View Full Version : Can I put anything in with the Betta?
Heidyth
06-25-2003, 1:29 PM
I have a 5 gal that has 1 male betta. Is there anything I can put in with him safely? I was thinking of a dwarf frog. I tried him with a snail but he nipped at it when he thought noone was watching. So out came the snail. I don't mind keeping him alone. BUt it would be nice to add something that won't nip his fins and he won't bother.
OrionGirl
06-25-2003, 1:38 PM
If there's a small rock pile or wood, a pair of kuhli loaches would be fine in there. I wouldn't add the frog--they can be messy, and in such a small tank, you really have to watch the bio-load. A pair of cories should be okay as well--maybe 3 if you go with the pygmy variety.
phpKerouac
06-26-2003, 9:55 AM
I know it might not be recommended, but I successfully kept a male betta, a rainbow shark, four painted glassfish, and a tiny pleco in a ten gallon tank for close to a year.
The betta wasn't excessively territorial, nor was the shark. Even at feeding time.
Maybe I'm just lucky.
tricksterpup
06-26-2003, 11:12 AM
You can keep many fish with bettas. Any community fish that is. The Bettas tend to be very curiuos and will check everyone out at first. This isn't really a sign of aggression. In all my years of raising fish, i have never seen a betta cause another fish to hide in the corner.. except another betta, be it male or female. Every thing else was left alone. But then again, i never kept bettas with paradise fish or gouramis.
jim
wetmanNY
06-26-2003, 11:30 AM
"Two paradises 'twere in one,
To live in Paradise-- alone."
---Andrew Marvell.
The best buddy for a Betta or a Paradisefish-- is "nobuddy." Just a tangle of green under a green floating roof...
Heidyth
06-26-2003, 11:36 AM
Khuli loaches or pygmy cory!!!! Yeah!!!! I'm off to research the needs of these fish!!!!! There is a castle with a very cool cave system so hiding places shouldn't be a problem. Plus something to help clean the bottom would be great too. Thanks everyone!!!:D
fishdude
07-17-2003, 9:23 AM
Just make sure the fish you put in dont have long flowing tails or the betta will eat them offf and kill them, i tried it and it left my gouramis, corys, and glowlights alone, but it ate off the tales of my fancy guppies and killed them
Heidyth
07-19-2003, 12:43 PM
Thanks for the advice. I had read about bettas and other fish with long fins. I may get a couple dwarf or Julli cory's. I also may just leave the betta as the only owner of the 5 gal. If I do get a couple cories it won't be for a while yet. Before I get anything I want to set up a 10 gal QT. So any new anything will have to wait.
aquariumfishguy
07-19-2003, 1:34 PM
Which betta is this that you are looking to add something too? Mine never hurt my corydoras...:D
Heidyth
07-20-2003, 1:51 PM
I only have the one betta. My hesitation is mostly the fact that he is in just a 5 gal. Plus he is very happy. Knowing that bettas are territorial. I think he would not be as happy if he had to share the 5 gal with anybody.
aquariumfishguy
07-20-2003, 8:35 PM
Maybe you could just keep him by himself. :confused:
I thought you showed me pictures of multiple bettas that one time...is Georgette the only one?
Bettas get over it pretty quick. Mine used to get mad at his snail but has since lost interest.
Heidyth
07-21-2003, 1:21 PM
Georgette is the only betta I have. I just have several pictures. I still have to think about the bio load on the 5 gal. Either way I still have to set up a QT. I plan on a 10 gal with a sponge filter. Letting the sponge filter stay in the 30 gal to seed it and keep it seeded or whatever the proper word is for getting it ready to be used. I am still learning and want to do things right.
aquariumfishguy
07-21-2003, 1:28 PM
Very good! I like hearing people who are new to fish say "I want to do things right"...ahhh...makes my day! (and your fish's day, I'm sure!) ;)
brianfl
07-21-2003, 2:20 PM
tricksterpup,
I have has bettas twice and both time either killed, got killed or both. I won't keep them anymore unless they are by themselves. I had a betta and a pleco go at it once and it was pretty furious. After all, they are called Chinese fighting fish.
Heidyth
07-21-2003, 7:07 PM
I think I'll just wait till I get a 30 to go under the 30 goldfish tank or the 55 I have been dreaming about before I get anymore fish.
I found out another
"You know when you spend to much time thinking about fish when..."
I called a coworker by my betta's name!!!:D
brianfl
07-21-2003, 7:29 PM
LOL Good one, Heidi.
just a word about C. Julii. I bought two (there will be more when I can) from the LFS. Very good fish to have. They live in the same tank as two SA puffers (fin nipping little b*ggers it turns out).
Anyway, I did some research and they aren't Jullii, they are C. trilineatus. Look very similar, but if the LFS has them labelled jullii, chances are they are lineatus, or reticulatus (i think).
True Jullii are apperently quite rare.
However the ones I have are really active, always together in the tank and are left alone by the puffers (possibly due to their active nature - they don't stay still for long enough to get picked on). There are also two C. aeneus in there. They aren't so lucky and are moving out to a friends tank next week while they still have some fins left :(
I'm hoping this won't result in a change of tactics from the puffers!
Not sure if any of this is relevant to a betta, but IME C. trilineatus are a good choice with 'touchy' tank mates.
I also have two C. Paleatus and they are also left alone. Again very interesting fish to watch, often together and have curious feeding habits (hanging upside down at the surface to forage the floating plants for one). Easy to find too.
Before anyone says it I am going to donate the aeneus and increase the size of the groups of the other two to a minimum of 5 in the near future (need a bigger tank + QT setup first).
HTH
Any bottom-dweller should be ok with your Betta, I had a 3 gal tank holding a betta and a golden algae eater.
The algae eater actually wouldn't allow itself to be bullied, and I think the Betta enjoyed the running around, once the algae eater died (after 3 years), I could clearly tell the betta was lonely and it wasn't long before he went.
The point is, they never really shared the same part of the tank together, except when the betta was being a little pest!
tricksterpup
07-28-2003, 2:45 PM
Originally posted by brianfl
tricksterpup,
I have has bettas twice and both time either killed, got killed or both. I won't keep them anymore unless they are by themselves. I had a betta and a pleco go at it once and it was pretty furious. After all, they are called Chinese fighting fish.
Brian, I should have clarified my original statement. I mainly kept my bettas with other fish in a larger tank such as a 29 gal. The fish I kept them with were wild form guppies, SAEs, cories, amano shrimp and platies. I never had a problem with them even eating fry. But I would say that when I keep them in small tanks, they are kept by themselves, keeping down the bio load. If they are in anything smaller than a 5, they are by themselves.
What size tank did you have yours in?
jim
ChilDawg
07-28-2003, 3:24 PM
Originally posted by brianfl
tricksterpup,
I have has bettas twice and both time either killed, got killed or both. I won't keep them anymore unless they are by themselves. I had a betta and a pleco go at it once and it was pretty furious. After all, they are called Chinese fighting fish.
Just a little clarification...they are called that, as well as Japanese fighting fish, but a proper common name would be Siamese fighting fish, as they are from and were developed in Thailand when it had its former name.
Kerouac, you're just lucky, I believe...and painted glassfish are best kept in brackish water...OR BEST LEFT IN THE STORE. I am not mentioning this to chastise you but to educate others. PGs are cruelly injected with dye which may cause complications or may just fade altogether.