[JBosley]

Hey!
So I got a nice, used, Fluval Chi tank (5 gal) from a friend and was wondering what sort of bottom feeder I could put in it with my Betta? Something to help keep the bottom clean and what not!

Also, my Betta is VERY mellow, doubt he'd try and eat anything ;-)

 

[bettalover2000]

I would only recommend a snail in a 5. Anything more would be overstocking.

 

[JBosley]

I would only recommend a snail in a 5. Anything more would be overstocking.

Sounds good! What kind of snail?

 

[SlinkyInk]

I have two ghost shrimp in my 3 gal with one betta. Works out great.

 

[Silverfang]

Apple or mystery snails are popular, but poop more than they eat. A nerite is a better option, they are not as large, do not eat live plants, and do not reproduce.

Shrimp are your only other option, but are often snacks. Ghost are common, inexpensive, and depending on being true thosts may be aggressive. Red cherries are colorful, small, and prone to breeding prolifically. Amano shrimp are mid size between the two, and eaymt algae, nay need to have their diet supplemented.

Any other shrimp will likely be unavailable, unsuitable, or just too expensive. Remember, nothing is a substitute for cleaning yourself.

 

[JBosley]

I still clean my own tank...

I just enjoy bottom feeders And find that they can help with the "look" of being dirty, they help make it look cleaner. I MIGHT go with a Shrimp! Not sure yet.

What about 2 Cory catfish of some sort?

 

[Pitluvs]

Corys should be in groups of 5, and need a much larger thank than 5g ;-)

Personally, I wouldn't put anything in the tank if you are looking for cleaner. Even with a snail, they may clean up unused food or slight algae (a 5g tank would never produce enough to feed a snail) but they poop, A LOT and they do not clean the Bettas poop up. So really, bottom dwellers are the same as adding more fish as far as waste and clean is concerned My apple snails are the dirtiest things I have owned lol

 

[Silverfang]

I must concur, my apple snails are the messiest things you've ever seen.

 

[JBosley]

Thanks! Maybe I'll just stick with my Betta

 

[Pitluvs]

LOL Must be the Atlantic then? LOL I have three in my 15g and they drive me batty.

 

[banana3685]

You could try shrimp, but I bought 3 algae shrimp for living with my betta in his 10g. They disappeared. I found an exoskeleton floating around while doing a water change. The mystery was solved as to why he looked so fat. :3 You could try ghost shrimp because they're so inexpensive.

 

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

I have a nerite snail and they are so cute! :O I love to see their little tongues licking the glass. It is ADORABLE!

 

[registereduser]

I have one male betta and one peppered cory in my 5 gallon. I know this is not ideal, but the catfish seems so content! He and the betta are best friends. They eat together, I never see any aggression and the cory never hides. I often see them swim side by side!

I vacuum the tank a little every weekend and do a 1/3 water change and everything is fine, fish, water, everything.

 

[Bombalurina]

Registered, just remember that fish can't show happiness the way that humans do. Your little cat may be healthy, but even though you can't see it, without other cories he is stressed. This makes him more susceptible to disease. You may adore him, but unless you can upgrade to a ten gallon and get him at least 3 other peppered cats, I would suggest rehoming him.

 

[hedgehog]

I have one male betta and one peppered cory in my 5 gallon. I know this is not ideal, but the catfish seems so content! He and the betta are best friends. They eat together, I never see any aggression and the cory never hides. I often see them swim side by side!

I vacuum the tank a little every weekend and do a 1/3 water change and everything is fine, fish, water, everything.

This is not normal behavior in a cory. If kept with a proper size school the cory would likely never swim with the betta. Right now he is only swimming with the betta because he is a schooling fish and has no other options. Before I did all my research I kept a cory with a betta in a 5.5 gallon. He would swim with my betta and glass surf, which I realized was because he thought his reflection was a second cory. I thought he was happy but as soon as I put him with more cories it was clear that he wasn't very happy in his previous situation. Now he spends all day sitting next to his cory buddies and never swims with the betta. He won't leave if the betta sits next to him but he doesn't seek out the betta either. He's so much happier with his proper school and it shows--he's grown a little, he rarely gets pale from stress anymore, and he's even had several successful spawns. I agree with bomba that you should upgrade to a 10 gallon and get more cories. Otherwise you'll have a stressed out cory which decreases his life span and makes him more prone to illness.