# 30 gallon stocking w/ male betta.



## FrightyDog (Apr 16, 2013)

I want to upgrade to a 30 gallon tank, and I need betta compatibility
--Start Story
I started out with saltwater and fell in love with the fish world. From there I got a freshwater a month later (10 gallon) for my 1 year *dating* anniversary! Then my mom's coworker gifted my sister and I with betta fish. I never liked them. I found them droll and overrated. Everyone had one and they were mean fish, but I kept my little Alpha in a bowl. I learned to love him! He followed whenever I passed by. Sometimes he flared his gills when he was swimming. Then he got pop-eye. I will admit, I was not doing frequent water changes. However he managed to fight it off, but was never the same (he has a crooked spine and may be blind. Since then he is now splitting a 5 gallon with his buddy Gamma, the guy I bought a month later. Then my sister got lazy and gave me her Betta, Gordo. I put him in my 10 gallon with my Tiger barb, platy, and zebra danio. He did amazing. No one bothered him! He flared at the tiger barb and that was it! I bought him a girlfriend, Delta, because the LFS lady said "they are easy to breed". Research proved otherwise so I put her in Alpha's old bowl. She is now the fattest betta a I have ever seen. Gordo died not to long ago because of very poor water changes my sister was doing, but I loved the little guy. After him I could never ever see a community without him! Ever! So I went to the Pet Expo this weekend and for $1 I won a betta my gf picked out. A blue guy with red ventral fins, Epsilon. I got him yesterday and he seems to be adjusting fine. 
---End Story
Long story short, I can not think it imaginable to have a fish tank with no betta! So I need some compatibility help! I won't be getting this until the winter, but I want some Ideas. Going in there will for sure be;
1 Male Betta
6 Panda Corydoras (or another variety)
6 Otocinclius
1 Tiger barb (because I got this guppy as a hatchling and he is a full fledged adult a year later, he was only there to cycle the tank but now he is in my heart)
I heard that these fish do not like too many schooling fish, and you don't want to many either so I am pretty confused on stocking. I was thinking in addition to those (minus the tiger barb because me may die.) maybe this;
1 ADF
1 Red Tailed Shark*
*I heard they are not good with bettas
I want more fish in there. Just like 2 more different species. What about Killifish or Rainbowfish? Would those work? Thanks for the help


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## JDragon (Jan 28, 2014)

Cories and Otos seem fine as long as they get enough food. Otos tend to be a little less hardy. Check for good stock and if they last for about a week or so, they should handle fine in my experience.
No idea on the barb, sorry.

ADFs will likely have to be target fed. They are nearly blind and typically slow eaters.
I have a female rainbow shark with my sorority and I see no chasing or anything of the like. She only occasionally chases the cories, mostly when they get near her cave or just 'cause she feels like it. I know most recommend a tank larger than 30 gallons, but I did have a juvie in a 30 gallon before it had swim bladder problems. I did have it in with a male betta I got off of craigslist and a lot of bloodfin tetras. I sometimes saw a little chasing. I needed to have another cave or two in retrospect.

I have no experience with Kilis. I know there are some that are annuals. Only last about a year. I'll let someone with experience with those chime in.


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## Wiggyl (Feb 13, 2014)

I'm not familiar with a lot of those species, but http://www.aqadvisor.com/ is a great tool. It will tell you how well stocked you are for your gallon & filter capacity. It will also alert you about any potential squabbles between species. 

Betta pops up as not recommended with some (like the danios I believe) for all sorts of reasons (in this case being nippers), so those specific issues you can research. JDragon seems to have experience with the actual species to cover some of the potential issues. 

I will only chime in on the ADF as it is not always brought up in compatibility threads that they are known to think that swishing betta fins are food. I found that out the hard way when I woke up to my bettas fins just utterly broken ]= So keep an eye out for it. I believe the ADF are less likely to do that if they feel safe with lots of hidey holes and plant cover, and obviously if they are well fed they are less likely to do it (my ADF came to me with hips! too skinny)


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## FrightyDog (Apr 16, 2013)

JDragon, I'm NotAsking About the barb. they are Not Compatible, but i risk it. And wiggly, Thanks. My gf reallyWants me to getone. But i Would spotfeed it bloodworms


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## n25philly (Dec 5, 2013)

You're going to have a problem with the tiger barb. They are a schooling fish, so just one in the tank is going to nip the fins of everyone. Bottom line if you want to keep him you need to get more. I would recommend a minimum of ten, as that will thin out their aggression and make them far less likely to bother the other fish.

