Betta Harem Questions

fishboy7

Amazonian Specialist
Jun 12, 2010
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Hey it's been a while since I've posted but it's good to be back! Anyways, my grandma has her 10g going with real rocks, 5 Java Ferns, Top Fin 10 Power Filter, and a 20g Sponge Filter. Right now the only fish she has is a trio of otos which are doing well. The tank is cycled with a pH of 8.2, a Gh of 20, and and a Kh of 16. She wants to get 1 male betta and 3 female bettas. Any ideas on how to make this work? Also, she won't be trying to breed them.
 
It wont work unless you put in dividers. Can't keep male and females together, and a group of females would require atleast a 20L and much more plants.
 
i agree. a 10 gallon isn't large enough to do a female betta sorority, and housing a male with females is just asking for dead bettas (the male is usually the aggressor, but females can be rather snarky as well).

i would suggest to your grandma this:

1 betta (either male or female)
3 more ottos (they like to be in groups)
one apple snail (i've kept apples with bettas no problem, but keep an eye out for the betta nipping the snail's antennae)

that would pretty much stock a 10 gallon, and a few live plants would make it look nice.
 
Agreed with above answers, even with a sorority it would be too small. There's just not enough room for them to get away from each other.
 
Okay thank u for telling me I'm glad I know that now! Anyways, besides the betta and otos, is there any other fish we could get for that tank?
 
like i said in my previous post with the stocking i suggested, that would be about it for a 10 gallon. with smaller water volumes, you want to stock on the light side, because water parameter fluctuations happen much faster in a smaller tank. less fish = happier and healthier fish.
 
Agreed...and personally I'm of the mind set that a 10g for otos is kind of risky unless you can really keep up on feeding them. Not going to be a whole lot of soft algae and "biofilm" compared to a larger tank but JMO.
 
Okay, how about 1 Male Betta, 3 Zebra Nerite Snails, and 8 Zebra Danios?
 
danios aren't a good choice for a 10 gallon. they are far too 'frisky' and require a good amount of swim space that a 10 gallon just doesn't have. i have 5 zebra danios in a 20 gallon long, with a few other fish that don't really swim in the top half of the tank much, so the danios pretty much have the whole top of the tank to themselves, and let me tell you..... they use all that space!

how about the betta, 2 nerites, and 6 to 8 small tetras? i'm thinking neons or black neons would be nice, wouldn't compete too much with the betta for food or be aggressive at all.
 
danios aren't a good choice for a 10 gallon. they are far too 'frisky' and require a good amount of swim space that a 10 gallon just doesn't have. i have 5 zebra danios in a 20 gallon long, with a few other fish that don't really swim in the top half of the tank much, so the danios pretty much have the whole top of the tank to themselves, and let me tell you..... they use all that space!

how about the betta, 2 nerites, and 6 to 8 small tetras? i'm thinking neons or black neons would be nice, wouldn't compete too much with the betta for food or be aggressive at all.
Or, for some other, less common (no offense BFM, some people would like some less common options) but still good community options, like ember or cardinal tetras, neon yellow, chili, or phoenix rasboras. Those are all about the same size and neons, and black neons get a little bit larger.
 
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