# Betta Companions



## manojvaz (May 4, 2013)

Hi, This is Joe here. I apologize if a thread exists on this subject. I am new to this site and did my best to find an existing thread but in vain. Anyways, here is a simple straight question; I have a male betta presently in a 1.5 gallon fish bowl. I intend to put him in a 10G tank. Which other fishes would betta go well with? I love my Betta and please suggest ONLY those fish that would go well. Many thanks in advance.


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

If you want to add other fish to the tank, I suggest going bigger than 10 gallons. Keeping bettas with other fish is a highly contested topic, with advocates on both sides. But what is not contested is that the larger the tank, the more likely it is to work. A 10 gallon tank just isn't large enough to make it a higher percentage setup, and in order to responsibly try any combination of fish, you need good odds on your side. In a 20 gallon tank, the odds are much better that you could keep your betta with some small schooling fish. But there are no guarantees.

If you won't go higher than a 10, then African dwarf frogs and snails are my suggestion.


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

I'd go with a school of 6-8 Dwarf Cories in your 10 gallon along with your betta.


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## WolfHhowling (Apr 10, 2013)

Have a backup plan though. I have a 34 gallon tank all ready with Platies and cories. My gram wanted to put corries in with her betta.

So I used max the smartest fastest little cory as a test. Max went in swam around like a cute little cory does. And Finegan my grams betta Cornered and flared waiting to pounce on poor max. Good thing max is a smart boy and didn't even twitch. For 24 hours later Finegan was searching the tank wanting to kill something really ticked off and attacking and shredding anything that moved because he thought the corry was in there. He also did the same thing going as far as attacking a breeder box with a platy in it ( I had put the breeder box in his tank while I cleaned the other tank.) And flared when I took her out.

Some betta's just can't have tank mates, unless they're super armored snails like Nerites.


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## Muggs (Mar 30, 2013)

Maybe try something a little bigger then 10?.. I have a 50L (14ish Galleon) planted tank with 6x Glowlight Tetras and a Betta. 

I think the trick of getting Bettas to live happily with others is a lot of planning and most importantly patience!

I'd suggest starting the new tank once cycled with the Tetra's (or whatever companions you decide) so that the Betta doesn't see them as moving into 'his' territory...or as a special feeding lol. 

Plus if something is wrong it's easier to diagnose without risking your betta.

I set mine up with 4 Tetras to start, then added another 3 after two weeks. Once all the Tetra's where established (I lost one due to bullying from the others) I waited another 2 weeks to see if any where sick before shopping for a betta.

The Tetra's took a keen interest in the Betta while I was drip-acclimatising him but by the time he was out of the bag they ignored him and the Betta did the same... he's more interested in building bubble nests and playing with the plants to pay attention to the Tetras lol.

Mind you when introducing him I had a spare container on hand to isolate him in case he was super-aggressive. So Wolf is right that you always need a backup plan for if it doesn't work


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I wouldn't do Dwarf cories in the 10 gallon though, they are too active to be in a small space. I have 6 in my 33 and they're all over the place all the time.

Most danios and Tetras are the same way so you don't want something that feels cramped in there (I think I mentioned that in your other post, but I can't remember, sorry ><) I believe Glowlight Tetras are very docile and would go well, or Neon Tetras although they can get a bit testy. But don't get anything that likes to zip around like Zebra danios or Silver tip tetras (those nip as well)


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Ember tetras would be better than any other kind - they are extremely peaceful and don't move about nearly as much as other tetras.
However, all tetras need softer water with a lower pH, so if that isn't what your water is, tetras aren't for you.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

After researching here for a few weeks, I chose rasboras and started with six due to the recommendations I received regarding their schooling nature. One died, so I have five harlequin rasboras in with my betta in a ten gallon at present. We have had no problems to speak of. 

However, if I had it to do over again, I might just do the betta alone, or divide the ten for two bettas. My particular betta likes open swimming spaces at mid to high level in the tank...exactly where the rasboras like to be. So there's traffic sometimes. At one point about three weeks into it, I really thought it was stressing the betta out too much, and I put the rasboras on craigslist but got no takers. However, things seemed to smooth out after that, so I didn't pursue it further.

