So I just finally got this set up. I’ve done months of research decided that I want a betta. This is a ten gal btw. Live everything except for the big piece of wood. I know that I want a few shrimp and maybe a snail but I also want a small school of fish. Any suggestions? Is there anything other than tetras or rasboras?
EDIT: yall do realize that I posted this…for help and advice
Posted by Acceptable-Mess-6985
32 Comments
No fish with a betta in a 10 gal just to minimize nipping and aggression. I haven’t kept bettas in a while but I recall that being a no no. A “small school” of the fish you named would also produce too much bio load for a new tank, along with a betta and snail. The fish would need to be in a larger school which requires a larger tank.
Shrimp and betta. The snail is pushing it. Make sure the filtration is at least double the tank size. So 20-30 gallons of filtration. I usually like to have one hob and one sponge just as a backup.
At 10g. Very limited. I’d say some Otto’s. Like 2 or 3.
It’s very difficult to feed a betta along with another fish in a way that prevents the betta from eating the other fish’s food.
In my 60l tank is a male betta dwarf shrimp and 15 chili rasboras they do all very well
That’s a r/stressfulaquariums post if I’ve ever seen one.
Side comment, you’re really limiting that 10gal if you get a betta, that’s it. I have 10 chili rabora, 6 pygmy Cory, and 6 golden cloud minnows along like 200 shrimp in my 10gal. There’s so much more fun to be had than one really finicky fish.
Rasboras would be your best bet. Something like 6-8 harlequin rasboras is what I would do. And 10 gallons is okay for that stocking. I see that you already have some plants inside, so that’s good. I’d follow the water results, and change water when you need. It takes time for the aquarium to be able to handle that bioload. Add some floating plants to remove excess nutrients and you should be good.
Kinda like other people have said, a Betta plus other creatures in a ten gallon tank is kinda pushing the limits. Now as a hard core betta lover myself I would say Rasboras are honestly some really awesome little guys! They are colorful, active, peaceful and overall just some amazing fish! If you want more fish to fill a tank of that size, a small school of Rasboras would be a great choice!
I have a 5 betta sorority tank with 2 zebra tetras that never stop moving, and a very old Molly that is a bit of a b*tch. They have been a great little troupe for the past year. I don’t want to test shrimp in there with so many bettas.
However I had a lone female betta once that demolished my neocardina shrimpies in a community tank also with some espei rasboras and snails. She’s in her own tank now with some ramshorn and nerites and she’s peaceful with them.
Bettas are completely happy being loners. Any tank mates are for your amusement only, the fish will derive no benefit.
Shrimp and snails are the only good options unless in a large tank where the betta feels more like it would in nature, staking out its own territory. I do see a lot of people recommend tiny rasboras, which might work if you have a relatively chill betta.
I have a female betta now that is just as aggressive as males (though not all are) and did NOT want shrimp in her tank. Two batches of Amanos were summarily rejected lol… The small ones were eaten and the big ones were chased out (even with a lid).
Now she has a very entertaining rabbit snail and was only wigged out by it for a couple days, totally ignores it now. If she had little bitty snails I bet she’d try to chomp them. It helps a lot that the snail is as big as her.
YMMV greatly, individual bettas have widely varying temperament and personality. Some hate snails and ignore shrimp. Some do fine in community tanks that are large and heavily planted and emulate nature a little better.
Also fyi r/bettafish has HUNDREDS of threads on this topic you can read
For the size nothing would have enough space to escape the bets easily except shrimp.
But before you do anything. Please for the safety of your fish, get a proper aquarium stand. A piece of ply like you have there won’t hold the weight long term and will lose strength as it gets wet. Eventually it will give way and the tank will fail. Honestly one of the worst things that can happen as a fish owner.
It doesn’t look like it but a full aquarium is incredibly heavy, and your stand is the only thing stopping it from falling on the floor. A nudge from an excited pet or small child will send that one toppling over, so please before you do anything drain the tank down and move it to a proper stand.
Personally I have tetras with my betta. But every tank and betta are different so I don’t really want to 100% recommend doing it. I bought them all at once and acclimated and introduced them at the same time. I haven’t had any issues whatsoever. My betta seems so happy and energetic and her colors are really coming out since I’ve gotten her. I haven’t seen any aggression or anything concerning, my betta really is super sweet and doesn’t pay attention to the tetras at all.
I also have a ton of snails in the tank along with one panda Cory. They all just coexist in the tank and I’ve had no issues whatsoever!
