5 Gallon tank mates

[berice17]

Well im pretty new to the whole betta fish thing...i was at a pet store the other day and randomly decided to get a betta fish because i had a fish bowl at home...then a day later i decided the bowl was to small and bought a 5 gallon tank package with a filter and heater...really im just wondering what would be good fish to put in a 5 gallon tank with him...if any fish at all...i know a 5 gallon tank isnt that big but it seems big enough to me where i could have 1 or 2 more fish?....also would a air pump and bubbler be ok in this setup?....i always read that betta fish dont need them but i saw a cool bubbler decoration that i liked and was just wondering..... thanks for all the help...let me know what you think

[dramaqueen]

Personally, I wouldn't put any tankmates in with my betta. They are solitary fish and do fine by themselves.But you could try a few ghost shrimp. I think they are only something like 40-50 cents a piece so if your betta decides to make a snack out of them then you're not out of a whole lot of money. Other people here can give you some other, maybe better ideas. You can use a bubbler if you want to but it really isn't necessary.Hope this helps and welcome to FishForum.

[berice17]

hey thanks...how big are ghost shrimp?? if my betta fish could eat them they must be kinda small i would thing....and if i got some of those would i have to feed them somthing different?

[dramaqueen]

I don't know how big they are but they can't be too big if the betta could eat them. I've just heard people talk about them. Your betta needs a pellet or tropical flake food as his staple diet and you can also feed them frozen or freeze dried bloodworms, daphnia or brine shrimp. Frozen food needs to be thawed out before feeding and freeze dried food needs to be rehydrated. These foods are to be used as a once or twice a week treat. Hope this helps.

[berice17]

ok yeah..ive been feeding him the pellets... 2 of them twice a day....i just feel like one fish in a 5 gallon tank isnt enough....i really like sharks and always wanted a couple of those...but i dont think they would get along with my betta fish.....and now that he is used to his 5 gallon tank i dont want to move him back to the smaller bowl...also...he seems to be fighting the current from the filter at times...is this bad? i read somewhere that betta fish dont like current in the water...

[dramaqueen]

Bettas don't like a whole lot of current. If the flow is adjustible, I'd just turn it down a bit. No, sharks wouldn't go with bettas. In a 5 gallon, I think you're kind of limited as to what you could put in with him. I'm sure other members could tell you what you can have.

[Livelifelaughlove]

Ghost shrimp are only supposed to get to 1-1.5 inches. I am going to put in maybe a pygmy cory, a dwarf frog *still needs more research*, or a few tetras in my 5 gallon with my betta. But he is really curious so i think he would do fine. He loves to interact with things.

Bettas don't like current. I have an undergravel filter that seems like they don't mind, or i also have the kind that has a piece sticking down sucking up water (I am sure there is a better word for this) and it was to strong. So i put in a piece of sponge at the bottom. seem to do well...

Some fish like bubbles, others don't. One of my bettas LOVES his bubbles, the other one is just kinda "eh" about them. Good luck. I would write more but my mom is yelling for me to go... ttyl

[berice17]

i think i might get a couple of ghost shrimp....i also heard chichlids would go well with betta fish aswell.....i dont think my betta fish likes the current in his tank very much..and i dont have adjustable flow on mine...so im going to have to figure out some way to slow down the current a bit... at times he likes to hide at the bottom of the tank behind one of the plants...im guessing its because he is somewhat tired of fighting the current..... anyways thanks for the info everyone...if you have any more comments on how i could slow down the current...or for what tank mates i can give him please do...

[berice17]

i have also heard that cories go well with bettas...

[Cody]

Cichlids: ABSOLUTLEY NOT. They are way too aggressive and need a completely different setup.
Cories: Not in a 5G.

Don't get any fish with a betta in a 5G unless you happen to come across the rare pygmy cories. I wouldn't even do that, but you obviously really want more fish. Other that that, go with shrimp. They are way more interesting than you are thinking. A 5G is way smaller than you think as well.