[memelordeli]

Hello all,
I recently was given my mother's old regular 20 gallon tank. I cleaned it up, put in some decor and it is currently cycling. I wanted to put a male betta in, and I was wondering if he could have any tankmates? Maybe a school of neon tetras and some sort of bottom dwellers? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Hi and Welcome to the Forum! :wave:

I would suggest you add tank mates after the tank has been cycled for at least a month. This allows the cycle to stablize so you don't have as much of a chance or a crashed or mini-cycle. Then I would add bottom dwellers and let your Betta get used to them before adding mid-tank dwellers. Wait a week or so to add the second species.

You'll need a tank packed with lots of plants; either live, silk or a mixture of live and silk. This is as much to allow your Betta to get away from the other fish as it is for them to avoid the Betta. If you get shoaling fish you will need at least six. As Neons are so nippy I would go for a shoal of 15+ to help disperse aggression. If you like Plakat or female Betta they are less likely to be nipped by the Neons as are the long fins.

Hope this helps.