Betta tank questions

This is the equipment I have that is sitting and awaiting to be used, let me know if its ok.

Tank: 10g
Filter: AC-20
Heater: All Glass Aquarium 50w

Now when setting the tank up, after it is all cycled am I going want to add maybe tankmates first then the betta or does it not matter? Also what signs should I look for to know if the betta isn't happy with its tankmates?

Edit: What other tankmates can be a possibility? Just so I have a list I can check out that may fit well in the tank. Also with the list of fish, can you please let me know how many of them as well just so I don't over crowd the space.

Thank you everyone!
 
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with a 10g u can have a pretty sizeable colony of amano and/or cherry shrimp.. if u want more of a mix of fish..

try to select one of these:

5-6 oto cats,

5-6 cory cats,

5-6 white cloud mountain minnows

1 Nerite Snail

1 African Dwarf Frogs


selecting more than one of the shoaling fish can be too much on the bio-load and it could "mini-cycle" killing all the sensitive fish.. african dwarf frogs have minimal bio-load so u can mix those in (but since they're carnivorous but VERY slow your betta could possibly eat all his food before the frog has a chance to eat it)

also.. with introducing the tankmates.. i'd do it on a water change.. take out the betta.. clean out the tank of the poop and debris, add the fish, wait until they look like they've settled down a bit (coloration is back, looking for food) then add the betta

there will most likely be fin nipping in the beginning.. just make sure it isn't excessive and no fins are being damaged.. it's better if the betta is the fin-nipper cuz he's slower than all the other fish and won't be able to catch them.. it's very bad if any other fish nip the betta though.. if that happens, i'd exchange them for the catfish instead...


if going for a snail.. DON"T GET APPLE snails.. they can over-run your tank.. nerite snail eggs, i've read that they can't hatch unless in brackish water.. so just remove the eggs when u find them. snails are poop machines so the bio-load is just like fish
 
I would get the Betta, 5 Pygmy Corys, 6 Neons, and a couple Nerites. I would recommend against the frog because they'd be very hard to feed, they're VERY slow.
 
I keep my betta in a round tank with 3 bamboo trees rooted in a glass bowl in the bottom. The trees extend up probably 2+ feet above water, but the betta spends a lot of time laying over the root system, and really seems to enjoy being tangled in it for long periods of time.

Initially, I had no heater. But since getting a heater for the tank, the betta is way more active. He's like a puppy, always looking for my attention.
 
Assuming the tank is a rectangle I think it can be done, you can take away one of your corys, tetras, and nerites and then it would definitely be fine in my opinion. It may seem a little overactive though so depending on your tastes.
 
The tank, filter, and heater should all work just fine. :)

You should add the betta last though, just so that he doesn't establish his territory and then see the other fish as invading his space. When you do add the betta, you should definitely watch to make sure he is fine the other fish. Just in case.

My betta definitely prefers live plants to fake ones. He especially loves lounging on broad leafed plants. Java fern is a good beginner one.

Hope this helped! (:
 
supersudo said:
if going for a snail.. DON"T GET APPLE snails.. they can over-run your tank.. nerite snail eggs, i've read that they can't hatch unless in brackish water.. so just remove the eggs when u find them. snails are poop machines so the bio-load is just like fish
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apple snail populations are easy to control, since they lay their eggs in a clutch above the water line. just scrape the clutch off the tank wall, put it in a ziploc, freeze it, then toss it in the garbage.

one or two apple snails would be fine with a betta in a 10 gallon, as long as the betta isn't inclined to nip at the tentacles or other soft parts of the snail. i successfully kept three 10 gallon tanks with a male betta each and a number of apple snails, none of the bettas nipped at the snails. it does depend completely on the 'attitude' of the betta though, as some are more laid back than others.
 
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