# betta and platies, mollies or swordtails?



## juanitawolf (May 12, 2014)

i have a 10 gallon that im planning to stock with:
- 1 betta
-4 cories
-1 guppy my mom insisted to get
-1 or two mollies, platies or swordtails

i was thinking about those livebearers because that are bigger and pretty and someone told me they don't need a school like tetras


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

In a ten gallon, mollies and swordtails are definitely not good options and platies are iffy when combined with a betta. I would up the school of cories to six (try to get a smaller variety). With good filtration, you could try a trio of guppies or endlers- platies also produce a lot of waste so they honestly aren't an ideal choice.


----------



## juanitawolf (May 12, 2014)

schooling fish won't be a great idea either, right? (im talking about cardinals)


----------



## OpalBones (Apr 10, 2014)

I have my juvenile female in a 20g with three platies. There was some nipping and chasing from the PLATIES which is what they do to other platies to establish a pecking order but they were being too rough. So I took Trout out for a few weeks until she got bigger. The second time she went back in with the platies everything is fine and there is no more chasing or nipping. It's funny because the platies think Trout is one of them and will gather around her and she doesn't even care.

If I didn't work out I had five gallon and seeded filter sponge to do an instant cycle with.

In a ten gallon you would probably better off with six dwarf cories and a betta, than platies and a betta.

As said before platies can be iffy and sometimes surprisingly aggressive to other fish(Tho I don't think they will attack and kill like a Betta would).


----------



## juanitawolf (May 12, 2014)

so...any live bearers are a no, besides guppies?

and by a guppy trio do you mean a male and 2 females? or 3 males?


----------



## Kisiel (Jul 30, 2014)

OpalBones said:


> I have my juvenile female in a 20g with three platies. There was some nipping and chasing from the PLATIES which is what they do to other platies to establish a pecking order but they were being too rough. So I took Trout out for a few weeks until she got bigger. The second time she went back in with the platies everything is fine and there is no more chasing or nipping. It's funny because the platies think Trout is one of them and will gather around her and she doesn't even care.


Something similar happened to one of my bettas. I put him in a small gallon holding tank while I worked on his 6 gallon and floated that in the big platy tank. All the platies came up and were like :shock:. Perhaps it's because he's a PK and is almost the same size as the platies, they obviously thought he was one of them judging by the amount of interest they had shown. 

I agree that platies can get nippy and like to chase, _especially_ the males. While they are generally very peaceful fish, males can get a little too excited when females are involved and start chasing everything that moves :roll:

I would be wary of putting platies in with a betta. They're not ideal tank mates and while a lot of people have been successful with keeping the two species together, not every betta is suitable for living with such rambunctious and active fish as platies. Also, platies need veggies in their diet and you don't want your betta eating that so feeding could become a problem. 

Swordtails and Mollies are a no-no, not only they need much more space than a 10 gallon but they get pretty big and the latter can be bullies. 

You could actually have up to five guppies in a 10 gallon with a betta: it doesn't matter if they're males or females, it's all up to your own personal preference. It's a myth that male bettas can mistake guppies for other male bettas: it's like a human mistaking a chimpanzee for another human. Whether your betta can live with _any_ sort of tankmates depends on his personality as some are more aggressive than others and will not make good community fish.

Instead of guppies you could have up to ten endlers in a 10 gallon with a betta, however, I can't advise you on their care as I have no experience with them. 

Dwarf cories would be a good choice as long as you have sand as a substrate and you make sure to have more than 6 of the same species. 



OpalBones said:


> As said before platies can be iffy and sometimes surprisingly aggressive to other fish(Tho I don't think they will attack and kill like a Betta would).


Platies won't kill a betta, however, they could tire him out with their persistent chasing and what they consider as "play" to the point where he becomes stressed and him immune system collapses.


----------



## juanitawolf (May 12, 2014)

okay, so no livebearers of any kind, because endlers are not available here and i got some guppies and they turned out to be grade A a**holes and began chasing and biting my boy Osiris
man im so lost, like my boy is so hippie he doesn't even fight back.
i took out the guppies and he is now just living with the cories but my parents want colorful fish


----------



## OpalBones (Apr 10, 2014)

juanitawolf said:


> okay, so no livebearers of any kind, because endlers are not available here and i got some guppies and they turned out to be grade A a**holes and began chasing and biting my boy Osiris
> man im so lost, like my boy is so hippie he doesn't even fight back.
> i took out the guppies and he is now just living with the cories but my parents want colorful fish


Sorry to hear that. Maybe you could try some snails and shrimp? Those little guys are pretty fun to watch in their antics and can come in some interesting colors. I know snails will boost the ammonia in your tank, tho.


----------



## RNHime (Mar 12, 2015)

Oy, just explain to your parents that fish don't have to be colorful to be beautiful, and if Osirus is the boy in your pic, they've got PLENTY of beauty to look at there! Lol. It's definitely more important to have compatible fish than for them all to be flashy.

Sadly most other fish options that I can think of are going to want to be in a school and a 10g tank won't be enough room for them.

If your boy is really chill shrimp might be a doable option, but they'll need plenty of cover so they don't end up as snacks. Shrimp are fun to watch and come in a ton of colors, though the most colorful are generally way expensive and not as hardy. See if they'd go for some type of cherry shrimp? =)

(If they aren't available locally you may need to order them through a pet store or even Online to be delivered to your house.)


----------



## juanitawolf (May 12, 2014)

cherries are available but the last time i asked about them...they were too expensive


----------

