# easy betta tank mates?



## PopzTheBetta (Dec 8, 2012)

what is an easy betta tank mate? i was thinking a brissle nose plec or a snail but what kind of snail? could i do a brissle plec and a snail? my betta is in a huge ten gallon all by him self so he needs a friend cause i think he's verry gentle, he wont even flair at his reflection he just swims away lol.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Depends on tank size.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I would say no to a BN pleco I simply feel it's too large for a 10 gallon.
Some easier fish for a 10 gallon would include glowlight tetras, lemon tetras, black neon tetra (6-7 of any of these- stick to one species). Three lined cories (4-6 of them). Platies (3-5). Also there's African dwarf frogs (1-3). 
The cories and dwarf frogs will stay on the bottom if that's what you are looking for.
Isn't too much room in a 10 gallon, so stick to one other type of fish for him to live with.


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## PopzTheBetta (Dec 8, 2012)

ok thx but im afraid of tetras niping so those are a maby the corys, also do you know of a good easy snail that will clean up the mess of a plec? id put that with the betta to


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## homegrown terror (Aug 6, 2012)

all the ones that have been mentioned, and i'd suggest platies as well. if you stock them, though, you should stick mainly to the primarily black/white breeds (such as panda platies) so the bright colors don't encourage attacking.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

But tankmates is also affected by tank size.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

by "clean up the mess of a plec" do you mean something that will clean up its poop? The only way to do that is clean the tank - nothing, not even snails will eat fish waste. And plecos poop ALOT


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

OP is the tank 10 gallons?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

PopzTheBetta said:


> ok thx but im afraid of tetras niping so those are a maby the corys, also do you know of a good easy snail that will clean up the mess of a plec? id put that with the betta to


Tiki is right, nothing will clean up the mess a pleco makes. 
You could pick up an apple/mystery snail, will eat leftover food scraps and algae if that's what you meant.
Cory cats do best on a sand bottom, or smooth gravel. 4-5 of them with the snail would work out. I'd say julli cories or pepper would be the easiest option. Bronze can also work, they are larger so not as good of a choice. You can try the pandas but they're known to be a little more sensitive.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

We need to know tank size different fish need different size tanks.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

Think a school (3-5) of cory cats + betta is fine for a 10-20 gallon.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

It does depend on species though. Pygmies are on the smaller side but are harder to care for and prefer Acidic water.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

So do bettas.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Yes they do but Bettas are more tolerate. Pygmies are classified as moderate care.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

Get bronze corys and up the tank size then.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Do we know the tank size? I have albino bronze.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

15-20 gallons should be good... lemme check aqadvisor...

4 corys + 1 betta are 53% of a 15 gal. but it says they are not reccomended together. why choc?


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I am guessing Aqua adviser thinks Bettas are vicous monsters.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

LOL!!!! :roll:


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Yeah I know. Try every good tankmate with Bettas there in a 20G. I am also guessing they think 15G is too large for a Betta.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

take too long... theres 917 fish in their database you know!


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I mean the Basic Betta tankmates not all fish.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

e.g. corys mollies platys swordtails tetras danios?


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Its ten gallons.


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## PopzTheBetta (Dec 8, 2012)

i really like the idea of corys i love little sucker fish


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

The only Cory for a ten gallon is Pygmy.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

No. I disagree. You can put 4 bronze cories in a 10g + a betta.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Bronze Cories are on the larger side and require 15+ gallons.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

5 bronze, pepper, or julli cories would do fine.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

For your tank I recommend:

*Shrimp, may it be ghost shrimp or amano shrimp* are very easy to care for, eat left over food and in the case of the amano they eat also algae if your tank has any as well. And do not have much bioload and you can buy them in groups of three or more so they feel secure. The only risk is that they may become a meal for your betta. 

*Snails* have a higher bioload, most people have apple snails and mystery snails, but in my case I picked the *nerite snail*, which doesn't grow too much and unlike people believe there aren't hermaphrodites, which means that one day you won't wake up and see your tank full of snails. And even if you do buy a female and male, they cannot reproduce without brackish waters.

*Assassin snail*, it's a small snail that eats other snails o.o great for parasitical snail pests and interesting to watch, their shells are also very pretty and unique, the one downside is that you need thin sand substrate because they like to burrow.

