I’m just asking again because there’s so much mixed information. I have a 20 gallon planted tank that image is of my 10 gallon that turns out it’s leaking so I’m going to just move it to a 20 gallon bc I realized it’s not as big as I was hoping when setting up the plants and drift wood. No fish in it yet but my primary goal is a betta fish and I will work everything else around that. I have a few ideas and I hear a lot of things so I wanna what more experienced people think since this is also my first tank.
Snails, shrimp, and/or loaches for a cleaning crew? I’ve heard that a couple schooling fish like tetras, guppies, or danios can work. What about female bettas? I’ve read that they need to have several of them and that my tank is too big for that but I’ve also seen a pair of male and female bettas sold together so I’m not sure if that’s a thing. I’ve heard adding other fish and then the betta makes it easier for the betta to adjust. Is there a way to tell a betta’s temperament from a pet store before bringing him home? I also think places like petsmart have a 14 day return policy.
I’m not thinking all of these at the same time they’re just things that I’ve thought about. I’m willing to put in a lot of time to acclimate the animals I’m in no rush. First and foremost, though, I want the cleaning crew so which ever of those are helpful and can be successful.
https://i.redd.it/hz7rio828x3g1.jpeg
Posted by frogtheair
4 Comments
Male and female bettas are sold together not because of their compatibility as tank mates but rather for breeding; they breed and get separated soon after.
Best bet for tank mates: snails and cory catfish. Nerite snails come in different colours. They don’t usually breed in freshwater so no overpopulation concerns. Corys mind their own business and bettas usually would ignore them, the only “hassle” is that you’d need 6 of them minimum so they’re not stressed out.
I wouldn’t recommend any fish like guppies. From everything I know betta tank mates with bright colors and large fins are generally a no go. Other tank mates purely rely on the individual bettas temperament. You could have one that’s chill with hundreds of shrimp or snails and one that kills anything that moves. Betta sorority tanks tend to be such a roll of the dice that I’ve never seen anyone on the sub recommend them.
Some snails are good usually, i had a yoyo loach which was a mistake because it was faster then my betta so it would go poke the betta and run away. Had to return the yoyo loach
I think people should just spam [Tankmates](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tankmates/). It has the most recommended fishes.