# opinions on tank mates



## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

allright well i need some input from the gurus. have a 10 gallon thats been setting up for my betta nemo to go into (going from a 1.5gal) and have been wondering about a tank mate or 2, i was thinking mayby some shrimp or a catfish type tankmate scared about stuff like guppys and tetras. i know that putting anything with a male betta is only like a 50-50 chance of it working but i need to move those odds a bit higher, as my gf would be devistated if ANYTHING happend to nemo and i know she would be sad if nemo did anything to any other tank mate


some background on nemo, he has allways been by himself for the past year i have owned him, he will flare up alot at anything by the tank (includeing his own reflection that comes form the corner of the tank being next to the wall) but he allways flares and swims away quickly then swims back and does it again so i cant tell if he is over agressive or just trying to scare something off lol. besides that he swims normaly will chill at the bottom of the tank alot sometimes on a plant, and makes nice buble nests

the tank is 10gal, planted, heated, and filterd though i dunno if i didnt plant it enough, plan on doing something to slow down the filter current before he goes in and also need ot figure out something for the lights on the tank, if there on all day it can raise the temp about 5 degrees wich is way to much of a temp flux. heres some pics of the tank to get an idea and im open to any comments/sugestions/discussion. thanks


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## gogolg87 (Apr 5, 2010)

Your tank seems to have enough plants..maybe group them together a little more to create kind of an inlet for your betta or other fish to hide and get a better cave for your betta..the deco you have is ok but not really a place your betta can hide. cory catfish are great. ive also seen tetras but thats an iffy one because they can nip at your betta's fins or vice versa. snails are ok but produce a lot of ammonia and are boring IMO.ive seen glofish with them my dad used to keep placo's with his betta. ive never really placed tankmates with them besides the placo's you can always go to a fish store and i say fish store not pet store and talk to them. or some other people on here can give you an answer more helpful than mine..but i thought i'd offer what knowledge i do have on tankmates


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## beat2020 (Dec 31, 2009)

Maybe some cories or otos or shrimp


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## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

gogolg87 said:


> Your tank seems to have enough plants..maybe group them together a little more to create kind of an inlet for your betta or other fish to hide and get a better cave for your betta..the deco you have is ok but not really a place your betta can hide. cory catfish are great. ive also seen tetras but thats an iffy one because they can nip at your betta's fins or vice versa. snails are ok but produce a lot of ammonia and are boring IMO.ive seen glofish with them my dad used to keep placo's with his betta. ive never really placed tankmates with them besides the placo's you can always go to a fish store and i say fish store not pet store and talk to them. or some other people on here can give you an answer more helpful than mine..but i thought i'd offer what knowledge i do have on tankmates


true, i tried bunching them and it seemd really bare, dunno might mess with it a bit more. on the cave thing, i have mostly gotten scared to use full caves, i remember on my old tanks theyed somehow get stuck in them and die (and no it wasnt like a small opening to it either. its happend with a few. i also do plan ot put a backer on the tank before any fish go in. 



beat2020 said:


> Maybe some cories or otos or shrimp


yeah i was thinking shrimp will be the easyest, but i do know some fish like to snack on them. dont cories and ottos need like groupes of three or more?


another thing what have you all used ot slow down your filter, i picked up some cheepie sponge and was going to try that , just hopeing that they dont have some glue or something mixed in the sponge that could be harmfull

also im still haveing that lighting isue with it raiseing the temp, mayby i need to go cfls?

thanks for the input everyone


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## javi (Apr 8, 2010)

I love compact flourescent bulbs. Not only do they keep the temp from getting to high, but they also do not have the yellow tinge that incandecent produce. Nice tank though.


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## beat2020 (Dec 31, 2009)

Labeledsk8r said:


> true, i tried bunching them and it seemd really bare, dunno might mess with it a bit more. on the cave thing, i have mostly gotten scared to use full caves, i remember on my old tanks theyed somehow get stuck in them and die (and no it wasnt like a small opening to it either. its happend with a few. i also do plan ot put a backer on the tank before any fish go in.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*That depends on the temperament of the betta and if there's enough hiding places.*

*The cories* *do need to be on groups of 3 or more and i'm not sure on the otos.*


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## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

javi said:


> I love compact flourescent bulbs. Not only do they keep the temp from getting to high, but they also do not have the yellow tinge that incandecent produce. Nice tank though.


good stuff. im actully now thinking about converting it to 12volt CFL's and running the tank off of my solar panel but that would take alota custom work, and right now i just wana get nemo into his new home. and thanks



beat2020 said:


> *That depends on the temperament of the betta and if there's enough hiding places.*
> 
> *The cories* *do need to be on groups of 3 or more and i'm not sure on the otos.*


true, yeah i think ima look into a cave to add in there... sadly all of my spair cash got used up and my works cutting hours so it mit be a bit


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## Neelie (Feb 18, 2010)

id try corys. a cave for the betta and 3 small corys would do it.
corys are also very entertaining and fun to watch so would deffo add to the tank. also, they're fast swimmers so no fear of the betta causing them problems and they are totally placid and friendly. no danger to nemo either


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## bettacolors (Apr 12, 2010)

i think its an amazing setup


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

Nice looking tank  As I was reading I saw someone mention plecos, and I just though I'd warn you (in case you didn't know) plecos can grow to be HUGE, and most require a 55 gallon tank. Somehow, pet stores manage to push them off as the ideal cleaning fish, choosing to ignore their size.
I'd say go with cories or ghost shrimp. While ghost shrimp sometimes get eaten, they're relatively cheap (so start out with one or two before buying a boatload of them!). I've also heard that both cories and shrimp are very sensitive to water fluctuations, so the tank must be stable before adding them in. Good luck on your adventure! It will surely be just that, seeing as bettas are always giving you a run for your money  Everyone has given you great advice about the tank, and a little bit of extra tweaking will make it a home worth getting jealous over.


