# Betta Compatability for 5.5 gallon



## agent89201 (Dec 8, 2011)

Hi guys! 

I already have a betta in a 5.5 gal by himself and I recently took my mom's betta under my wing. I bought a 5.5 gal for him as well that I haven't opened yet. 

I was considering making at least one a community tank, and while shrimp are adorable, I had my eye on some tetras. I know they should be kept in groups and have at least 10 gal, so I was considering returning the 5.5 I got for a 10 gallon. The only thing is I'm in college, so I have bring it home every Christmas. 

So could someone give me some advice on options for a 5.5 vs. 10 gal?


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## Aconyte (Jun 2, 2013)

I recently lost all of my tetras to my betta. Tetras have a nasty habit of nipping at long, trailing fins and trails, and this can start an all out war. Bettas can be very territorial. I'd suggest Cory cats, they're happy along the bottom and middle of the tank.


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## EmmaJay (May 22, 2013)

A 5.5 gallon would be easier to move for sure. 
As for tankmates, I agree with the cory cat suggestion! I have them with my sorority. I also have a male in a 5.5 gallon with two african dwarf frogs and they get along great, however I want to upgrade their tank soon.


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## mgarch (May 26, 2013)

I am in college too and I would stick to the 5.5
How far is college from home? Im three hrs away so I just have a betta. I worried other fish wont make the journey which sucks. My friends and I have a 10 gallon there that stays. Its kind of a pain to clean bc its heavy.


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## agent89201 (Dec 8, 2011)

My colleges is about 1.5 hours away. But I guess I'll stay with the 5.5 for now, then. I think the african dwarf frogs are adorable so maybe I'll get two of those. Would it be ok to have 1 betta, 2 ADFs, and a couple of red cherry shrimp? Or would that be too much?


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## mgarch (May 26, 2013)

Not sure how big the frogs get, but that should be fine. Also from what I hear, fish are ok in bags for up to 2 hrs, so if you wanted to get a cory that would work too!


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## EmmaJay (May 22, 2013)

My ADFs got a little moody when I had 3 females in with them, which I know was a little overstocked. They can be nippy when they don't have enough room to themselves, but I don't know if a couple of shrimp would make a difference.
They are absolutely fine with just the one male they live with, they never bother each other.
They are a really cute addition to a tank, IMO!


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

I talked about putting a cory in my 5g and was told it was too small??? Hmmmm...might get me one now


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## agent89201 (Dec 8, 2011)

Ok yay! I'm excited about my frogs now! Also, when I go out of town, I usually have someone feed Beau (my betta) anyway. But I know they can go about a week with no food. If I were to go out of town for a week (I'd probably get one of my roommates to take care of them but...) could I maybe get some small fish to put in the tank for the betta and frogs to eat while I'm gone? Or is that a horrible idea?


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## mgarch (May 26, 2013)

they only get around 2" which means a 5 gallon is plenty unless its already stocked


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## mgarch (May 26, 2013)

they make blocks of food that you can buy for when youre away for awhile. they are not great bc the fish can over eat itself but they will do the job


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## agent89201 (Dec 8, 2011)

Ah, ok. Thank y'all so much for y'alls help!


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## EmmaJay (May 22, 2013)

The frogs can also go about a week without eating, but I think all of them together and hungry at the same time might not be a great idea lol. I would definitely get someone to feed them at least every other day.
Not sure about the live fish idea though.

If you do get frogs though, you may have to hand feed them. That's what I do with mine, otherwise the betta eats all the food first. And they need their own pellets and/or frozen food, they can't survive on betta pellets/flakes. I've had these frogs for a long time


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## Aconyte (Jun 2, 2013)

Only thing to watch out about shrimp is that frogs find them delicious.


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

> they only get around 2" which means a 5 gallon is plenty unless its already stocked


does 1 betta count as "stocked" and can I have just 1 or do I have to have 3 or more? (SORRY FOR THE HI-JACK!)


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## mgarch (May 26, 2013)

the general rule is that its a gallon per inch. I would count the betta as at least 2" so as long as you have a 5 gallon tank you could probably get 2 corys in especially since they stick to the bottom for the most part.


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## EmmaJay (May 22, 2013)

I thought Corys grew to about 3 inches? 
They do better in a school of at least 3 I believe, though my friend only has one in her community tank and he seems fine. I have 3 Corys in my 20 gallon and they seem to stay near each other mostly, it's cute!


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## mgarch (May 26, 2013)

i think you are right actually 3" to 4"


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## Agent13 (Apr 23, 2013)

2 frogs and a friendly Betta are good for 10 gallons. They need a low current so baffle the filter but they do need good filtration. ADFs are cute as can be and very interactive. But 5g isn't a good idea for 2 frogs a betta and shrimp. However 10 is great. make sure to give many hides and some plants. They need something(the frogs) to rest on as a midway point on there way to get air. Good water quality is a mus too for both shrimp and frog.


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Check out Pygmy cories, they stay small less than and inch a half each and are good for smaller tanks if you want a bottom feeder. They like to be in groups, you can look it up to see but most places recommend more than 3 and up to 10 or more as ideal for a school of pygmy cories. I love them and hope to one day have a school for my 10 gallon tank.

Nano fish are very interesting to me, i seem to have developed a fondness for anything that says extremely small in the tanks.


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