I was given a 10 gal by a friend last year with some 3-4 year old danios and neon tetras but over the last year they've passed away from various reasons and now I'm looking for a new type of companion fish. I'd love to hear what some favorites are that work well in tropical tanks!
My tank is 10 gallons, filtered, planted, cycled, and has and air stone. It also has a bamboo shrimp and an Otto. Any suggestions for other fish that it would be a good home for?
3-4 more otos. Otos are shoaling fish, meaning they need to be in a group to feel safe. Pygmy or dwarf cories are also an option, but keep in mind that these are shoaling fish as well and need to be in a group of at least 4-5.
My betta boy is getting along really well with a group of four Swift Rasboras. Small fish but faster than the betta so when he was a tad aggressive the first day, they were able to swim away. Now they all get along and he hangs out with them.
I had 2 frogs and ghost shrimp with mine in a 20 gallon for a while and it went ok. for a while. I added the betta last and he was timid of the others. Then after weeks, he started eating all their food and not letting anyone eat. He would swim off with a tadpole/frog bite in his mouth and choke it down. He started snapping and chasing and paroling and next thing I knew 2 shrimp were missing and a frog was upside down dead. So he now alone in a 10 gallon tank.
My 1st betta got along beautifully with the frogs and loved to run his fins over their backs. And he would check up on them and play hide n seek.
In my 10 gallon I have an algea eaton or Otto (not really sure?) 3 ghost shrimp, 2 apple/mystery snails, 1 adf, and 4 neon tetras, and of course my betta
In my big 10gal I have a Betta (Magnus) 2 bamboo shrimp, many many ghost shrimp, 5 NEO tetras, and an albino Pleco... They have done well for months. Though the tank is heavily planted and Magnus is very VERY docile (the tetras swim against him alot and the shrimp accidentally touch him alot but he doesn't seem to care).
So in my opinion... Shrimp do well... Bamboo and ghost... And tetras.
I would get at least a couple more Otos before anything else. Cory Cats are also awesome fish with Bettas. My boy loves his five Cory friends, and follows them around sometimes when they search through the gravel. Though Cories need to be in groups as well, just like Otos do. They can get very stressed out if they don't have a group. They need to live in groups for security and to feel safe. And their behavior is much more interesting to watch when they're in groups. Though having both Otos and Cories would definitely Overstock your tank. But the Oto should definitely have some same species companions.
Personally I would never keep less than 4 Otos. I would get 3-5 more. Once you have a group of them they come out more and are so much fun! They are great at keeping tanks clean though so you WILL need to feed them. Mine love Repashy Solient Green, Kens Veggie Sicks, and blanched Zucchini.
PS-Petsmart had Otos on sale for $1 each right now!
It's true that Otos are shoaling fish but unlike pygmy cory, it is possible to keep them solo. It may not be ideal but I've had them solo in small tanks for many years. They do an amazing job of cleaning algae.
You could add 3x otos, 6x pygmy cory and a betta in your tank and you would be almost at max bio load.
+1 on getting more otos. That should definitely be your first addition. As we all know from stories of bettas and goldfish living for years in dirty, small tanks, just because a fish is alive doesn't mean that he has has a good quality of life. Especially in a tank with a semi-agressive fish like a betta, otos need a group for security. The absence of other otos indicates to a shoaling fish that they have skedaddled because it isn't safe, and the poor lone oto will constantly live in an environment where he feels he should leave for survival purposes but can't.
Well, it's your call. Just make sure to add extra food like algae wafers etc. if you add a shoal of Otos to a 10g, if not they will most definitely die of starvation.
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