The rasboras eat like madmen starving, so I've found it's best to cup my betta for feeding and let him just float in the open cup in the tank for the 2 or 3 minutes it takes to feed. (He's not a jumper.) Then I can control precisely the amount of food he is getting. He is not an aggressive sort, so they will beat him to the food otherwise. The cupping is easier than it sounds and has really helped me catch him for water changes, etc, and makes it less stressful for him since he's used to it.

In addition to searching threads here, I would recommend aquaadvisor, where you can input the fish you're considering and see if you're at a healthy percentage of stock. 

My daughter enjoys the extra activity in the tank, and sometimes I think the betta might, too...and then I think he'd be just even more thrilled to have the whole place to himself. When the rasboras kick the bucket, I won't replace them, even though we've had a good run. 

What is tough is that I think it will depend upon your betta's personality...ours is a laid-back sort. From the descriptions of other bettas that I've seen on here, they might not tolerate the rasboras at all. But, in the rasboras' honor, they are totally peaceful and never a nip or a squabble provoke. From the recommendations I received here, I placed them in the tank first, then added the betta a few days later.

I wanted to add a little more movement to the tank for my daughter's sake, and I thought the betta might not get as bored. However, she focuses only on the betta, and he really would be just as happy (or happier) by himself as he makes his own fun.


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## manojvaz (May 4, 2013)

Thank you all for your replies. I may not go any higher until this year. We live in a rented house and it isn't that huge to accommodate a 20G or more. Christ willing, I might own a house and and set a 150G community tank.

For the 10G presently, I'd go by all your suggestions and see what works best. I'll choose neon tetras, 5 or 6 in nos and then add the betta after all of them are established. BTW, how much lighting would a 10G require? What purpose does a lighting server in aquarium? I presently have 26W. They blew off yesterday :lol:. Any suggestion on the watts required? Also, is there a particular standard that a planted tank need have this much of energy from the lighting or does it depend on the number of plants in the tank?

Judikto, do I blindly take what aqadvisor site offers for a 10G or whatever capacity one has. Is it reliable?


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## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

Aqadvisor is a great site. however its conservative in its recommendations and personally i put a few more than it recommend HOWEVER i over filter AND have live plants.

in regards to your lighting question, different lights are better for growing live plants, and still others are good for viewing your fish. ithink 26watts for ten gallons is great for some high light plants. id seriously recommend live plants, and lots of them, if you're giving your betta buddies.

and i would agree with the others.hold on tp that bowl! You might need it if your betta doesn't play well with others.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah with Aqadvisor I generally keep a tank "stocked" at 70% or less so that I have wriggle room if anything goes wrong. Also keeping the filtration 100% and over is key, over filtering is a good thing! And you can always baffle your filters as well.

I have plants, lots and lots of plants and I love them. I will never go back to silk plants just for the mere fact that with live plants, they grow and make more, silk plants don't do that lol. 26 watts would be fine. Basically what you want to look for is a light that reaches all the way to the bottom of your tank so that all plants get a nice equal light. It used to be a 2 watt per gallon rule but that has been since debunked 

Some good plants would be: Anacharis (although is generally a cold water plant, you can acclimate it to a higher temperature), Anubias (slow growing but a great plant, hard to kill), Java Ferns (I love all of mine and they're supposed to be slow growers but I get a new sprout every week), Water Sprite (good floating plant and grows very fast, all my Betta's sleep in theirs), Cabomda (high light plant, but generally fast growing), Hornwort (can float or be planted, fast grower), Any Java Moss would be good too, and Water Wisteria (not Hygrophilia Difformis, there are two different kinds of water wisteria, the one I have is from Petco/Petsmart from the little tubes)

With plants, with the correct lighting you shouldn't need to many fertilizers but I use API's LeafZone and it works fairly well, I haven't had too much die-off which is good. Once a plant leaf starts to rot you should take that rotting part out so it doesn't bring the ammonia up in your tank


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I agree aqadvisor is rather conservative with its stocking percentages. When I had a dozen show tanks, none of them were stocked less than 100%. A couple approached 200%.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

I don't have enough experience to judge aqua advisor, but I think it would be a wise recommendation not to exceed it at first. Also, I've read several posts of folks suggesting other than neon tetras since they apparently like to nip fins some. I've read some recommendations for ember tetras instead, Pygmy Cory cats, rasboras, shrimp, etc. I would overall recommend rasboras as they have been so very peaceful; my reservations about them are more because I think my betta would be happy all to himself, as I mentioned before. 

Hopefully some more folks will weigh in also.


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