A bit harder are *Otocinculus*, or otos for short, they are mainly algae eaters, and have a high death rate when you first bring them home, if they survive for a month in your tank, then that oto is ready to endure anything, they are very sensitive to water changes, that's why. The down side of this cute creature is that if you do not have any algae in the tank you may have to supplement algae wafers, and your betta might nibble on them. Also they need to be in groups of 3 so they can feel secure.
*
Neon tetras:* they are schooling fish and relatively easy to care for, they need to be quarintined well, because they are very prone to suffering ICH. And you need to buy at least 4-5 so they can feel safe, just make sure that the ones you are buying are healthy

*Cory cats:* make sure they are small, they eat wafers and are bottom dwellers opposite to the betta. There are many types, panda, bronze... you can google them to see for yourself.

*Zebra fish* (or *Danios, *olympia told me the name heheehe)they are also a type of schooling fish.

And *White cloud mountain Minnows *which are also schooling fish. One of my favorite because they are so interesting to watch and very very very Hardy XD

Schooling fish, require +4 groups and considering tanks I would limit myself to 6.

*Keep in mind: If you get schooling fish, you might not be able to get anything else.*

if you want to have a good amount of mates, and different kinds then +20g may be needed. 
*
ALL TANKMATES SHOULD BE QUARINTINED BEFORE BEING ADDED TO THE TANK FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS.* To make sure they aren't carrying anything like parasites from the petstore. __________________


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Zebra fish are commonly called danios.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Olympia said:


> Zebra fish are commonly called danios.


thanks XD I couldn't remember the name jeje


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Zebra Danios need 20 gallon tanks. They are also extremely active.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

That's what I've heard.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I have heard there bad Betta tankmates too.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

No. Why do you think that? Zebra Danios are peaceful, a little smaller than a betta, and have no betta-like markings.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I have read there too active.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Zebra danios need more than 10 gallons to be happy. They are an active schooling fish and can be quite boisterous. Most people actually tend to recommend a 3ft tank because of their swimming habits. 

There are many small, peaceful species of rasbora and danio that can be used in a betta tank. You just have to look around to find them as not every mum and pop or chain store will sell them. I personally love microdevario kubotai. I had some in with my betta male and he never bothered them and they never bothered him. Depending on the individual temperament of your betta there are a whole range of fish that could be kept with him. 

I had a very docile male and he used to live quite peacefully with some very tiny clown killifish. He only ever tried to eat them once when I put them in, and then after realising they were fish and not food he left them alone.


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## fishy314 (Nov 8, 2012)

Oh i forgot he didnt have a 20 gallon.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Plus there not reccomended. I would reccomend Pygmy Cories. But do a lot of reading on thm first.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

No matter what you add you will want to quarantine them for at least a week, longer is better if you can. And you will want to be there watching after they are added for any aggression or just incompatibility. Fish attitudes can vary from fish to fish even within the same species.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Pygmy Cories are not going to very that much. Not all fish have personalities.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Was thinking more along the lines of the betta since some are docile to other fish and some aren't.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Yeah Bettas very Pygmy Cories dont except when comparing the 3 species.


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## Neight (Oct 20, 2012)

Just to pop in an add on, I really wouldn't suggest getting tank mates unless you have a spare tank that will meet their needs for both a quarantine time, and if something should happen to go wrong. You cannot quarantine five pygmy cories in a one gallon for a week. They are rather delicate fish in terms of water parameters, and should something go wrong, you probably don't want to deal with the water changes you would need to do in a one gallon for a betta. Some bettas will /not/ tolerate tank mates, no matter how docile they seem, and the other fish will need to be removed, or you will need to remove the betta /to a suitable home/. If you consider any other fish for his tank, you must consider being able to care for them separately if it does not go as planned.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

I had a few small platies in with my betta. He and the male (a peppermint) didn't see eye to eye, but everyone else was fine, including my ghost shrimp, baby frogs, and my snails (rams, ponds, assassin, trapdoor).

Mike had a female betta with his guppies when he first started, she killed a bronze cory, and ate a couple of the adult females. She also killed some shrimp, and has eaten snails. She HAS to be kept by herself.

The point of those two stories were that some bettas will live with other livestock, and others will destroy anything you put in with them.


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