# Newbie - Okay Tankmates?



## Rae6942 (Apr 14, 2011)

Hihi
So, I just bought a 10g tank for my male black and red crowntail betta (he's living in a smaller 5g at the moment) and I was wondering about suitable tank mates... 
The tank has all the filters, heaters, ph testers, the lot really. I am going to buy sand for the bottom and get the plants and decorations very soon.
I am getting 4 smaller cories but I also was hoping to get a small school (5-6) of a colorful but short finned fish. I have read through quite a few other forums and have had mixed results as to what fish were okay. 
I was just wondering if some people with experience would help me better than some people saying 'oh, I heard this was okay from someone once'

Thanks for your time, I really appreciate your thoughts


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

All you'd have room for in a 10 gallon is the betta and the cories; any other fish would overstock your tank. You could always do some shrimp and a snail though. 

You could do some fish other than the cories, but not in addition to them. If you wanted to do that I can't really offer a recommendation; I don't have any firsthand experience with anything other than bettas and cories, I just know what I've heard from other people.


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## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Actually in a ten gallon with a couple of cories and a single betta you could get a small school of tetra's.


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## LolaQuigs (Mar 28, 2010)

If you want cories you'll need at least four, (if you can find pygmy or dwarf cories, I'd suggest six). With that and a betta, I really wouldn't add any more fish. Tetras are best in groups of six or more, six tetras, four cories and a betta is just too much for a ten gallon.


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## Rae6942 (Apr 14, 2011)

My dad is a seasoned tropical tank owner so I'm not completely in the dark and he said I could have the 6 tetras without too much difficulty : /
I really wanted some other opinions but if I were to get some tetras, what would be the best?
Like, Neons, Green Neons, Black neons, cardinal etc

I don't want to get any that are too nippy so is there any chance I could get maybe a list of definite no-nos and some maybes if I didn't have the cories?
If I do get the cories, there will be 4 of them, I know they need to school

Thanks again for your time, I really need to know all I can


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Rae6942 said:


> My dad is a seasoned tropical tank owner so I'm not completely in the dark and he said I could have the 6 tetras without too much difficulty : /
> If you knew, why ask and get upset? I dont understand. -_-
> I really wanted some other opinions but if I were to get some tetras, what would be the best?
> Like, Neons, Green Neons, Black neons, cardinal etc
> ...


Cories and all the ones in the cat family are nice, but theyre sensitive. I suggest you get your tank cycled first before getting them, because itll be easier for you. Also, most bottom feeders need a fine substrate to be happiest.

Cardinal tetras are great and heartier/less prone to Neon tetra disease than their neon tetra cousins. If youre interested in neons (or any other fish) make sure than can live in the same temp range comfortably as your betta. White clouds need colder temps than you can give, so stay away from those..

Stay away from male guppies, gouramis of larger or equal size and anything too slow and small that the betta will try to eat or bite. Glo fish are too active for a ten and might aggravate the betta with so much movement. Tetras are fine because theyre fast and will get away. They tend to nip, though.

I think Harlequin Rasboras are ok, khuli loaches..
I cant think of any others, blegh..
Dx


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## shinybetta (Jul 3, 2010)

You should do 6 pygmy corydoras/4 panda. Albino, spotted, and some others get huge! The female spotted and albino I have are bigger than my female betta. So I would go with C. pygmaeus/ C habrosus or panda corydoras. You could add a school of 5 neon tetras (one of the smallest tetras) but I would recommend otocinclus catfish over neon tetras. However, otocinclus and corydoras are fragile and should only be added to a cycled/heavily planted tank. You could also add 3 platies instead of tetras. If you have the teras/platies and corydoras I would get shrimp like RCS, blueberry, tiger, etc.... I would stay away from CRS and black bee shrimp because they are more fragile than other shrimp. If you have an aggressive betta a better option for shrimp is ghost/amano.


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## jesstanner (Apr 5, 2011)

I really don't know if they are compatible with bettas so maybe someone else will correct me...but dwarf rasboras are really pretty and if you got 7 or 8 they would be great in a 10 gallon! Also small and I think really pretty  I like black neons personally and I think they do a little better in a 10 g but cardinals should be fine to...I'm just thinking of fish that could do well in a 10 g, I don't know if they would work with bettas though! Dwarf rasboras could LOOK really nice


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## smellsfishie (Apr 14, 2011)

In my personal experience, Bettas CAN (but don't always) get along with platies, danios, corydora catfish, plecostomus, threadfin rainbows, endlers livebearers, mollys, and sometimes dwarf gouramis!! I wouldn't recommend the gourami thing though, even though I successfully housed a betta with 2 in the past (no problems whatsoever), my most recent betta was almost killed by my dwarf gourami and I had to separate them. Also, my crowntail was the most aggressive of all the bettas I have ever owned, so I would be careful with just about anything with a crowntail. I probably would stick to bottom dwellers and a snail.


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## Rae6942 (Apr 14, 2011)

Okay, so you think either cardinal or the black neons would be my best bet?
Thank you all for you opinions, I just wanted to build up a bank of yes and nos, so to speak, so maybe I will get some and just see how it goes : /
Although I said my dad knows some things, he never owned a betta so that is why I am asking the forums, sorry if I got a bit touchy


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## jesstanner (Apr 5, 2011)

Hey it's okay, I didn't mind! I think I probably agree with smells fishie though that a bottom dweller or a few snails would be best...I really have no clue how the black neons would be with bettas! Good luck and tell me how it goes! Also make sure you check out the compatibility sticky!


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## Rae6942 (Apr 14, 2011)

Okay, I got my tank set up : )
At the moment Styx (my betta) is in there with 4 Clown Loaches and he's happy just hanging at the top and flaring at his reflection 
I'm possibly getting 6 neons tomorrow from my lps and I got Styx some bloodworms today


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## shinybetta (Jul 3, 2010)

Do you have a larger tank for those clown loaches? THey grow to 1 foot+ size. I would keep four in 60 gallon.


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## Rae6942 (Apr 14, 2011)

I'll be getting one at a later date, yes


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

With the loaches already in there, I would not add any more fish.


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## jesstanner (Apr 5, 2011)

If I were you I wouldn't add any more fish, I think that that might be pushing it a little. You might want to see how the loaches work out for a little while.


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## artes (Apr 14, 2011)

I've kept black neons with a king betta. The king betta tried to school with him, and the neons clearly thought he was nuts. I felt sorry for him, since he was being rejected from the school. I ended up moving out the black neons because of it.


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

artes said:


> I've kept black neons with a king betta. The king betta tried to school with him, and the neons clearly thought he was nuts. I felt sorry for him, since he was being rejected from the school. I ended up moving out the black neons because of it.


:lol: poor guy!

this website gives a pretty good idea on stocking levels...
http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AqVolUnit=gUS&AqTempUnit=C&AqLengthUnit=inch

In my 10 gallon I have 4 peppered corys and my betta.


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