I have a 160 litre tank currently cycling and i have 4 loaches that are going in it when it is ready would i be able to add a male betta or would that be a bad idea
Betta and zebra loach?
- Thread starter devynbaillie
- Start date
Bettas can be hit or miss--sometimes they are aggressive enough to go after any tankmate, others will be fine in community setups (assuming you are talking about a domestic b Splendens here). The loaches are unlikely to bother the betta. I'd probably start with 4, and then add more, though--they will display much better behavior in the largest group you can provide, and in a 160L, you have room for 8 or 9 quite comfortably, plus the betta and perhaps a small, peaceful barb or danio school.
Zebra loaches are fairly shy IME. I don't think they'd bother a betta, but those long fins & slow swimming can be tempting to otherwise peaceful fish. I'm glad these pretty little loaches are more available in recent years. A much better size at 3-5 inches than the flashier, large clowns in almost all medium/biggish sized tanks. I loved mine!
More loaches would be nice, I like to keep a minimum of 6 of social species if possible. I kept them with espei rasboras, I can't believe they'd bother a betta either or vice versa.
More loaches would be nice, I like to keep a minimum of 6 of social species if possible. I kept them with espei rasboras, I can't believe they'd bother a betta either or vice versa.
myswtsins
Global Moderator
More loaches = better. Add loaches first and anything else you might want before the Betta. Always add the most aggressive fish last. Good luck, hope you get a chill betta.