# Tankmates for 6 gallon NO SHRIMP SNAILS FROGS



## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

I recently lost a betta .. i feel very depressed that i dont want any more bettas. ( but my sister is pestering me to keep tankmates for my tank !! i have a 6 gallon tank with one male betta . in it i have 2 caves an 4 large plants. Here i live in a tropical area where the temperature is 80-100 degrees throughout the year so there is no need of heater . so what r the tankmates that i can keep? pls dont say snails shrimp etc. and NEVER frogs because im scared of frogs..


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## OpalBones (Apr 10, 2014)

In a tank that small with a betta already in it there isn't anything you can put in there with him aside from ADF, snails, or shrimp. Bettas are called _fighting_ fish for a reason and if you put any other fish in there in a small 6 gallon tank the betta will either A) attack and kill the other fish or B) stress the other fish out until it does. Male bettas are perfectly happy being kept alone and only barely tolerate company of another fish.

Tell your sister this so maybe she will under stand and stop pestering you.

Or you could upgrade to a ten to twenty gallon and try to make a community of your Betta and a group of 6 corydoras, how ever this could fail depending on how aggressive your betta is.

Your tankmate options for a 6g tank with 1 betta

1 Betta
1 Mystery snail

or

1 betta
5 ghost shrimp


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## kittenfish (Dec 1, 2013)

Pygmy cories can be kept in a 6 gallon with a betta as long as you have sand substrate. They don't do well with gravel.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

There are no tank mates for something that small. While there are micro fish that can be kept in such sized tanks, bettas dont always want to share such a small space, and several of the tiny schooling fish species Ned differnt temp ranges and water conditions (flow rate) from bettas... Not to mention the risk of bettas getting fins nipped or bettas having all the food. Just leave the betta by itself they don't need tankmates.
Something like Pygmy Cory doesn't always work with betta.. Cory don't understand territorial boundaries and will swim into the bettas personal space (bubble nest) repeatedly, stressing the betta or the Cory from constantly getting chased out.


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## Pumpkin (Jan 16, 2015)

kittenfish said:


> Pygmy cories can be kept in a 6 gallon with a betta as long as you have sand substrate. They don't do well with gravel.


Even for pygmy cories you'd need at least 10g, they need space to move around.

OP, your tank is too small to keep any other tank mates, even the smallest ones.


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## OpalBones (Apr 10, 2014)

kittenfish said:


> Pygmy cories can be kept in a 6 gallon with a betta as long as you have sand substrate. They don't do well with gravel.


Cories need a group of at least six to be happy and that many fish in that small tank will push the bioload too high plush it will aggravate the bettas natural aggression and territorial tendencies. Considering cories are sensitive to water paremeters I don't think they would be a good tank mate for this.


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## Csimpso22 (Jun 27, 2014)

I have been told with the right betta and a a few more water changes a week It is possible to keep pigmy Corey's in a tank of that size. Providing you can actually find the species ( I havnt been able too in my area).


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

RussellTheShihTzu is probably the best person to ask for stocking. I have seen some tankmates given as possiblities for a 5.5gal though - I believe including pigmy cories (would be looking at about 6), 5-6 endler guppies, or a few sparrow rasbora. There might be others.

This is a small tank though - so your filtration and whether or not your tank is cycled would be a factor.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Abhinand said:


> I recently lost a betta .. i feel very depressed that i dont want any more bettas. ( but my sister is pestering me to keep tankmates for my tank !! i have a 6 gallon tank with one male betta . in it i have 2 caves an 4 large plants. Here i live in a tropical area where the temperature is 80-100 degrees throughout the year so there is no need of heater . so what r the tankmates that i can keep? pls dont say snails shrimp etc. and NEVER frogs because im scared of frogs..


Are you wanting to put these fish in with your current Betta? What type of filtration? Is your tank cycled? What is your Betta's temperament? Or are you wanting to use your dead Betta's tank as a Nano fish-only aquarium?

If you really don't want tank mates you can assure your sister that Betta don't need them and are quite happy living alone. Adding tank mates is something we do for us; not the Betta. 

Know that Micro/Nano fish are much more delicate than Betta so your tank will need to be filtered and cycled with stable parameters. 

You could have one species of six in your six-gallon tank. I would recommend Pygmy or Habrosus Cories, Rasbora or Ember Tetra. Make sure the tank is planted so your Betta has no clear line of chase. And have a backup plan should he prefer life as a bachelor. ;-)


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks ALOT everyone for answering! I have decided to add a snail to my tank. I hope my betta and snail do not get stressed. What snail should i add? Are there chances for it to escape from the tank? What snail is the best? I dont want it to reproduce and ending up with alot of snails.. Thanks alot again


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

Are chilli or sparrow rasboras compatible with bettas in a5gallon?


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Nerite snails would be awesome for that--they eat tons of algae and won't reproduce like crazy and are well-protected against betta attacks--but you'll need a lid because they are escape artists, and if you don't have enough algae for them to eat you'll need to supply some.

Ramshorn snails can be a colorful option, but they will reproduce if you over-feed the tank, and aren't well-protected if your betta is aggressive towards them--on the other hand, they aren't such escapee buggers and won't need to eat as much.

A 5g is too small for other fish. If you DIDN'T have the betta, you could keep a few male guppies or platies in there, or a school of something that didn't care much about having tons of room. You could divide anything larger than a 5g tank, in order to keep another betta, or you could put in snails/shrimp. That's about it.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Abhinand said:


> Are chilli or sparrow rasboras compatible with bettas in a5gallon?


It depends on your Betta as both Rasbora are tiny (smaller than Ghost shrimp). I have Chili Rasbora and other Micro fish in with my Betta but I have heavily planted tanks with Java Moss, Subwassertang, Swords, Anubias and stem plants like Cabomba and Myrio. I find moss and frilly stem plants like the Cabomba and Myrio are the most important.


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## kittenfish (Dec 1, 2013)

Pumpkin said:


> Even for pygmy cories you'd need at least 10g, they need space to move around.












I dunno, looks like plenty of space to me. There are 6 more that you can't see in this photo. They normally share the tank (5g) with a betta, but he is out right now.

I've also had endlers with a betta but they are so active and wiggly that the betta gets annoyed. Also I'm pretty sure he hunts down and eats the fry.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

+1 kittenfish These are Micro fish and once you get them in a five you can see how much room these tiny fish have.

BTW, love the planting.


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## Pumpkin (Jan 16, 2015)

kittenfish said:


> I dunno, looks like plenty of space to me. There are 6 more that you can't see in this photo. They normally share the tank (5g) with a betta, but he is out right now.
> 
> I've also had endlers with a betta but they are so active and wiggly that the betta gets annoyed. Also I'm pretty sure he hunts down and eats the fry.


Yes, in comparison, it is a lot of space. However, they move around pretty fast and can cover a lot of ground quickly, which is why I personally think they'd do better in a 10g.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

FWIW, "The 101 Best Freshwater Nano Species;" Mark Denaro & Rachel O'Leary; published by TFH; 2014 has several suggestions for Micro/Nano five-gallon aquariums.

Subtitle: "How to choose and keep hardy, brilliant, fascinating species that will thrive in your small aqurium."


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

In case im buying chili rasboras, how much should i buy?? Are they sensitive to water quality?? Since they are small, will my betta eat them??


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Have a back up plan should your Betta decide he'd rather live alone. Yes, they are sensitive to water quality so tank needs to be cycled and stable. Meeting all requirements (lots of plants, tank cycled) you could have 6-10 in your tank.


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