Newbie with some questions

[BeccBecc]

Hi I'm new and I'm soon to be getting a male Betta fish. Are Platys okay to put with a male betta? And if they are, should I get male Platys or would females be more docile toward the Betta(I don't think they would mate?)

I was thinking of at least a 5 gal tank but have room for a 10 gal. I was hoping to get at least 3 Platys. I'm guessing the bigger the better, or would a 5 gal be okay?

[Alexanderismylife]

To put tankmates with bettas you have to have a 10 gal I do beileave....otherwise the tank is overstocked...I have tried platys in with my old betta Shadow and my sisters betta Sophie but I always had to seperate them for fin nipping...But I have heard other times when they have been kept together sucessfully! So maybe someone else can give you some more info! Hope I helped though! and Welcome to the forum!

[Sarada]

I have 3 corys in my 5 gallon with my Betta BUT I am overstocked. I would recommend a 10 gallon. I'm hoping to upgrade so I can get a second Betta :P

[beta novice]

the biggest tank you can get the better

[BeccBecc]

Thanks guys. I might look into maybe another fish to put with the Betta then.

Can someone give me advice if a male Betta would mate with a different female fish?

[beta novice]

i have four platies in with my male a couple are female

[Oldfishlady]

Originally Posted by BeccBecc

Thanks guys. I might look into maybe another fish to put with the Betta then.

Can someone give me advice if a male Betta would mate with a different female fish?

If you are talking about a different species of fish like platy or guppies, no, they will not breed.
If you are getting a 5g tank, IMO, it will not be big enough for any other fish, but you could have shrimp or snails with proper water changes, and you have plenty of hiding places for the shrimp and sometimes some Betta will not tolerate shrimp even with lots of hiding places and will kill them, but most larger snail will be fine.
In a 10g you have more options for other tank mates

[BeccBecc]

Thanks for the imput. I think I'll just keep the Betta by himself, I'll have to look into it more though

[beta novice]

if you ever need help or advice you can pm me

[Adastra]

I'm not a big fan of putting bettas in with mollies or platies--they have higher pH, salinity, hardness preferences than bettas do, and while bettas can somewhat adapt to these conditions, their fins usually suffer. Platies can also be aggressive toward bettas, and because of their bright colors, that can go the other way too, and the betta may attack the platies.

It's good advice to just keep the betta by themselves in a 5g tank, believe me, bettas are so beautiful and so full of personality, they don't need of other fish. They are show-stoppers all on their own. :)

Another note, if you are going to keep corydoras catfish, they should be allowed to be in schools of six or more. They are very social fish, and if they are kept in smaller groups they tend to be insecure, stressed, and do not live as long.