Simply put, you can only have shrimp or snails in that tank. Cories are very social and get VERY stressed when not in groups of 4 or more, and that small of a space would be just cruel to them. Stick with shrimp or snails.
Why not upgrade to a ten gal? Theyre 12$ aat Walmart, but I would spend 30$ to get hood, tank, filter. I'm assuming you have a heater, but you still need a 50 W for a ten gallon. If u go with the 10, you could have:
1) snails
2) neon or cardinal tetras( 5+)
3) shrimp
4) Cory catfish
5) guppies (hit and miss)
All these fish cannot be housed together in a ten gallon. I would go with one of the species and the betta. Introduce the betta last. Make sure you cycle it. (if u choose to invest in one) Good Luck!
As others have said before, your tank is too small for companion fish. The only compatible fish for bettas are schooling fish. If you keep them in groups of less than 5 members they will become aggressive and attack your betta. You can get ghost shrimp (which are also social and should be in groups of at least 3) or 1 snail. The thing that keeps your tank clean is not the filter, it is the beneficial bacteria that live in the filter. If you have too much bioload in the tank they will not be able to keep up and toxins like nitrite, nitrate and ammonia will grow uncontrollably killing or stressing your fish.
If you choose to upgrade the tank possible tanks mates are (3-4) platies (some people have success with them?), (5+) neon or cardinal tetras, (5+) docile rasboras like H. rasbora or dwarf rasbora, (4+) oto catfish (only if there is algae in the tank), (4+) cory cats, (4-5) guppies (not always compatible), there are a few others but they aren't 100% compatible. I've kept bettas with all sorts of other fish though. Feel free to PM me for a full list and the benefits/risks of certain fish companions.
Agree with previous poster. The filter mainly filters out poo. This is called mechanical filtration. If you have activated carbon in the filter, it will filter out poisons, this is chemical filtration. Considered the most important type of filtration is biological filtration. This is where cycling comes in. There are two types of bacteria: the first kind turns ammonia to nitrIte, the second turns nitrIte into nitrAte, which isn't nearly as toxic as ammonia and nitrIte. Cycling is the process in which these types of bacteria build up to the extent where they can neutralize ammonia and nitrIte. There are many ways to cycle a tank. The two main ways are fishless cycling, and fish-in cycling. Research this more. It isn't as complicated as it sounds, and you can probably cycle it with mr betta in, as bettas are more hardy than other fish. So this is why a larger tank is easier to maintain. The three purposes of a filter are again; mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration. The Highest concentrations of these bacteria are in the filter and gravel. If the bioload is too high, the bacteria can't keep up.good Luck!
Why not upgrade to a ten gal? Theyre 12$ aat Walmart, but I would spend 30$ to get hood, tank, filter. I'm assuming you have a heater, but you still need a 50 W for a ten gallon. If u go with the 10, you could have:
1) snails
2) neon or cardinal tetras( 5+)
3) shrimp
4) Cory catfish
5) guppies (hit and miss)
All these fish cannot be housed together in a ten gallon. I would go with one of the species and the betta. Introduce the betta last. Make sure you cycle it. (if u choose to invest in one) Good Luck!
I saw it, i can afford but i just dont have the space for it
If your that adament about getting tankmates you gotta provide for them. If you can't provide a space for all of them to be happy then just keep the betta by himself.
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