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## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

Neelie said:


> id try corys. a cave for the betta and 3 small corys would do it.
> corys are also very entertaining and fun to watch so would deffo add to the tank. also, they're fast swimmers so no fear of the betta causing them problems and they are totally placid and friendly. no danger to nemo either


yeah its seeming like corys are the best way to go, i was wondering though i know you should school them in atleast 3's but can you mix like the types like a albino and regular or do you need 3 of each type



CodeRed said:


> Nice looking tank  As I was reading I saw someone mention plecos, and I just though I'd warn you (in case you didn't know) plecos can grow to be HUGE, and most require a 55 gallon tank. Somehow, pet stores manage to push them off as the ideal cleaning fish, choosing to ignore their size.
> I'd say go with cories or ghost shrimp. While ghost shrimp sometimes get eaten, they're relatively cheap (so start out with one or two before buying a boatload of them!). I've also heard that both cories and shrimp are very sensitive to water fluctuations, so the tank must be stable before adding them in. Good luck on your adventure! It will surely be just that, seeing as bettas are always giving you a run for your money  Everyone has given you great advice about the tank, and a little bit of extra tweaking will make it a home worth getting jealous over.


thanks. yeah i knew some on the plecos about them needing large sized tanks. i kinda think plecos are ugly (no offence to anyone that has them) only ones i like are the zebra ones but dont have that kinda money to spend on them lol.
i did go and get a "cave type" log that i have pics of below wich should help

also do you think it would be over crowding to have both corys and shrimp?

now all i have to take care of is slowing down the current fro mthe filter (tetra 5-15) and getting some new bulbs so the water temp doesnt fluxuate as much 

thanks for everyones input so far, and now for pics


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Looks very very nice!!! 

I'd personally wait a few months to add Cories. Sensitive little guys they are!

Stay away from Otos, because they are extremely sensitive and picky eaters. Don't get them unless you have a really bad algae problem.


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## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

doggyhog said:


> Looks very very nice!!!
> 
> I'd personally wait a few months to add Cories. Sensitive little guys they are!
> 
> Stay away from Otos, because they are extremely sensitive and picky eaters. Don't get them unless you have a really bad algae problem.


 
thanks, yeah i was going ot wait a bit after getting nemo in there, might get a few shrimps but duno when.


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## dipsydoodlenoodle (Mar 3, 2010)

Do you need the light on all day if the tank gets light anyway? Can you not just put the lights on for a few hours in the evening. 

Definately don't get a pleco - CodeRed said about them needing a 55gallon tank - I think they need bigger but thats not the point; don't get one. I have one - he's 4 inches at the minute in a 45 gallon but I'm going to need a swimming pool for him when he gets fully grown. :O i just noticed Labeledsk8r said they were ugly - I agree; I only got one cos I thought it was ugly but actually the more you see them the prettier they get.


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## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

dipsydoodlenoodle said:


> Do you need the light on all day if the tank gets light anyway? Can you not just put the lights on for a few hours in the evening.
> 
> Definately don't get a pleco - CodeRed said about them needing a 55gallon tank - I think they need bigger but thats not the point; don't get one. I have one - he's 4 inches at the minute in a 45 gallon but I'm going to need a swimming pool for him when he gets fully grown. :O i just noticed Labeledsk8r said they were ugly - I agree; I only got one cos I thought it was ugly but actually the more you see them the prettier they get.


 
the tank is in a darker side of the house, i just removed one of the 2 bulbs and it seems to be helping and still has enough lite

on a side note i think my cycleing is finely done all the levels have leveled off


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## Labeledsk8r (Sep 12, 2009)

well as an update nemo has been in the tnak for a few weeks now was doing great. sorry for not getting any pics up just been bussy with work

even though it was recomened to wait a bit before getting corrys i decided to go with them and use a food pellets for additional food. 3 small (about 1/3rd the size of nemo) pepperd corrys, so far im haveing mixed feelings. nemo has flared at them and chased them a few times but hasnt nipped at them, but it seems he is getting agrivated. nemo has allways been a kinda lazy fish and likes to chill at the bottom of the tank alot (even more so at night) but it seems even after chaeing the corys out of his "spot" they just swim back up threw, nemo wll move to another part of the tank and they will follow him. i dont think the corrys are in danger anymore really but i feel like it might be stressing him out? dunno mayby its to early to tell but right now he is resting in a plant wich he has never (in the almost 2 years i have owned him) rested in a plant, dunno wait and see i guess


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