20 Gallon Betta Sorority

12692 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by LittleBettaFish, Apr 5, 2012

Mandy Pandy

Discussion Starter · Mar 17, 2012

Hello! I will soon be trying to create a 7 betta sorority in a 20 gallon tank and I was wondering what else I could put in there with the girls? I've read as much as I could find on sororities but I would be grateful for more opinions on the matter.

Does anyone have a snail recommendation? Ghost shrimp? What about a pair of kuhli loach? Thank you all so much in advance!

(Now off to take my son to the aquarium. ^_~)

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

inareverie85

· #2 · Mar 17, 2012

Nerite snails are my snail of choice. They come in a variety of patterns (see aquabid), and they can't reproduce in fresh water. What you get is all you'll get forever!

They also eat algae, which is rather nice. Just be sure to drop in some weighted zucchini if your tank doesn't produce algae for them to feed on.

Another big thing for me is they don't eat plants

I am not sure if you plan on planting your sorority tank, but if so it makes these guys even better. Lots of other kinds of snails may eat plants.

Mo

· #3 · Mar 17, 2012

Kuhli loaches would be a great choice if you have sand, a group of 6 would look magnificent as they are schooling fish

Olympia

· #4 · Mar 17, 2012

20 gallons and 7 girls leaves you with quite a bit of room.
Kuhli loaches like groups, they burrow in the sand, usually you will see them more if they have a lot of hiding places for them.

Cory catfish are a popular choice on here, there's lot's of different types, and they like groups also. You could easily fit 6-7 of any type with your betta. Just stick to the same species, since they prefer their own kind. Albino, Bronze, and Green Cories are all the same species, so you could get those if you want a variety and mix them. Other common varieties include, panda (the most sensitive, don't recommend), peppered, julii, false julii, adolfo and skunk. It all depends on where you are pretty much.

For shrimp, ghosts are good, as well as cherry and amano shrimp. Shrimp are sensitive little guys, so don't feel bad if you don't have success with them at first. Many betta have been known to snack on them, so ghosts are a better option since they're usually the cheapest variety to have around.

A few nerite snails, or you could get a single apple or mystery snail. Keep in mind your snails will probably produce more poop than your fish, and tend to make a bigger mess than they clean up if that's what you want. Shrimp are much better cleaners.

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Mandy Pandy

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 17, 2012

Hmm.. I might put in a few Nerite snails, not necessarily as cleaners but because I like how they look.

I already have gravel so loaches are out for me, think I'll stick with some cory cats.

Can I mix different types of shrimp or should I stick to one kind?

GreenTea

· #6 · Mar 17, 2012

Cory cats can lose their barbels in gravel, they do best in sand as well and need to be in groups.

Olympia

· #7 · Mar 17, 2012

Ah, that is true..
You could do one bristlenose pleco, maybe get away with two in your 20..
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Ancistrus&species=sp.+(3)&id=1024
They don't grow as big as common pleco, and are quite comic looking

In 20 gallons, you could possibly do 2 shrimp species with lot's of hiding.. but I think it's possible that they would go to war with each other as well o-o
I think amano and cherry shrimp would be able to coexist, they may form separate territories though.
http://www.theshrimpfarm.com/shrimp/amano-shrimp.php
http://www.theshrimpfarm.com/shrimp/red-cherry-shrimp.php

Spazzfish

· #8 · Mar 17, 2012

I have to put my 2 cents in on the corries they are the vutest thing to watch swim around and nibble on food give them places to hide though they are fast and smart enough to swim away but my betta tends to bully them
p.s. My corys love wardleys sinking shrimp pelets... but so does my betta so be sure they get food in a tank with so many mouths

Bombalurina

· #9 · Mar 18, 2012

Larger species of cory, such as bronze, *can* work on very smooth, small gravel, but they will still be happier on sand.

What is your water chemistry like (pH and hardness)? That will tell us what sort of tankmates you can have.

Mandy Pandy

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 18, 2012

I'm pretty sure we have hard water.. Not sure about the ph. I plan to get a test kit soon though.

Mandy Pandy

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 20, 2012

I think I'm going to go with 1 or 2 bristlenose pleco, 8ish ghost shrimp (my local feed store has them 8 for $1 so I think they'll be my best bet to start with) and 7 girls.

Right now I have my tank set up, have some plants (2 anubis, 1 amazon sword, and a marimo), a few decorations, and have a big ole shrimp I bought from the grocery story wrapped in some spare tulle I had laying around in there to make some ammonia for me. Now I just have to wait for the tank to finish cycling and I can add some fishies. :3

Bombalurina

· #12 · Mar 23, 2012

I like your stocking plan, but I would strongly recommend a bunch more plants, ranging from medium to tall, to provide heaps of cover.

tammyfiggy

· #13 · Apr 4, 2012

I read I can put female betta fish in with angel fish and groumis. how about Killifish???

kfryman

· #14 · Apr 4, 2012

Those fish are not compatible, angles need a high tank as well.

Oh that shrimp cycling is not a good idea. It WILL get fungus and cause more problems. Do it the old fashion way and fish in or just put ammonia in. Also you need way more plants! Look from the side, if you see the other side, you have too little plants.

Bombalurina

· #15 · Apr 5, 2012

tammyfiggy said:
I read I can put female betta fish in with angel fish and groumis. how about Killifish???

Whatever source told you angels and gouramis would be fine is way off base. That's a really bad idea.

As for the killifish, there are more than a thousand species out there. You'll have to be a bit more specific.

LittleBettaFish

· #16 · Apr 5, 2012

Killifish are usually fairly 'darty' swimmers, and generally quite colourful. They may prove a target for female bettas. However, there may be some native killie species available that are less colourful and a more suitable option.

Ideally, you want something peaceful, that isn't too much of an active or unpredictable swimmer, and that isn't going to be targeted for aggression by your bettas.

Rasboras and some tetra species are a good option. I personally like the look of some of the smaller species of rasbora a little better than the tetras.

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