Fish Lovers 2.0

[Dappled Sapphire]

Does anyone here have tips for setting up a planted tank that will eventually house a betta, and perhaps some smaller fish, if there are any compatible with a betta? I've seen some information about putting other fish with bettas, but I'd like to get some advice from those of you who have first-hand experience. (:

What size is the tank? Female betta can be housed in groups of 3 or more called a sorority, and some males can live happily with other fish... though some males (as well as females) are too aggressive to share there tank with anything even a snail, it really depends on each individual fish

[n e m o]

@ andromeda;;

Housing a Betta with other fish really does depends not only on the size of the tank but also the personality of the Betta (as Jelly mentioned). It's hit or miss and you'll want to be prepared to either move your Betta or the other fish to a suitable take or re-home them if it doesn't work out.

You also have more freedom with planted tanks because some Bettas aren't as agile as the fish you might house them with. The more cover the fish have the more relaxed the tank will be.

As for tank mates there is a little play room, but your safest option is the neon tetra or similar small tetras. I wouldn't suggest housing them with any frilly species (such as guppy, platy, etc) because not only will they show aggression toward them but also because live bearers are so prone to ick and fin rot, etc, that it causes a lot of grief for Betta care. You'll also want to stay away from nippy and fast moving aggressive fish for obvious reasons (ex: Barbs, Danios, etc). This includes Plecos which can be equally as territorial as a Betta and plenty of other "algea eaters". Also avoid non-live bearers that have long fins or are similar in species (ex: Gouramis or skirt tail tetras). Cory cats are a safe happy little bet but you might find the Betta picking on them if they tank doesn't have proper hiding spaces.

I successfully housed one of my past Bettas in a 20G with Rosy Barbs and Kuli Loaches but my Betta was extremely peaceful and my barbs were in a big enough group that they didn't pay much attention to my Betta. There were also plenty of obstacles and plants and enough room for everyone. I wouldn't exactly suggest that as a first or second go, however, because it was slightly risky and I have a good deal of experience with Bettas and I really only put my him in that community tank because if it worked out I would have room to purchase a new Betta without buying a whole new tank.

Does this help at all? c:

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@ everyone in regard to my last post:

Thank you (Gosick thanks you too, he's strutting atm, lol)!
I'm glad to be here, I've been looking for a fish thread on CS for a while I don't know how I missed y'all!
ovo

[Bettahorse]

Question. I have been growing plants, and well, my apogenton has this wierd stem-like thing going to the surface, and its getting another. should i cut them? what are they? do the plants need them? it looks like a stigma, but smaller and on the aquarium plants, it grows almost 6 inches a day, and is starting to look wierd growing on the surface of the water, at about 2 feet and the plant itself is about2 inches with the leave all the way up.

Could it be a resault of the plant food i've been putting in there( special for aquarium plants.)

Those long shoots will flower a little while after they break the surface of the water, then turn into seeds, which will break off and sprout. Don't cut them.

[andromeda;;]

What size is the tank? Female betta can be housed in groups of 3 or more called a sorority, and some males can live happily with other fish... though some males (as well as females) are too aggressive to share there tank with anything even a snail, it really depends on each individual fish

I've not purchased a tank or any other supplies yet -- I like to have things planned out very well before I get any new pets. (: How large of a tank would I need for each betta set-up, allowing for perhaps a school of small fish like tetras?

@ andromeda;;

Housing a Betta with other fish really does depends not only on the size of the tank but also the personality of the Betta (as Jelly mentioned). It's hit or miss and you'll want to be prepared to either move your Betta or the other fish to a suitable take or re-home them if it doesn't work out.

You also have more freedom with planted tanks because some Bettas aren't as agile as the fish you might house them with. The more cover the fish have the more relaxed the tank will be.

[...]

Does this help at all? c:

Yes, thank you so much. (:

[n e m o]

You'll want a school of neon tetra large enough that they will do well, they are very social schooling fish and suffer when it's a small group. I would say you could have up to 8 neons and a betta in a 10 gallon that has good filtration and lots of cover. You'll want to get the neons first because they are very touchy and let them acclimate for a couple weeks while you pick out your Betta.

