Male Betta and What Other Fish?

Question

I am getting a 10 gallon tank and i already have my male Betta in a 1 gallon tank. When i get my 10 gallon tank i am going to put my betta in. I am going to get other fish because having 1 Betta in such a big tank makes no sense and he will probably get lonely. What other fish can go in the tank with him? List a combination of other fish that can go in with him.

Also can i put a group of 5 or 6 female Betta's instead of a different type of fish.

Answer 1

Anything that is really bright or a big fin.. like guppies would be a bad idea..  

Answer 2

You cannot add the female bettas to the tank with the male betta. They will not do well together. Females can be kept in sorority tanks, but only with other females.

As for companions for your male betta there are a few things that might work. *keep in mind that you cannot combine all these fish in the 10 gallon*

~ oto cats (small algae eating fish - do best in groups of 3 or more)

~ cory cats (small bottom dwellers - do best in groups of 3 or more)

~ mollies (stick with males or you'll be overwhelmed with babies and will need to purchase more tanks to keep up with them) - 2 mollies would be about the max in a 10 gallon with the betta.

~ platies (again, stick with males here) - 2 or 3 would work with the betta

~ danios (usually these get along well but they can be nippy, so you may want to be careful if you decide to add them to the betta tank).

~ ghost shrimp (very neat creatures - a few of these would be fine)

~ african dwarf frogs (be sure you get dwarf frogs, not clawed frogs, or your betta will become lunch) - Also the frogs should be added well after the cycle has completed because they will not survive the nitrogen cycle.

I'm sure there are others, but hopefully this will give you a little bit of direction on what might work.

Answer 3

Under no circumstances, or different groupings can you put a male and female together unless they(mainly the male) is ready to mate.

Here are sites listing betta compatibility:

http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?...

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/bettaco...

http://www.better-bettas.com/a/compatibl...

Also remember the rule of thumb: Inches of adult fish per gallon. To have a chemically efficient tank remember that!!

Answer 4

It's not very good to mix bettas with any other fish, no matter how big the tank. This is because male bettas are extremely territorial, and will try to "show up" or fight any other fish, which will lead it to be a very stressed out betta. You could put female bettas in there, but don't be surprised when you get many more babies.

Answer 5

Just a quick comment on one of the other (excellent) answers...  DO NOT use Mollies as I had one that was killed by one of my male betas.

Good Luck!