[Amba1027]

Hi everyone. I currently have my betta in a 3.5 gallon tank and I was wondering if it is big enough for any other fish to be added. I want to get a bigger tank but my boyfriend doesn't want anything bigger in our apartment so for now I'm stuck with the 3.5 gallon. I feel like my betta might enjoy the company so I wanted to get a few friends for him but I don't want to crowd the tank. Any ideas or suggestions? Or should I just wait til I can have a bigger tank?

 

[Geomancer]

I'm afraid you do not have room for anything else, you will need a 10 gallon and even then your choices are limited to substrate fish.

Betta's, by and large, do not make good community fish and they will become particularly aggressive to any colorful fish. Substrate fish are, again generally, ignored by betta's but personalities do vary.

 

[Amba1027]

Thanks for your reply. I figured I would have to wait but thought I'd ask. What are substrate fish?

 

[Geomancer]

Fish who stay on the bottom and scavenge. These are typically catfish and loaches. Some of the most popular are cory catfish and oto catfish (one or the other, not both, they are each schooling and need proper numbers). Plecos usually get too large for these size aquariums. Loaches usually also need more than a 10 gallon, and care has to be taken in what species as some loaches are fin nippers.

 

[Amba1027]

Ok thanks. I wanted to get corys so I guess once I can get a bigger tank that will be good.

 

[CarmanDirda]

My bettas do okay with mollies, mickey mouse platys and the like, but your tank isn't large enough for anything but maybe some small shrimp (I have ghost shrimp help keep their tanks clean). It also depends on personality, too. My betta, Jewel, will eat any shrimp with her, but the rest of my bettas do fine with their ghostly partners.

If you want anything, all I really suggest for that tank is 1-3 ghost shrimp. They're interesting little critters and helpful to boot. You'll just have to buy some algea wafers and feed them every other day (sometimes every 3 days if they don't eat it all) and be careful about adding them to newer tanks. There's no bacteria or algea buildup in new tanks, and they may not survive.

 

[Thebettaqueen]

From what I learned though experience, The ghost shrimp tend to be tail bitters. I had a Cory in a 55 gallon tank and about four ghost shrimp along side him. I realized the little guys mistakened Freddy for food and nommed away his poor fins. Lucky for him, I managed to get the shrimp out of there and into their own tank.

Freddy lived about 6 years without a portion of his and then I think old age got the poor fella. I was thinking about Ghost shrimp, but I fear for my bettas. Though, it was probably a stupid move on my part. Try them out and keep an eye out for your betta's tail.

 

[CarmanDirda]

It really depends on the fish and shrimp personalities and amounts of aggression. I've never had shrimp do that to my fish, but I've heard of others who have. When you add anything new to a tank you should always keep an eye out, though.

 

[LittleBeta]

In my tank I have Guppies and neon tetras that, when you get a bigger tank, you can add in! My Guppies actuly avoid my male Betta, they know he's the boss!

 

[Amba1027]

Thank you everyone. You have been very helpful. So say I got a 10 gallon, what how many fish could I fit in there?

 

[CarmanDirda]

It's generally said one inch of fish per gallon. So if you have fish that grow to about 2 inches, only 5 fish. You maybe able to add one or two more, but it's not really recommended to keep them healthiest and happiest.

 

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

1 inch per gallon isn't very accurate.
Your best options are:
-platties
-cory catfish
-endler's livebearers
-ember tetras
-neon tetras
-harlequin rasboras

DON'T go with mollies, they have a huge bio-load and are pretty nippy. No guppies either as many male bettas think they are other bettas and attack them! D:

 

[CarmanDirda]

It's a general rule. More than that is very highly frowned upon. I honestly am all for giving my bettas up to 10 gallons of space to themselves, though it is a lot of space taken up for one fish. For 10 gallons, I would stick with what Maisy said, but not go over 5 fish, betta included.

I had mollies with my bettas and it was very hard keeping them clean and healthy. I won't be buying mollies anymore, and definately won't put them with any other species again. In ways, they remind me of goldfish.