Also to add my betta is a female, if you want other fish in the tank I would suggest getting a female over a male. Females are generally less territorial than males.
And make sure to introduce them at the same time so “territory” can be established.
EDIT: My tank is also bigger than yours so I’m not sure if you added more fish to the tank other than a betta it would be healthy for them all. I’m not sure it would work out.
With the tank size and betta’s aggression, you’re better off with just the betta and shrimp, but even then the fish might end up eating the shrimp
https://preview.redd.it/qzn97caea2sg1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b29550c9a31965bd2fbaa5ff69703ab6067e2736
35 Litre, 1 Betta, 8 Ember Tetra, 5 Blue Shrimp, some pest snails
If you’re getting a betta deffo try put some caves and hidey spaces in there preferably near the top using rocks / hardscape or more leaves. If you had a cave near the surface to work as the bettas main territory then a small school of nano fish like white cloud minnows or rasboras would work well. In my experience my female bettas all love caves like this, and I’d bet even a male will be more peaceful and content towards other fish and shrimp with a cave “bedroom” of sorts
Snails can poison your tank water if they die. Id stick with shrimp
Shrimp. If it’s your firstt fish then it’s much lower risk then other live fish, and might be less work. Definitely much less bioload then a school of nano fish and may not fight with the beta as much
A school of 8 green neons would work well. Celestial pearl danios are another good one.
Fast ones
The only thing I can think of is maybe corys if you add some hides for them. Guppies and what-not wouldn’t do very well in a 10 gallon with a betta
Speaking from experience with multiple types of betta+personalities and it’s just not worth it. It seems cool for the first month or two until the betta has the food schedule figured out and tries to bully everyone away from the food. It’s the worst when it comes to feeding fish on the more herbivorous side bc you know the betta is an insectivore and shouldn’t be consuming plant matter but betta dgaf bc betta brain says horde all edible matter at any cost😒
I tried the amano shrimps but they are always hiding its 5 of them with betta but i rarely see them sometimes but i always keep a check that they are alive or not. I am also interested to know if i should even keep them there the tank is 30L with lots of plants and driftwood, betta hideout, floating plants etc.
in a ten gallon i wouldnt add other fish except maybe cory cats or other bottom feeding fish. a school of fish in the same part of the water as a betta is gonna be too stressful in such a small tank.
Hello, that’s a nice aquarium. A small school of 3 corydoras catfish would work very nicely. Corydoras and bettas get along very well. And they occupy different areas of the aquarium: betta in the middle and top, and cories on the bottom.
I made my first tank last year. I set up a heavily planted 10 gallon, with a male alien betta, and my advice is to stick with snail (specifically a Nerite) and shrimp as tank mates. I added some Otocinclus (my research said it would be a good fit, but I found out after that it’s pushing the limits), Amano shrimp, and a Horned Nerite. Everyone does amazingly, as I got lucky and my betta is friendlier and my otos like algae wafers; but I still wouldn’t suggest any fish with a betta in a 10 gallon. I’d say 15-20 gallon minimum if you want to add other fish. Pic of my boy Tengen getting his flare exercise in yesterday. 😊
https://preview.redd.it/05xe6tirk2sg1.png?width=2578&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6964c83b8e6c037da925208fbc430c4bb37c3ee
I have a few Pygmy Corys in with my Betta in a 10 gallon.
You can’t put much more in with a Betta in that sized tank. Pygmy’s are very small, so I feel comfortable w them in there, but if they were any bigger, I’d need a bigger tank.
You’ll want some more territory breaks, but small fish like 5 platies will be fine. Before you add them, remove the Betta and move some stuff around to “reset” the territories. Then add the Betta last. It can be Betta personality specific, but this usually works and I’ve had Bettas with tetras etc.
Side comment, thats an interesting heater, its okay to be fully submerged like that? I am used to the old school ones I guess lol
I wouldn’t house anything but a snail or 2 unless you had a 20 gallon long or bigger than ya.
I had 6 neon tetra’s with a betta years ago in a 10 gallon. I had no issues keeping them together, but it really depends on the bettas temperament. Highly recommend keeping it heavily planted and having a few hiding spots your betta can go to.
If it’s a male betta I wouldn’t recommend any other fish in the tank because it’s 10gal. But my female betta is much more chill and still pretty cool (koi betta). As far as schooling fish go you’re pretty limited to tetras but some unique ones are blood fin and darter. Anyways super cool tank!