# What Can I Keep With a Betta in a 6 or 10 Gallon Tank?



## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

I've got 1 Betta right now, and was looking to get a bigger tank for him. I was looking at those fancy 6 gallon Fluval Edge tank, but I'm seeing a lot of people say that 6 gallons might be too small for a Betta + schooling fish. I'm trying to figure out what I can keep with the Bettas in either size tank, because for the money, I might just get a cheaper 10 gallon and stock it and decorate it with the extra money. I don't want to go too much over $120 on this setup, especially since I've had trouble keeping small schooling fish in the past. I think it may be that the water here is extremely alkaline. My Betta doesn't seem to mind, and the people at Petsmart say that it shouldn't be an issue, but I don't always trust their opinions. 
I understand that I can't have extremely flashy fish with my Betta, but I kind of like the more subdued ones anyway. I don't like the look of see-through fish at all. I like pretty much everything else though.


----------



## nomoretickets (Sep 29, 2010)

i would stay away from the fluval edge simply because of its design. you would have to underfill the tank to provide space for your betta to breath, and that just kinda ruins the appearence of it. in the 6 gal you really couldnt keep anything with your betta, but a 10 gallon or larger gives you many more options like cory catfish and what not. plus the fulval edge is [email protected] expensive


----------



## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

Ok, that sort of settles the tank size question. What other fish do you suggest I put in with my Betta fishy in a 10 gallon? I'm open to shrimp too, but I'm not too fond of the frogs available to me. I need something that's easy to keep and would do okay in alkaline water, or tips on how to make my water more neutral. I tried pH fixers when I was trying to keep guppies, but it never worked out quite right, it go the pH down a little, but not to neutral. 
Also, my tank will be set up on a dresser in front of a mirror. The way Samuel's tank is, he can't see it right now, but if I get a larger one, the top 1/3 or so will be about an inch away from a large mirror.


----------



## crowntail lover (Apr 25, 2009)

You can add in some Cories.. They are amazing little fish that keep to themselves , not aggressive at all.. They like to be in a group of atleast 4.. They are pretty easy to care for. They eat bloodworms, fish flakes, algea wafers as well as live foods. All you need are plenty of live plants and hiding places for these guys and they will get along just fine.. If you were to get some.. Make sure to watch how your Betta reacts to them... Most likely they will get along just fine..


----------



## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

Schooling fish like Cories are okay in a 10 gallon. Some others would be Neons (though this always seems to be a bit of a gamble) and White Clouds, who are pretty hardy (but peaceful) little guys.

If you had the 6 gallon, you could have got with some shrimp, snails, and ADFs (though you said you didn't like those).


----------



## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

I found some pretty neat Cories, so I think I'm going to go with 4 of them plus my Betta in that 10 gallon tank. Could I add 1-2 cherry, blackberry, or ghost shrimp in there too or would that be overstocking? I'm planning on doing 2-3 live leafy plants in there if I can keep those successfully(I'll get silk plants if not) plus some other decorations so there will be lots of good hiding places for everyone. I keep hearing that some ghost shrimp or things advertised as ghost shrimp will start to eat Betta fins when they get too big. There's some at the Petco near my house that are 50 cents a shrimp and they're about as long as my pinky is wide, but I have no idea how big they'll get. Is there any way to tell the difference between the real ghosties and the false ones?


----------



## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

You should probably try to get 5 or 6 Cories instead, they do better in bigger groups. Shrimp have very little bioload, so 1 or 2 will not really make a difference.

I've had no problem with my ghost shrimp, apart from the fact that my betta ended up eating the last one I had when I put it in this section.


----------



## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

If you get ghost shrimp get small ones... I had never had a problem with them, but recently I had to return two larger ones because they were acting highly aggressive towards my betta. I caught one hanging from his fins twice, and his fins are ripped on the bottoms from this. I've kept them before and not had a problem, but they were all much smaller than these recent ones.

Just thought I would throw that out there.


----------



## nOOb iHACK (Nov 11, 2010)

Has anyone else had any problems with ghost shrimp? This is the second time I've heard of them hanging from fins. I hope it isn't the same person giving these poor creatures bad reviews.


----------



## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

Well, after talking with JKFish about the problems I had, we seemed to agree that the larger, more mature shrimp are more aggressive, but it can be curbed if they are kept very well-fed. The smaller ones are less likely to show aggression.


----------



## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

Ok, I picked out the two smallest shrimp they had, so I'm hoping they behave themselves. They were fifty cents apiece so it won't be the end of the world if I have to get rid of them. They're going to get pulled out of there at the first sign of agression. They'll have plenty of food, so I'm hoping it won't be an issue.


----------



## crowntail lover (Apr 25, 2009)

Hope everything works out okay! :]


----------



## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

Thanks for your help! I've got my tank cycling right now with the ghost shrimp and my Betta. I went to do a water change, so I caught the shrimp and put them in a five inch cup with one inch of water in it. One still managed to escape. I got him caught and threw him back in the big tank. He walked straight up to the front of the tank and just stared at me. It was a little creepy. I don't know if Samuel even knows they're in there. He stays towards the top right of his tank where there's less current and they stay to the bottom left right where the filter intake is. I think they're trying to catch food before it gets to the filter. 

I found a place that's trying to order me in a Panda Cory, so I'm all excited. It'll be 2 Julii, 2 Leopard and a Panda. They don't care what color the others are do they?


----------



## shinybetta (Jul 3, 2010)

I hear they won't school as much, but will still be happy and not stressed.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Cories are schooling fish and do better in groups of 4-6.


----------



## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

Hehe, I'm planning on getting five, so hopefully I'll be set. My tank's all cycled and ready, so I'm planning on getting them Saturday. Thanks for everybody's help getting this tank set up!


----------

