# Tank mate for Betta



## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

If I get a 5 gallon tank with filter for a betta, are there any tank mates that I could put in with him or is 5 gallons too small for any other tank mate?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

If it's a standard 5g tank, you could probably get a school of 6 or so pygmy corydoras for the bottom. If it's something like a 5g hex, the limited floor space means you're probably better off trying shrimp or snails as tankmates. If you do get the pygmy cories, they do best with a sandy substrate.


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## slattery9104 (Jan 9, 2010)

Prob best to get a female for him thats about it as the only fish that really get on with a male betta are usually coloney fish that need to be kept in groups of 5 or more and the tank is too small


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

iamntbatman said:


> If it's a standard 5g tank, you could probably get a school of 6 or so pygmy corydoras for the bottom. If it's something like a 5g hex, the limited floor space means you're probably better off trying shrimp or snails as tankmates. If you do get the pygmy cories, they do best with a sandy substrate.


Def +1 right there. Either small Cory or shrimp;-)


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Hmm, I love cories but they don't tend to do well in my 55g so i'm not sure I want to try them in a 5 gallon. Perhaps it's my water, I don't know. I love the shrimp idea. Never had them. Not even sure if my LFS carries them. Would a simple snail work? I don't have any in my 55g.


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## kelly528 (Aug 31, 2009)

slattery9104 said:


> Prob best to get a female for him thats about it as the only fish that really get on with a male betta are usually coloney fish that need to be kept in groups of 5 or more and the tank is too small


I don't know where you heard this but anyone who breeds bettas will tell you that even breeding bettas can result in two very battered fish. Females can be kept in a sorority of 6 or more but putting a male & female together is about as safe as putting two males together.

In my experience pygmy cories are rarely happy even in schools of 6 but what concerns me more is that I have seen bettas eat fish under an inch on length before. And pygs are TINY. 

I think that in a 5g a handful of ghost shrimp or a pair of zebra snails would be your two best bets.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

I would never put two bettas together in a 5 gallon. Considering I don't know where i'd get the shrimp from (I've never seen them at my LFS) I like the idea of the snails. Two you think? What do they eat?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

What's you water parameters? (since you said about the cory in your 55g)?

Any poor sorted Petsmart/ Petco sells ghost shrimp these days (prop just ask, often you'll walk past the tank w/out seeing them lol)


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

LisaC144 said:


> I would never put two bettas together in a 5 gallon. Considering I don't know where i'd get the shrimp from (I've never seen them at my LFS) I like the idea of the snails. Two you think? What do they eat?


They eat just about anything, but ideally their food should be mostly plant matter and have some calcium in it to help with shell growth. What's your pH? I wouldn't keep snails in water with a less than neutral pH, as it will erode their shells.


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## pretzelsz (Jan 14, 2010)

can you get 2-3 females in a 10 gal and some bottom feeders? and other comunity fish? even a 20 gallon with swordtails and zebra donios(something like that)


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

You wouldn't want only 2-3 females. Female bettas can be thought of in much the same way as the African rift lake cichlids; they don't like one another much but kept in fairly crowded conditions you can prevent particular fish from being bullied, thus allowing everyone to live together in relative harmony. I would say six or so females is a good minimum number. They're generally compatible with a lot of other fish so you could probably do six or eight in a 20g along with some bottom-dwellers like corydoras catfish and possibly a small school of some of the smaller tetras (although not super tiny, as you don't want them to get eaten by the bettas).


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

I do not want a 20 gallon. I already have a 55 gallon and just want something small and entertaining for my living room. 
Angel: My parameters are ph 7.2, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, and nitrate around 15-20ppm. I do think perhaps I added the cories too soon after my cyclewas complete since they're pretty fragile. I also think maybe my gravel is slightly too large for them. Some were losing their barbels.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Batman: What can I put in the tank to feed the snails that the betta won't gobble up? Would algae wafers work for snails?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep, snails love those. They'll also appreciate any green veggies you have laying around (they make excellent disposal units for lettuce that has gone past its prime, for example).


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Would I need to boil/blanch it first or just use a veggie clip to sink it?


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

They love blanched spinach & lettuce. Cucumber slices also rock.
I always put it all on a fork (so it sinks), so then whatever was left over next day I could pull back out easily.
Oh and squished peas, just some extra pea's you've left over from dinner, squished a lil with a spoon, wonderful (thou in my case the Boeseman's Rainbows quickly started using them as treats so the snails didn't have no dinner any more then).


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Thanks Angel. I really need to try that in my 55 as well. I have 3 small Silver Dollars (which I plan on upgrading the tank when they get bigger) and keep hearing to feed them veggies. I put lettuce in the tank once but all it did was float around and they didn't touch it so I took it out after an hour. I'll have to try the fork idea. What does blanching the spinach or lettuce do for them?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Not much for the fish in a nutritional sense, but it does help it sink so that it doesn't just float around the top of the tank. What sort of lettuce did you feed them? I've found that most fish aren't fans of the crunchier types of lettuce (iceberg, etc.) and that they prefer the darker types like romaine.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Yup, I tried romaine but only floated it at the top and they sort of ignored it. I think I will try again with a nice piece and put it under a rock to keep it on the bottom and see how that goes


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I always stick any veggie to a fork to help it stay on the bottom (and to easily take left overs back out)


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Nice. I'll try the fork method tonight. See if they'll havea try at it.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Should I use a plastic fork? I'm a little afraid to use stainless steal in case there is some sort of rust I can't see.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

I just use a outdated stainless steel set for my fish tanks (don't wanna share my own forks between fish & my own dinner lol) never had a problem. Plastic fork will prop not sink well at all.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Ahh, excellent point. You're always thinkin' ;-) Stainless steel it is!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Pretzelz, female bettas do best in groups of 4 or more, to spread out the aggression.They also need LOTS of hiding places.


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Ok, so I got my betta on Saturday and didn't feed him in case he had already eaten that day and just to give him time to explore the tank. I tried feeding him Betta Flakes on Sunday and he didn't touch them. I went out and got him Aqueon Betta pellets since it seems most feed their bettas pellets. I tried feeding a couple to him last night and again this morning and he hasn't touched any of them. Hedefinitely sees it because one pellet floated right by him and he just stared at it. Should I be concerned that he hasn't eaten at all yet?? 
P.S. Pictures of the new guy coming soon


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## LisaC144 (Oct 22, 2009)

Ok, I'm bumping this thread. I tried ghost shrimp about 4 weeks ago but they didn't fair to well. After talking with Angel079, we agreed that although the tank is planted, it might have been too soon for them. I was going to try again (over a month later) but now I'm considering maybe some cories (will peppered cories or albinos work ordo they get too big for a 5g?) or african dwarf frogs. Right now it is the betta and 1 nerite snail. Any suggestions? How many frogs in a 5g bow front with 1 betta and 1 snail? 3? Looking forward to input


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