Glo-lite tetra are a little more hardy and I enjoyed that species a lot when I had them, you could get about the same amount of them instead of neons if you choose. They're a little less flashy for the human eye but still pretty little schooling fish. c:

Make sure you get a filter that you can adjust the water flow at feeding time for your Betta. This is a good idea in general because some Bettas stress over strong current so if that happens you'll be one step ahead and can turn it down.

Have you thought about the plants and type of betta you want?

Let me know if you'd like some filter recommendations or have any other questions!

[Bettahorse]

So I have the 55 gallon set up at the apartment, and working on getting the fish back in. Once the plants grow back in, it should look pretty nice. I'll have to take a picture to show you guys how I set up the driftwood. I had one casualty, my one-eyed zebra danio. Also, when I took everything out of the tank to begin with, my sumo loach and albino bristlenose pleco were nowhere to be found.

[Dappled Sapphire]

What size is the tank? Female betta can be housed in groups of 3 or more called a sorority, and some males can live happily with other fish... though some males (as well as females) are too aggressive to share there tank with anything even a snail, it really depends on each individual fish

I've not purchased a tank or any other supplies yet -- I like to have things planned out very well before I get any new pets. (: How large of a tank would I need for each betta set-up, allowing for perhaps a school of small fish like tetras?

@ andromeda;;

Housing a Betta with other fish really does depends not only on the size of the tank but also the personality of the Betta (as Jelly mentioned). It's hit or miss and you'll want to be prepared to either move your Betta or the other fish to a suitable take or re-home them if it doesn't work out.

You also have more freedom with planted tanks because some Bettas aren't as agile as the fish you might house them with. The more cover the fish have the more relaxed the tank will be.

[...]

Does this help at all? c:

Yes, thank you so much. (:

At least 10g as nemo said
When I had my Bettas i put the plants in front of the filter output as well as added some more holes to the spray bar to slow the current coming out


UPDATE: got some more fish today, 2 more peppermint BN, 1 orange spot BN and a few more cherry shrimp, the guy also threw in a free common BN as an x-mas present which looks to be a female
That now brings my BN count to 13
I think I'm obsessed

[Herdier]

Hey guys!

Just wanted to let you know that as of now Pyro's still alive and kicking. He managed to survive the 2 hour trip from my dorm to my house last night. He was pretty stressed but he brightened up after I gave him some new water (not completely new- I kept the water in the container he was in and only filled the bowl halfway).

So yeah, Pyro's still alive and hopefully happy!

[Dappled Sapphire]

Got a 3foot tank as an early Christmas present today
Now to figure out how I'm going to stock it

[andromeda;;]

You'll want a school of neon tetra large enough that they will do well, they are very social schooling fish and suffer when it's a small group. I would say you could have up to 8 neons and a betta in a 10 gallon that has good filtration and lots of cover. You'll want to get the neons first because they are very touchy and let them acclimate for a couple weeks while you pick out your Betta.

Glo-lite tetra are a little more hardy and I enjoyed that species a lot when I had them, you could get about the same amount of them instead of neons if you choose. They're a little less flashy for the human eye but still pretty little schooling fish. c:

Make sure you get a filter that you can adjust the water flow at feeding time for your Betta. This is a good idea in general because some Bettas stress over strong current so if that happens you'll be one step ahead and can turn it down.

Have you thought about the plants and type of betta you want?

Let me know if you'd like some filter recommendations or have any other questions!

Thank you so much for all this helpful information. (: I've researched bettas themselves, but I don't know much about other fish. I think I'm going to try to get a crowntail betta, though it really depends on what my pet store has in stock whenever I finally go to get one. I'm afraid to order anything online because the weather here has turned very cold, and I'm not sure how well bettas fare with being shipped.

I've not done much research into plants at all. :"D Do you have any recommendations for what plants will be good in a 10-gallon tank with a betta and tetras? Also, what substrate should I use? And I would be grateful for a filter recommendation as well. (: Thanks again!