# Hi I'm confused as heck



## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Ok so here's the thing I'm setting up a betta tank, 5 gallons. Now I took one look at this and thought mabey the betta could use a pal. Well after much searching and much re-searching the only thing I've gained is a terrific headache.

One site reccomends one fish while another says it's a no no. Now I know it's only 5 gallons but there really must be something I could pair him with.

I thought apple snails would be too big, and I'm unsure about other snails as I've heard they breed like rabbits. Corys like schools as do danios and tetras. Then there are fin nippers. So I'm just confused, exactly what could be paired with a betta and not cause trouble or over crowd the tank?

Thank you, Jon.


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## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

5 gallons = no other fish friends. 10 gallon and bigger tanks open the doors up for fish friends. 

You could do some snails and or shrimps. Apple snails grow too big for my liking, I prefer Nerite snails, they're also great algae eaters if you have any. As for shrimps you could try them, but Bettas like most fish will eat the shrimps at any given chance, but if you give them hiding places, like java moss and some caves, they might survive and thrive.

Hope that helps.


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## Spazzfish (Feb 12, 2012)

You know what the Best thing about nerite snails is?: they need brakush or salt water to reproduce successfuly! Which means no rabbit like over populating!


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

If you think you need a tank mate for your betta; don't worry! Male bettas actually prefer being alone!


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## bahamut285 (Dec 10, 2010)

thekinetic said:


> thought mabey the betta could use a pal.


While there are some exceptions to the rule, most bettas prefer and enjoy solitary confinement.


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Ah crud, what was the freaking point of a 5.5 gallon when I could have gone with a 2.5 for a little cheaper. Well mabey I'll put an invertebrate in there like shrimp or snails, my water is a little hard so it might work out well for a snail. 

Would a small colony of shrimp with few living plants be too much for the tank?


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## laoshun (Apr 3, 2012)

^nope thats usually the route people with 5 gallons take with 1 betta


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

Living plants are fine, and a couple of shrimp are cheap, which is good, because you don't know if the betta will handle them well. But the more plants and hiding places for the shrimp, the better. Some flat rocks proped up so they have maybe a half inch under them for the shrimp to hide works really well, and heavy carpeting plants give them a good place to hide.

And the point of the 5.5 is to make the betta happy. Remember he needs room, too. Betta are often kept in very very tiny tanks, but they suffer for it. It would be like you or I living in a closet. You've given him a nice big apartment to roam around in and I'm sure he would be thankful for it if he could talk.


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## Ramble (Mar 13, 2012)

thekinetic said:


> Ah crud, what was the freaking point of a 5.5 gallon when I could have gone with a 2.5 for a little cheaper. Well mabey I'll put an invertebrate in there like shrimp or snails, my water is a little hard so it might work out well for a snail.
> 
> Would a small colony of shrimp with few living plants be too much for the tank?


A five gallon gives you lots of room to make an amazing home for your betta. I have a 6.6 gallon tank with driftwood, plants and other toys. I also have some ghost shrimp that occasionally swim out and steal food from Leonidas during morning feeding (they're bold!) and then he chases them back to the driftwood because he's mad. It's very entertaining. I'm still trying to track a nerite snail to add to the mix. Leonidas doesn't like sharing with other fish, so I'm going to get a big tank for my other betta and try a community tank there.


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

It looks to me that our fishy is growing, and the more room they have to spread thier fins.. the more room they need, so I have to upgrade soon..


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Now my dad (a long time aquarium ethusiast) said snails will quickly overrun your tank, so I'm a little wary of them. But the zebra nerite looked pretty cool.


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## Crowntailed (Apr 19, 2012)

nerite snails cant breed in freshwater, they need brackish/saltwater to breed so they will work great for your tank.


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## Pearl2011 (May 21, 2012)

Live plants are great idea if you have enough light. How much wattage do you have?


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## Pearl2011 (May 21, 2012)

I think ghost shrimp would be the best, since the betta will have a hard time finding the shrimp. If your betta doesn't find you could get red cherry.


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

Not sure on the wattage, it's the incandescent bulb that came with the hood.

I know nerites can't breed in fresh water but the females can still lay eggs which can be a problem. So I would have to find out which are males.

I didn't care for the ghost shrim but the cherries look beautiful.


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## Crowntailed (Apr 19, 2012)

thekinetic said:


> Not sure on the wattage, it's the incandescent bulb that came with the hood.
> 
> I know nerites can't breed in fresh water but the females can still lay eggs which can be a problem. So I would have to find out which are males.
> 
> I didn't care for the ghost shrim but the cherries look beautiful.


Why would the eggs be a big deal??


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

I would just imagine the would rot and pollute the water if I didn't see them and clean them. I don't know I'm just being paranoid about setting up my new tank, which is my first in a very long time.


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## MachinaSoul (Mar 13, 2012)

A suggestion:

1 pleco
1 loach
planted

keep in mind that bettas do not need aerators, but the tank mates you get will. You need a filter if you have tank mates. You do not if you have just the betta (most opt for it to break surface tension; keeps scum down; reduces the rate of required water changes.


If you have a tank that is wider than tall, you could potentially have a group of 4 Neon/Glowlight Tetra, or similarly small schooling fish. But that will be it. They will want the plants to hide in, and your betta will be less stressed to not see these tankmaes clear as day (that is what stresses fish out, is how many fish they can clearly see that alarm them).


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

A loach in 5.5 gallon tank? Loaches get pretty big, most places I've checked suggested a 75+ as they also prefer groups of 3 like cats.

I think I'll be going with shrimp (either cherry, yellow, or blue pearl) and one snail. I'm going to add the snail last after I add the plants so to make sure they don't have pests like pond snails, my reason being if they do (as pond snails can overrun your tank) I would buy a assassin snail which lives in the substrate and eats other snails while leaving fish and shrimp alone.


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## Crowntailed (Apr 19, 2012)

MachinaSoul said:


> A suggestion:
> 
> 1 pleco
> 1 loach
> ...


Worst idea yet. a loach and pleco should never be in a 5g tank :|


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

a pleco @[email protected] most plecos shouldnt even be in anything smaller than a 20 gallon tank i dont know much about loaches, but the small schooling fish machinasoul mentioned need a lot more space than they look like they need. you seem to realize that already though ^-^

i'd say snails or shrimp like everyone else has been telling you. 
I'm really partial to rabbit snails. They need a male and a female to reproduce, so if you just got one, the chances of babies are smaller, though the two snails i bought both wound up being females who were already pregnant. They are live bearers, and though they can store the genetic material to make more baby snails, they only have one baby at a time, and like only one a month, so if you needed to give the babies away you'd have plenty of time. They grow about an inch a year, so they don't get too big too fast, and it takes forever for them to reach reproductive maturity. And they're cute. They have the cutest snail faces


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