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what fish can be with a betta?

39K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  bettalover2033 
#1 ·
i know i know, GO DO RESEARCH!!


i did do research but i really cant find anything about betta fish living with others.


well my ONLY question is ::Can any fish/fishes can be in the same tank
with a Male betta?

If any Which kind ? and how many?

i have always liked neon tetras:) also do glowfish actually glow in the dark? and do neons glow in the dark too? im really dumb when in comes to fish besides bettas.

im sorry you guys i bet its common sense but i need to know.


i know i know DO RESEARCH!!! i will do more research on neons and glows if it is possible to put them in the tank with a male betta:-D:-D

thanks guys/gals

you helped me in the past how bout the present?:-D:-D
 
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#2 ·
At Petco they had a betta in with the neon tetras and the cory's, and the glo-lites and the oto's.

I've seen Oto's with Bettas (they keep the tank tidy) and I've seen Neon Tetras do well with Bettas too :)
 
#3 ·
No, glo fish do not glow in the dark. They will glow under a black light, though.
Neons wont glow in the dark either. These fish simply glow under artificial lighting.

Neon tetras and glo fish should be okay in a tank with the betta as long as you have at least a 10 gallon and have a school of them. Sometimes danios (glo fish included) will bother other fish with they don't have a school of their own kind to pick on. The only other problem there may be is if you have a super pissy betta. It happens.

Some people say not to put bettas in my guppies, but personally I have never had an issue. Then again, I'm pretty lucky. My red appaloosa betta is housed with blue gouramis and dwarf gouramis and has never had an issue. But don't try it unless you know your betta extremely well.

Just heavily plant your tank in case the betta is cranky for a day. While the fish are floating in their bag you can see how your betta reacts to them. However, my suggestion is to either put the other fish in first or at the same time that you put in the betta. Some bettas are okay with new fish all the time, but some are only okay if it is a new environment they haven't claimed as their own yet.

And always have a back-up tank in case your betta is one of those super aggressive type that can't ever be house with cories. If your betta can't be house with a peaceful fish like a cory, you're probably better off leaving him on his own, lol!


The first fish I recommend are:
Cories, Neon tetras, glow-light tetras, cardinal tetras(?), danios, glofish, molies, platties, otos, and plecos.

Other fish to later move up into if your betta is peaceful with any of the previous:
guppies, red-eye tetras, maybe some other larger tetras.

You have to be really careful with tetras though. The petco compatibility chart says that tetras are okay, but beware because it doesn't account for the fact that every species of tetra is different. For instance, the neon and glowlight tetras are peaceful fish, and I made the mistake of assuming that all tetras were peaceful like that. They're not. Some are downright evil. I made the mistake of putting serpae tetras into a 55 gallon tank with my appaloosa betta and he was left with absolutely no fins. Luckily a month or two after I got rid of the serpaes if fins grew back and he's not cranky any more.

You'll have to do research on individual tetras before buying any. Usually it's the larger ones that nip fins.
 
#4 ·
gourami's are related to betta's tetra's no mollies no oto's yes platies no danio's no corries are shoaling fish glo fish no pleco's are in big tanks works in 55 gallon community tank
 
#5 ·
Apparently, harlequin rasboras are good tankmates as well as otos, and cories, and sometimes neon tetras are known to fin nip and pelcos are known to grow huge. I'm going to be getting harlequins and an oto or two soon, and see how that goes ^.^ Zebra danios and glo-fish are pretty much the same thing, but glofish have somehow been altered.
 
#7 ·
I know that so many people say so many different things about what can and cannot go with a betta, and therefore it's hard to tell what is right and wrong. I say there is no absolute right or wrong answer. I am sticking to the idea that not all bettas are the same and thus they require different things. Some bettas can only live with peaceful fish. Some can live with just about any fish. Some just have to live entirely alone.

All I can tell you is that if you decide to put fish together, supervise them and ALWAYS have a backup plan. You must always have a back up plan at all times, it doesn't matter how long they're been together.

Over the years I've had all types of bettas. I have had 3 male bettas in a 20 gallon tank for two years without as much as a flaring. They weren't even brothers. I have had pleanty of bettas that could only be housed with guppies and other peaceful fish. I have had a few bettas that had to be left alone their entire lives. I have a betta that nothing seems to phase him at all. You can put him with any fish as long as the OTHER fish doesn't have a problem with HIM.

