5 gallon tank- too small for tankmates?

[Draug Isilme]

I'm sure the only problem you'll have to worry when you're getting tank mates for a 5g is the amount of feces/ammonia that is produced with your stock. Ghost shrimp supposedly don't produce much- so that is pretty much you're best bet granted that the betta doesn't eat them or harrass them to death. Snails are great 'cause they have a huge armored shell to help protect them, but that doesn't mean bettas won't harrass them or attempt to eat them. Plus snails produce a lot of waste, so you'd have to keep an eye on your tanks ammonia level even if it is cycled- not to mention making sure your snail intakes enough calcium so that its shell will not crack or break... which there are all sorts of things you can get to help give a snail calcium- be it liquid, pill, food, heck even make your own food which would probably be better.
I'm not trying to deter, I'm just trying to point out the other factors that need to be considered, mainly to watch out for your betta's temperament and keep an eye on the ammonia levels. I actually bought a gold mystery snail yesterday because I got a new 5g. I was very reluctant to do so because I don't want my betta to make a meal out of it or how much ammonia and such would accumulate over the week, but I figured if things don't seem to go well, I'll more than likely figure out a way to divide the tank. I don't like the idea of dividing a 5g, but it's still a method that is doable...
But yeah, if you go with the ghost shrimp, I suppose it would be a great idea to make sure that it's planted heavily enough and has hidey holes for the shrimp to hide and take cover. With a snail, I'd say your main concern would be calcium and whether or not the snail itself would be happy if your betta has a lot of fun picking on it.

[OlivertheImpaler]

My single Betta Male lives quite contently in his 2 gallon tank. I don't think your fish can tell the difference between a 2 gallon and a 10 gallon; their brains are very small. Generally, when finding gallon size for your fish, its one gallon to one inch of fish. Male bettas can grow up to 2-2.5 inches, so a 2-2.5 gallon tank is plenty. I actually think that his tank looks a little large and lonely for him. Especially since he came in a quart... However, larger space isn't harm so :)