed apparently) then do NOT expect ANY respect. You are purposely looking to kill your fish. Breeding takes a lot of time and money. I pay rent, my own bills, have two kids and 8 fish tanks... and I cannot afford to run out and breed bettas. If you cannot afford a tank for your female, you have no business breeding. Please, keep your bettas separate, rehome those goldfish and do not get any more fish until you have done your research.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Um, I'm confuzzled. I thought we were talking about goldfish?


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

lol.. the OP has a 10 gallon with 4 goldfish and a male betta in it. She wants to put a female betta in it to breed them. We were discussing the reasoning behind why a 10 gal is not suitable for comet and common goldfish.. then she made the comment about what if the female got pregnant. (Who is in a half gallon currently) And so we replied to that statement lol. It is a confusing mess =P


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

You mean the female betta, right?


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Dont forget the platys in the 10g too.


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

no no no. Its not me who wants to put the female in, its my mom. I keep telling her no and I won't let her put the female in the 10 gallon.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

dramaqueen said:


> You mean the female betta, right?


The female is in a half gallon, the male in the 10 with the goldfish and the platys, and she mentioned adding in the female with them.



StarBetta said:


> no no no. Its not me who wants to put the female in, its my mom. I keep telling her no and I won't let her put the female in the 10 gallon.


Ah.. yeah, don't let her. If you are able to rehome the other other fish, and leave just the male there, you can buy or make your own  dividers. Can put 3-4 bettas in your 10 gallon with dividers. That way it's one tank, one heater, one filter = less to clean, more bettas, and cheaper then buying individual tanks if you ever want to get more! A divider would most likely be cheaper to make/buy then a larger tank for the girl.


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## fishy friend2 (Aug 28, 2011)

BettaMiah said:


> My mom did. She said when the time comes we'll confront my dad and be like 'Look, he is getting to big for that tank, and _______ offered her a free 55 gallon.'
> 
> Sp it will happen. I'd say I have about a year until that comes, though. Beau is about 2.5 inches, maybe 3. But gosh has he been growing fast! Thats good though.


They grow really, really. Really fast I had one for 6 to 9 months and he get 7 to 8 inches long in that short amount of time, I named him sushi. I'd be pretty scared to eat sushi that big


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## StarBetta (Aug 5, 2011)

what temperature do those goldfish have to be in? I put them in a seperate tank with about 70 degrees. is that too hot? or should i make it colder?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

70 won't kill them, but comets and commons really prefer water under 68F, if you can get it that low.


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