I would start with the following:
1 betta
10 tiger barb
6 panda corys

That is no where near stocked, but it will give you a chance to see if everyone is getting alone and it's best to slowly build up anyway. Ultimately I would add a couple more pandas (the more cory cats the more entertaining they get) I would wait a little while before getting the otos. It's best to only introduce them to a tank that has established algae in it. They are usually wild caught and don't really get eating food given to them and are typically starving at the store. That's one of the main reasons why they are difficult to acclimate. They will eat vegetables, but if you put them in a tank with no algae they might starve before figuring it out. If they make it through acclimation though and there is enough food for them they are actually fairly hardy.

To answer your last question rainbow fish are schooling fish that need numbers and a lot of them get fairly big so you might be limited depending on how you stock. There are some cool smaller like threadfins (definitely do not put these in with tiger barbs) The smaller rainbows can be a pain to feed though as they tend to have big mouths but small throats and can only eat very tiny foods. So only get them if you don't mind crushing fish food or feeding baby brine shrimp.

I don't really know killi's at all, so I'm sure someone else can give you some good information on them.


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## n25philly (Dec 5, 2013)

Totally missed the ADF. Why? They are a pain to feed, and depending on the height of the 30gal they might have trouble reaching the top to breath as they are not good swimmers. If you must go there, get two, they are social.


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## FrightyDog (Apr 16, 2013)

I'm Going To keep The barb Alone Because It Worked for my,Past betta. as to the other Things i agree, but There are no local panda corydoras. I'm Trying to Up His Numbers Currently. as to the ADF Would They be better in,ny 10? or even 5?


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Sorry, but keeping tiger barbs with a betta is just a terrible idea.


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## n25philly (Dec 5, 2013)

FrightyDog said:


> I'm Going To keep The barb Alone Because It Worked for my,Past betta. as to the other Things i agree, but There are no local panda corydoras. I'm Trying to Up His Numbers Currently. as to the ADF Would They be better in,ny 10? or even 5?



Ultimately it's your tank, so you can do whatever you like, but in an improper school a barb is much more likely to be an issue. Just because it worked with one betta doesn't mean it will with another. It would be playing with fire, it could work or it could be a disaster. I would have a backup plan just in case it backfires.

I just said panda as that is what you had, but in a 30 any typically cory would work. They will be happiest if they are all of the same type though. It's not a necessity though if you can't get all of the same.

ADF might work in the 30 I just can't guarantee it. The thing with them is that they are fully aquatic but can't breath underwater. The thing is that they are bad swimmers so if the tank is too tall they could drown. If you want to get them look up the recommended height for them and compare it to the height of your tank. Yes, they would be fine in any normal shaped 10 or 5.


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## FrightyDog (Apr 16, 2013)

i Realize tiger barbs are horrible ideas, but after he dies i will Never do them Again. as to adfs, 5 gallon w/ 2 adf 1 betta 4 harlequin raboras? i have 1 panda now, but if he perishes any school of cory works for me. they all are cool.


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## n25philly (Dec 5, 2013)

I think with a 5 gallon I would do just the adf with the betta, adding the rasboras would probably be too much. If you really want them look at espei rasboras, they look mostly the same but are smaller.

As for the corys, they prefer their own kind but it's not a problem to mix and match. If you can't get pandas and want to go with a different kind you can get five of what you can get and they will be good together, you don't have to wait until after the panda dies.


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## FrightyDog (Apr 16, 2013)

ok Thanks. so would albino or peppered Be Better


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## FrightyDog (Apr 16, 2013)

alright the barb is going. where do i put him though. he was my first fish for the cycling tankand he survuved. i just want him to shoal at a good home


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## lissienen (Mar 27, 2012)

Corys are excellent and thumbs up -- I've done both rainbow shark and tiger barbs in with betta's and have also heard of others who have. It is really a total hit and miss depending on the betta and the other fish. Though my experience with tiger barbs is not at all favorable. Rainbow shark though? He did great with my betta after one initial scuffle.


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## n25philly (Dec 5, 2013)

It's whatever you like as far as corys go. They all get along, so you can get anything you like. Just so you know if you get albinos there is a chance they are peppered. Albino corys are either bronze or peppered.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

I have a giant that lives with harliquin rasboras brone cories, albino cories, pygmy cories, otts, gold barbs,platys,mollys and a albino bristlenose pleco, and they all get along, for the first few weeks hendrix the giant purple betta showed all those fish who the boss is (chasing them all around) since then it is peaceful he swims aorund they get out of his way lol, the worst fish I have had in a community tank was guppies, they where nippy and swarmed the other fish and would nto leave them alone....


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

n25philly said:


> It's whatever you like as far as corys go. They all get along, so you can get anything you like. Just so you know if you get albinos there is a chance they are peppered. Albino corys are either bronze or peppered.



Agreed, and correct about the albinos.

In my experience keeping a few small schools of Corys in a large tank, the species did not intermingle like they appear to do in smaller tanks.


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