Bettas and Bumblebee Gobies?

[Aristotle]

Hello, first time poster. I'm new to the hobby and in love with the concept of themed tanks or biotopes. I'm doing a lot of reading before I even buy a tank. I want my first venture to be a happy one for both me and my new friends.

So I want to do a community tank with a male betta as a sort of centerpiece of the community. I know about keeping fin nippers out, as well as fancy fish that might be mistaken for other bettas. So I, like others, am looking for a good selection of compatible fish. In particular I am looking for fish with similar eating habits that thrive in a similar (darkwater) habitat.

While searching for other fish I came across a list of fish that included the bumblebee goby. I was excited at first because I like the little guys and would love to use them if they are compatible. But, are they?

So, reputable betta sites suggest as much salt as 1 tablespoon per 5 galons of water (typically less). Some sites list the Bumblebees could require as much as 1 tablespoon per galon (far too much for my betta). Am I just getting mixed info? Is there a happy medium as salt content goes that will allow the gobies and betta to coexist? (and am I overlooking other conflicting habitat issues between these two cool little fish?)

For the record I'm looking at like an 18 gallon tank. I was considering a betta, maybe 5 bumblebees, and a couple corydoras. Although the tank is "tall" so maybe I should have fewer "bottom" fish.

 

[Karnaaj]

Bumblebees and bettas are incompatible on two counts. One that you have already alluded to is that they require different water conditions. The other is that bumblebees can be fin nippers and they might not be able to resist a bettas long flowing fins.

 

[OrionGirl]

The salt used for bettas a) is not replicating natural conditions and b) is not the smae as the marine mix used for creating brackish conditions. Bettas don't need salt in the water--it should be used for specific treatments, but that's it. Gobies do need the brackish conditions and will not live for long in blackwater conditions (which aren't necesssarily appropriate for bettas, either). Unless you're buying WC bettas, the ones available at the LFS are commercially bred and don't need special conditions at all to thrive.

 

[Puffernewbee]

Betta and cories are freshwater and cories do not do well with salt at all.
The bumblebees are more of a brackish fish. I agree with the previous post. You are looking at fish that like different water conditions. If you want the betta, get the cories and maybe some neons or rasboras to fill out the middle of the tank.

 

[Aristotle]

I hadn't really reseached the corries yet, so I wasn't aware of their needs yet (I've just seen posts eluding to them doing well with bettas). Ultimately, the idea is to create a 'natural' betta habitat. I'm doing a lot of research before I go getting stuff to do it.

The site I saw that listed the bettas and the bumblebees as compatible threw me. I knew bettas were not brackish water fish, and I couldn't understand how they would be compatible. Aparently the site was in error and they are not. Thanks!

The more I look at brackish water species, the more I want to do a brackish water setup. But I'm thinking a freshwater setup might be easier (relatively speaking) for a new hobyist. Hopefully I can work my way up to a 30 or 40 gallon brackish tank. I'm planning to keep a big marine/reef tank as well... but that is a year or more down the road.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Karnaaj]

I have had brackish water set ups in the past but I didn't like the fact that the number of species available that you can keep in such a tank is small compared to a standard freshwater set up.