The best advice I can give you is if you decide to house your betta with other fish DO NOT just jump into it. You have to work your betta up to a situation with different fish. ALWAYS have a back-up plan, ALWAYS have patience, and NEVER rush into something. You will either stress out your betta or other fish so they die, or you will make him go on a pyscho rampage and kill everything, or vice versa.
 
#8 ·
I don't think anyone has mentioned ADFs. (African dwarf frogs)

I calculated it on AqAdvisor.com site last night and in my tank I could have 10 frogs and 1 betta. Bettas generally get along with ADFs and can't really do much harm to them anyway. ADFs should NOT be kept in a deep tank though with lots of current. They are weak swimmers.

I would NOT put glo fish or neons with your betta. Too much risk.

Glo fish: Genetically modified zebra danios. Very expensive for a little fish too. They are VERY active too. I recommend at least a 20g.

Neons: Nippy little things. Bettas can and do eat them too.

Guppies: big bio load. Bettas will often nip at them.

Otos make great tank mates!!! Except, they must always have algae to eat! They easily starve. Very sensitive.

Considering your situation with having to keep your bettas in small tanks, I HIGHLY recommend you divide the tank in 3-4 sections (if it's a 10g) and take care of your current fish instead of getting more new ones!!!!
 
#9 ·
yes i know about the taking care of the ones i have.:) but its so hard and they are just so irresistible. but i do know that i HAVE to stop buying for a while and just take care of them. all i need to do is get a some dividers and Divide up my tank. and then they will be happier. also not just bettas ALL fish:)

Doggyhog:"Otos make great tank mates!!!" do they really? because i thought they would nip at them?

Doggyhog:"Except, they must always have algae to eat! They easily starve. Very sensitive."


Questions about Otos:
Do they only eat algae?
If NOT then what else can they eat?
If so is there a possible way to make your own algae?

Doggyhog:"Guppies: big bio load. Bettas will often nip at them. "

I already know about guppies. but what do you mean by Quote" big bio load"?? also its either the guppies gang up and nip on the betta or the betta nips at all, lol. so i will NOT try that.


Considering your situation with having to keep your bettas in small tanks said:
HIGHLY[/B] recommend you divide the tank in 3-4 sections (if it's a 10g) and take care of your current fish instead of getting more new ones!!!!Considering your situation with having to keep your bettas in small tanks, I HIGHLY recommend you divide the tank in 3-4 sections (if it's a 10g)
EVERYONE THANKS FOR THE SUGGESTIONS:)!!!

i know i know. Right now Dividing the tank is the most important thing to do for right now. if i want my fish to have a better life then they need bigger homes. dont they.:) and i promise i will try and save up as much as i can for dividers. or possibly tanks:)!!!!!
THANKS DOGGYHOG YOU HELPED ME SO MUCH!!!!:)
 
#10 ·
Otos are little cat fish, they grow about 2 inches. They are strictly herbivores, and eat algae. They can eat the algae wafers, or blanced cucumbers or zuchiini. To blanch something, either you boil a slice or stick the slice in a bowl of water and microwave it soft. Apparently otos don't eat the veggies right away, and it's important to give them a few hours to find it. You can grow algae by getting rocks, putting them in a bowl or bucket of water, and leaving it in the sun to grow, then putting the rocks in the aquarium.
 
#12 ·
You can sex livebearers ( guppies,platys,mollies,swordtails,ect) by looking at their anal fin. If it is a triangle then it is a female if it is stickish its a male.( I dont how else to describe it lol) By the way the third swordtail ( second to last picture) is sick. I have had platies get that weird disease (dont know what it's called) where the belly gets super SUPER thin and the gills nearly or do hang over the sides a little and they die 100% of the time. NEVER buy a fish that looks like that!
By the way im not sure if they are good tankmates but i would recomend a 5-10 gallon tank if you are going to have your betta with them just in case. I have heard that they follow the betta like he's god. LOL
 
#13 ·
By the way the third swordtail ( second to last picture) is sick. I have had platies get that weird disease (dont know what it's called) where the belly gets super SUPER thin and the gills nearly or do hang over the sides a little and they die 100% of the time. NEVER buy a fish that looks like that!
what do you mean can you show another picture of that please?:-D
 
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