# What to put in my 5 gallon tank



## candacerose (Jun 20, 2014)

I have a baby female betta I have in a smaller tank, I have been considering putting her in the 5 gallon and getting a couple other fish to put in there with her, What are some safe fish I can house her with? I feel bad leaving her in a small tank by herself


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## ShikaDeer (Feb 2, 2014)

5 gallons would be a bit small to throw in other fish with her, but you can always get a nerite snail! c:
They come with some pretty cool designs as far as snails go, plus they can be interesting to watch.
My betta loves to check him out occasionally, but he just swims away after a bit and doesn't bother him.

You just have to make sure they get enough food, of course they prefer actual algae growing in the tank, but you can give them algae tabs or cucumber and hope they aren't too picky! ;u;


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## candacerose (Jun 20, 2014)

I was actually just talking about adding a snail to see How she gets along with something else being in the same water as her Lol... I was also thinking of Maybe a bottom feeder? I just don't want to overwhelm her


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

My betta loves his bristlenoses. By which I mean, he does not attack them.. lol. 

But many bottom feeders grow quite big, or have to be kept in shoals, and 5g might be a bit small. Snails are great, and they help keep the algae down. A little slice of half-cooked zucchini or blanched cucumber is plenty, once a week, to keep them fed otherwise.

Shrimps are also wonderful, the larger species anyway. Cherry shrimp make great tank mates -and- snacks so if you wanted shrimps as permanent guests, either have loads of moss and hidey spots, or aim for a larger, algae-eating variety, I find the bettas try to eat them and get piched on the nose quick smart, and I haven't had one eaten yet!


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## ShikaDeer (Feb 2, 2014)

Like Aus said, a lot of bottom feeders like being in groups of 6+ so 5 gallons is definitely too small. :c

Shrimp are adorable though, but I honestly think 5 gallons is too small for them as well to be with a betta. They need lots of hiding spots to feel safe, and even then, some bettas are set on hunting them down. They also need a really stable tank, so if the 5 gallon you're setting up is new, it'd be a number of months before it'd be safe for them. 
Personally I don't trust my boy with shrimp anyway haha. 

Snails would likely be your best bet, and if you ever upgrade to 10+ gallons, I'm sure you'll have more options!


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Shrimps - it depends on your tank. 

I kept cherry shrimp in my 3 gallon tank with a highly active female betta, quite successfully. She was a voracious hunter, too and would eat as many as she could catch. Yet, with a bit of wood and a few thickly placed plants to hide in, many did manage to escape and thrived, and even bred. If I put 6 cherries in the tank, it'd take her about 3-6 months or sometimes longer (if they bred) to catch all of them. Expensive snacks, but very nutritious! And hunting them gave her something to do other than just bloop around. 

If you have shrimps, though, you need to pay really good attention to your water quality. Which ought to happen anyway, so it needn't be a problem.


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## candacerose (Jun 20, 2014)

Thanks you guys for your help  I'm definitely thinking about the snails &#55357;&#56842;


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Good.  Much better choice than torturing shrimp by putting them in a constant state of stress. I no longer keep them in with my Betta's community 20 gallon tank for that reason.


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## candacerose (Jun 20, 2014)

I got a Nerite tiger snail today... but I'm not exactly sure How to feed it Lol, I put the sinking tablet in the tank and the snail just seems to wonder around else were... my betta just keeps eating it Lol... she's a fatty for sure


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Good.  Much better choice than torturing shrimp by putting them in a constant state of stress. I no longer keep them in with my Betta's community 20 gallon tank for that reason.


"Torturing" -- excuse me?

"state of constant stress" -- um, no. Not at all.

Perhaps you did not provide enough cover for them? If your own shrimp appeared "tortured" and stressed. Or perhaps your water quality was poor, which is more likely to cause them long term distress. 

Stressed shrimp don't molt well, nor do they breed easily. Mine did, so they obviously weren't terribly unhappy.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

My comments were not directed at you as yours were at me and I am glad your experience has been a good one. 

However, putting a shrimp in a tank with a Betta is like keeping a Betta in a tank with a 10" Oscar. It's still prey living in close proximity to a predator.

BTW:


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Shrimp ARE at the bottom of the food chain...so it's not exactly an unnatural situation for them to be in - living with a predator.


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## ShikaDeer (Feb 2, 2014)

It may not be unnatural, but I personally wouldn't want to see shrimp getting killed in my care. You wouldn't keep snakes in with your pet mice, so if someone is looking for shrimp as an addition to the tank and not a food source, it's probably not a good idea to stress them out and keep them so close to a betta.

But again, I think it's all personal opinion so it's up to what the individual decides to do!


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Exactly - it's up to the keeper to determine how important shrimp are to their tank.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

ShikaDeer said:


> It may not be unnatural, but I personally wouldn't want to see shrimp getting killed in my care. You wouldn't keep snakes in with your pet mice, so if someone is looking for shrimp as an addition to the tank and not a food source, it's probably not a good idea to stress them out and keep them so close to a betta.
> 
> But again, I think it's all personal opinion so it's up to what the individual decides to do!


My point but I made it rather poorly. While shrimp are the bottom of the food chain they have a chance to escape in the wild; in small tanks they do not. Most on this forum are asking about good tank mates for Bettas and as ShikaDeer said, unless you want them as a food source it's probably not a good idea. But it's also a matter of personal choice.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I'm sure that there's a tank size in which the colony can sustain itself regardless of whether they get snacked on. I agree that they are not a good choice in tiny tanks. If one wanted to try that in a decent sized small tank, I would suggest doing the shrimp first, allowing them to set up shop before adding the betta. Most shrimp aren't cheap though, so take that into consideration.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

jaysee said:


> I'm sure that there's a tank size in which the colony can sustain itself regardless of whether they get snacked on. I agree that they are not a good choice in tiny tanks. If one wanted to try that in a decent sized small tank, I would suggest doing the shrimp first, allowing them to set up shop before adding the betta. Most shrimp aren't cheap though, so take that into consideration.


I agree. ;-)


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## Jonthefish (Jun 16, 2014)

Mabye a Cory Catfish ! :-D


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Corys are schooling fish - not a good choice.


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