Betta Tank Mates?

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FeelinALittleFishy

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Jan 30, 2018
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image.jpg She is also a fry.Ok so I am thinking about upgrading my bettas tank. My cat keeps coming up and drinking the fish water. So I am problely gonna get a new tank. Possibly a 3 gallon or 5 gallon. She is problely gonna get lonely so I would like to get her some tank mates. Would a Cory cat be ok. When ever I am at petco I am fascinated by them. I also have a love for neons. I am in interested in guppies to. She is also just a fry.
 

FreshyFresh

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Jan 11, 2013
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Female bettas can be kept in groups, but I wouldn't go smaller than a 10g for that purpose. You could keep 3-4 female bettas in a 10g.

Cory cats do best when kept in large groups and kept in a tank with soft, fine substrate to sift though. I wouldn't keep less than 4-5 corys, which again, would require a larger tank.

Neons, do best in cooler water temps (70F-ish), so other stock would have to be ok in that temp range.

Guppies being livebearers will breed like crazy, so you need a bigger tank and a plan for the fry.
 

FeelinALittleFishy

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image.jpg What if I get only male guppies. Also new tank is here it came 2 days ago. Nitrogen cycle completed. She loves it. But it's so big compared to her. It is a three gallon. With a filter. Would cherry shrimp be good.
 

sapphire689

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its too small for any other fish, even nano fish. you can do invertebrates, though. for shrimp, you will need a cave, or some hidden place your betta cant easily reach. they shed their exoskeleton monthly, which leaves them vulnerable until it hardens. important note: ALL invertebrates need water with high hardness. if your water is soft, you will need to add calcium to the water. invertebrates take minerals from the water to build their exoskeleton. lack of minerals cause malfunction in shedding or incomplete sheds, and causes snail shells to damage. types of invertebrates you can keep depends on your bettas temperament. some bettas are like puffer fish; any shrimp gets beheaded and eaten. and dont worry about your betta getting lonely; in the wild, they live in creeks, streams, and water basins, and are extremely territorial.
 

sapphire689

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the minimum tank size for guppies is 10 gallon, even with only males, IMO. you could do endler or feeder-type guppies in a 5 gallon, but not a 3 gallon.
 

FeelinALittleFishy

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Thinking about cherry shrimp. I am gonna get a cave soon and I have plenty of egg shells. I have a cray and I am very experienced with crustaceans. Also which is better mystery snail or nerite snails. Also she is getting some red pigment in the dorsal fin. When I got her she had no color. I was hoping she would marble. But I am 100% sure she is a bicolor.
 

OrionGirl

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Bettas will usually hunt down and eat all shrimplets, and pick at adults so they hide constantly, so you'd be limited there.

Nerites are interesting, but keep in mind it will need to be fed and a tank that size will not produce enough algae or biofilm to keep one alive long term.

The fish does not need a companion at all.
 
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