# Okay, i have several questions with 5 and 10 gal with pleco and betta.



## helms97 (Sep 21, 2011)

I have a 10 gallon and a 5 gallon tank. I have one betta in the 10 and nothing ing the five. I was interested in another betta soroity in tge ten and moving the male to the five but, i really want otos and/or a bristlenose pleco! But where can they go? Can one bristlenose live alone in a five gallon or can three otos with a betta? Or can they be in a sorority with just females? I dont know if it matters but the 5 gal has a sponge filter


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## AquaKai (Jan 2, 2012)

helms97 said:


> I have a 10 gallon and a 5 gallon tank. I have one betta in the 10 and nothing ing the five. I was interested in another betta soroity in tge ten and moving the male to the five but, i really want otos and/or a bristlenose pleco! But where can they go? Can one bristlenose live alone in a five gallon or can three otos with a betta? Or can they be in a sorority with just females? I dont know if it matters but the 5 gal has a sponge filter


I wouldn't put a pleco in either one of those tanks. I have a bristlenose pleco in my 55g, and I wouldn't put him in anything less than a 20L. Otos are VERY sensitive and will often die of malnourishment because they only eat certain kinds of algae and really need to be in a tank that's been established for at least 6 months at the minimum. Sorry. For the 5g I would suggest one nerite snail and for the 10g 2, they're great algae cleaners and have a much lower bio-load than the mystery/apple snail. You could also try shrimp, but sometimes the bettas like eating them then having the shrimp clean for them.


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## laoshun (Apr 3, 2012)

plecos in a small tank doesnt work as much, they poop alot and they grow to fairly large.


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## AquaKai (Jan 2, 2012)

laoshun said:


> plecos in a small tank doesnt work as much, they poop alot and they grow to fairly large.


You're thinking of the common pleco. Bristlenose plecos are smaller maxing at 4-5" and have a much less bio-load. But you are right about tanks that small, even though some people consider 20g to be small... Just wanted to clarify that.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Agree with what's been posted so far. Those tanks are pretty small for any pleco. Some larger snails are a great idea!


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## combray (Nov 22, 2010)

I have a female bristlenose in a 20g long and I would concur that this seems like the absolute minimum tank size. She's about 4 inches long and I hope to upgrade her to something larger in the future.


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## PaintingPintos (Dec 27, 2011)

Otos might work singly with a betta.
Once I posted about wanting to put several Otos in a 10 gallon tank with my betta, and here is what I got :lol:
1: Otos should be kept in groups of 3 or more because they get stressed in smaller numbers and are socially dependent
2: If Otos are kept in smaller numbers than 3, they will get too stressed out and may suffer and die (Oh noes!!!)
3: Otos need a 10+ gallon tank, so your 10 gallon should be fine IF you are just keeping it with a betta. 
4: Otos are always looking for a meal, so if you want to leave a lot of algae growing behind your plants and decor, that would be good. They should always have a snack such as veggies or algae wafers (make sure your betta doesn't find these--he will gorge himself on them, being the piggy that bettas are)
5: Lightly plant the tank: there should be almost a solid wall of plants in the background. Then lightly plant the front and you'll have tons of fun watching the fishies prowl around in there....hehehe.
6: Put as many Otos in your tank as you can support--NOT too many though, remember that it will decline the tank's quality and will make the fish suffer!!
Good luck!!!


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