Bottom dweller for Betta?

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s1monahan

Registered Member
Sep 13, 2005
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I am not a newbie to freshwater fish, but I am a newbie to bettas. I have a 1 gallon tank in my classroom that I have a betta in. I'm looking for a bottom dweller to help keep the tank clean. I tried a mystery snail, and I had to take it out, because I think the betta was picking on it (wouldn't come out of it's shell). Then I tried a pleco, but the next day when I came to school, it was dead (????). I don't have a heater on such a small tank, so the temp stays around 74*. Any suggestions????
 
A 1 gal really isn't big enough for more than one fish. A heater and filter is important and if you want to keep the tank really clean, vac the gravel and change the water at least once a week.
 
Huh ... I'd try another snail. I have a mystery snail in with all my bettas (I have a one gal and a 2 gal) and they seem to do fine. They grow like crazy but they're always zooming around the tank. Maybe you just got a particularly shy snail.
 
Other then a snail nothing should be in there. I also suggest finding some sort of heater at least. Without a filter you should be doing water changes twice a week to keep the water healthy for that betta.
 
Chances are the pleco you got was a common one which get a good 18+ inches, not suitable for a 1g tank. I second the snail suggestion, although it is a bit of a misconception that bottom dwellers "keep the tank clean" they require food, they should not be made to rely on scraps hitting the botoom, and in turn produce waste, just like any other fish ;)
 
Good point Holly! I have a live plant in with all my bettas too. The snails snack on them and I've recently discovered that they *love* and I mean *LOVE* those little algae wafers. They'll wrap themselves around those little wafers for hours. It's almost obscene.
 
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