Question about Male Betta........

I am sure this has been asked many many times, but I searched and didn't find anything so I thought I would ask anyways. :wink: What are good tank mates for one male betta or do they do better alone? My kids just got one and wanted just one more fish to keep him company, but I don't want him to kill it. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

How big will the tank be?

There are fish that can be kept with bettas, but a lot will depend on tank size.

-Chelle

 

Right now he is in a 10 gallon tank.

 

Assuming you have an adequate filter and heater for the other fish, there are fairly simple rules to follow when keeping a betta with community fish.

1) nothing that the betta will confuse for another betta -- guppies are a BAD idea.

2) nothing that will nip the fins of the betta -- serpae tetras are also a bad idea.

I had a 10g with a betta that had 3 cory cats, 3 dwarf sunset platies, and an otocinclus. The betta would try to chase the cories, which I can't really explain, but didn't have a prayer of catching them. I've since had to relocate the betta to a different tank with 2 Bolivian rams, 3 cories, and another otocinclus. I've had no problems with this set up, which is a pleasant surprise because I thought the rams' flowing fins might be a problem.

I'd recommend the oto for eating algae, they're great and your other fish should ignore them. You should be able to keep pretty much any non-swordtail platy (red wags, sunset, sunrise, mickey mouse... are fine). Cories are great bottomfeeders for community tanks, and they're playful so should be entertaining for your kids. Just be aware that they prefer to be with friends, so you want at least 3 cories.

The other thing you need to be aware of is making sure the betta is eating his food. The cories can eat his food also, but you probably want to make sure you feed the betta directly.

 

With a 10 gallon you have a few options.

Oto catfish
Cory catfish (pygmy cories would be great because they stay around 1")
African dwarf frogs (not the clawed frogs, though)
Apple snails/mystery snails
Neons can be hit or miss
Shrimp

Those are the ones that immediately come to mind, but I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two others.

-Chelle