Betta tank mates
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Can bettas have tank mates?
This question was asked by Cate in the comments section of my last post.
The answer is: yes, they can. But it may not be the best situation. But that is up to you to decide.
Here is some info and things to keep in mind:
First of all, you have to have a big enough tank to house both a betta and another fish or two or three. How big is your tank? Moreover, you need a filter and heater definitely if you want tank mates. Got those?
The #1 rule is: male bettas cannot go together. But a female and male can… but they may breed and you may have little fry you don’t want. Or if you have a female betta, sometimes 3 or more of them can live together. In addition, I was doing some research on betta tank buddies and you don’t want anything that will be aggressive and nip their beautiful fins—so generally no barbs and no sharks. From personal experience, I have a rainbow shark and he’s territorial and aggressive. Also, do not put your betta with anything brightly colored with big flashy fins. He may think its another betta. Never house a betta with a cool water fish, like goldfish.
In general, coryodras catfish, platies, clouds, danios, plecos, loaches, african dwarf frogs, snails and ghost shrimp are ok pals to have in the tank. Fyi—some people say the betta may eat the snail or shrimp. Just make sure you give the tank mates the specific kind of food they eat too!
Honestly, the temperament of your betta will determine if he gets along with his tank mates. If he is very aggressive, he may not like having friends in the tank. Make sure the tank has sufficient room for friends and plenty of hiding places… like plants and caves… so the fish can go hide if they are being picked on. All my bettas live separately and many people believe that it is best to keep them that way. But all in all, it is completely up to you! Bettas have been known to tolerate a tank mate.
The best thing you can do is try, but make sure to carefully observe your tank and be ready with an additional tank to bail someone out if things are getting aggressive in there!
Cate, did you have a specific fish in mind?
Hope this helps! If not, let us know what other questions you have and we’ll try to answer them!
K
What a pretty little betta…
This is a type of apple snail… a black mystery snail. I have one and he’s wonderful! He/she runs laps around the tank.
Betta Fish are what I blog about.
October 24th, 2008 at 5:49 am
yes i have to betas one male one female they r in a 15 gallion tank with 8 other fish 7 glo-fish and one sucker , they all get a long fine . my only problem is that well my female is some time agresive like this weeken when i went out of town she niped him all up. now get this i have had all my fish in this tank for about 3or 4 monthes and nothing . well any way i have my female in a smaller tank right now kind of like time out so my male can get better. one more thing is well how is the best was to tell if u have a female bate or a male that has and well grown up yet i guess is the best word to use. if i was trying to breed them should i but them in a tank together or can i leave them in with the other finally just to tell u have both of my betas are half moons dose that make breeding easer or harder
October 24th, 2008 at 5:50 am
hope u can help[
December 31st, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I was just wondering about those cute little snails! Where can you buy them? And do they serve any purpose, like to help clean the tank (like a “suckie” fish) or do they just sit there acting “blah”?
January 21st, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I am considering adding some glowfish to my 5 gallon with my female betta. Unsure how it will pan out.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I just got a 10gallon tank for my male betta and it’s looking a little bare. So ive been considering getting a couple more fish to make the tank look a little more lively. Would an angelfish or a couple kissing fish be okay to add??
June 8th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
A good general rule is 1 gallon per goldfish. The larger the bowl the longer it will take for ammonia to increase to harmful levels and the less often you will need to clean it.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:25 am
Hi!
It is very interesting article! I have wonderfyl betta- Charlie. recently I got him a friend- crayfish. the crayfish is hiding in the little cave and come out only to eat. Betta is observing her and sometimes tries to bite her. They seem get along ok. Do youthink eventually they will get used to each other and stop fighting?
thank you,
Lena
July 7th, 2009 at 2:05 am
to Cara: I have been researching tank mates for betta fish and many of the websites I have been looking at specifically mention that betta should not be kept in the same tank as angelfish or gourami (i believe kissing fish are actually a kind of gourami)… just thought I should share since you gave those as possible choices for your tank. ; )
July 14th, 2009 at 9:11 am
well to help answer ur question i have these snails at home they eat the algae and food at the bottem the problem is i woke up and my sis fish was dead but all da snails were eating on it it was just a skeleton wen i took it out and ive tryed to get rid of the snails but they reproduce to fast and lay alot of eggs there are now 30 of them! i thought i should share this with u guys
July 14th, 2009 at 9:14 am
o and u cant get more than 1 angel fish i had 2 and they killed each other
rather get mollys or guppies
August 9th, 2009 at 4:21 am
kissing gouramis grow to 12 inches. not good for small tanks. also.. the rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon. for goldfish, however the rule is 3 gallons per inch of fish. goldfish are “dirty” fish. if you want a tank with high ammonia levels load it up with goldfish.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
My betta has a “water frog” as a companion. The betta doesn’t bother the frog and the frog doesn’t bother the betta. The frogs are only an inch long and generally sit on the bottom. They will eat the betta food. Cost for the frog about $2.50. When they want to move, the frogs can propell forward like a bullet…very, very fast. I doubt that a betta could catch a water frog…Sort of ugly though.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:34 am
Put a couple of snails in your tank… and you might as well have put about 1000 snails in your tank! AND, you will never get them all out.
Suggestion: don’t do it.
I really doubt that a betta will look at a snail…as being a companion.
Put a mirror near your tank so your betta sees his reflection. Now, you will see some action! He will be checking out the other guy…all day long!