15gal tank :o

[Bondance]

Hi! I've just registered with the forum today, but I've been lurking for the past few days now to learn

I'm new to keeping a betta and I originally had a 1gal tank, but ran into some problems with Andy's [my betta] health, due to a lack of proper water "cycling" and the resultant water quality. Thanks to the info I found here I decided to upgrade Andy's living conditions and headed off to Petco.

I originally wanted to find a tank in the range of 5 to 10 gallons but wound up purchasing a 15gal tank package >.< that was nicer and cheaper than any of the 10 gallon tanks I saw. But now I have this huge tank for my single fishy and it looks kind of barren and desolate.

So given that I have a 15gal tank and 1 male Betta... what else could i populate this tank with without causing problems for Andy or overpopulating the tank?

My spouse is in the military and so it's very likely that we'll be moving sometime in the near future, but wherever we go I fully intend to bring our fish with us, so I'd prefer that there were only 2 or 3 of them.

Would a goldfish get along with Andy? I'm very fond of orandas and my spouse really likes ryukins, but any suggestions at all are welcome!

Thanks for your responses and sorry this post was so verbose.

[hedgehog]

Bettas and goldfish are not good tankmates. Goldfish are coldwater fish and bettas are tropical fish preferring a temp of about 78*. Goldfish also produce a lot of ammonia so they need large tanks--generally recommended 20-30 gallons for one fish. Success in keeping tank mates with bettas depends on the betta's temperament. Some bettas are too aggressive to be kept with tankmates so you'll want to have a backup plan when adding new fish. It's recommended to remove the betta, rearrange the tank decorations, add the new fish, and finally add the betta. This way it's a new territory for the betta with fish that already reside there as opposed to new fish invading the betta's established territory. My favorite fish as tankmates are cory catfish. They are bottom dwellers that occasionally go to the surface so they rarely bother bettas. They need to be kept in groups of at least 4 of the same species. In a 15 gallon you could do 5-7 of the larger species like bronze/emerald/albino cories (all C. aeneus just different colors).

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Other options are
-5 endler's live-bearers
-8 neon tetras (these can be a hit or miss. . .)
-7 ember tetras
-6 large cory catfish (bronze, albino, emerald)
-10 dwarf cory catfish
-8 harlequin rasboras
The cories, endlers, rasboras and ember tetras are probs your best bets.

+1 To no goldfish. :)

[animallover]

You already got great advice! But I do have to say, thanks to everyone here, my 4 Julli Catfish and Betta are getting along great! Although, my Betta tries to hog the food, that's getting better lol. :) Good luck.

[Olympia]

You could do 5-7 kuhli loaches as well.. they are interesting little fish.

Sadly most fish that are betta compatible are schooling fish and only feel safe in large groups. For a smaller amount, I think you could do 2 otocinclus or 1 bristlenose pleco (be sure it's a bristlenose, because other types get huge). You would have to supplement them with dried algae wafers you can buy in stores ^-^

[MandiceP]

tank dividers and more bettas? xD

[Bondance]

Thanks for all the suggestions =] Going to the store now to see what sorts of fish they have.

[Bombalurina]

Just make sure you don't rely on advice from the petshop assistants without double-checking it first - that way lies disaster!
Someone once tried to sell me a clown loach for my 14.5 inch tank...yeah, that would have worked. *rolls eyes*

I think kuhli loaches would be amazing, and I'd be extremely jealous of you. They generally make great betta tankmates.

[Olympia]

When I first joined here, everyone was obsessed with loaches. Now it seems to have moved on to cory cats.. xD Either way, loaches are very cool, and the more hiding places they have the more often you will see them.

[Bombalurina]

Pfft, I'm still obsessed with loaches. I want a 500 gallon tank full of clown loaches.