10 Gallon Betta Buddies?

[attibones]

I have finally been able to move King, one of my veil tails, into a ten gallon aquarium, instead of the admittedly unsuitable 1.7 gallon tank he was living in. He has a hand full of ghost shrimp in there (maybe four or five; he's prone to eating them), but I was wondering if there was another species of fish I could add with him, like an oto for example. I would like to keep the number of other fish to three or fewer, and would prefer to get a bottom feeder.

This is a 10 gallon long tank with moss balls as the only living plants. PH is usually around 7.4. I've got about ten pounds of gravel in there. Oh, I'm also running a TopFin Power 10 filter which provides plenty of water stimulation, but I also have an air stone/pump I am not currently using.

 

[Paradise3]

Oto's would be no good as they prefer larger groups and mature tanks. How about a Candy Striped Pleco(Peckoltia Vittata) if you can find one? They max out at 3.9" and are cute little pleco's that are nice and active at dusk and dawn with them being crepuscular.

 

[attibones]

I thought the otos needed groups, but I wasn't sure on the number. The pleco, though, I've never heard of. It seems most people here have BNs or common plecos which I know get too large for my 10 gallon. I almost wanted to get a group of cories, but I hate having them in groups smaller than six. I'll look into the species you mentioned. Thanks, Paradise.

 

[Paradise3]

I thought the otos needed groups, but I wasn't sure on the number. The pleco, though, I've never heard of. It seems most people here have BNs or common plecos which I know get too large for my 10 gallon. I almost wanted to get a group of cories, but I hate having them in groups smaller than six. I'll look into the species you mentioned. Thanks, Paradise.

 
Not a problem. Yeah, oto's need 6 or more really and they need mature, algae filled tanks.

 

[TallTree01]

Many crabs are small enough to be kept in a ten gallon.

 

[Paradise3]

Many crabs are small enough to be kept in a ten gallon.

 
With a betta?

 

[Shelster]

But candy striped plecos can grow up to 10cm long, that's why I never got one for my 180 litre, leave alone a 37 litre!

 

[attibones]

But candy striped plecos can grow up to 10cm long, that's why I never got one for my 180 litre, leave alone a 37 litre!

I don't believe I will get one. I was doing a bit of reading on them last night and it appears that they are a bit territorial. My betta likes to rest just above the gravel, so I am worried that the two would not work well together.

 

[Wildbetta]

You could do a small shoal of cories (6 or so) if you got one of the 3 pygmy varieties(pygmaeus, hastatus, hasbrous).  They stay small enough to keep in a 10 gallon and most bettas will not bother cories.  I personally do not normally recommend other fish with bettas but in a 10 gallon with one male betta -- cories should work out fine. Have a backup plan just in case though because your betta may just decide to not like them.   Otos while ok by themselves are a schooling fish and really should have friends of its own kind.  They are hard enough to keep one alive in a well established tank with lots of algae much less a decent little school of them.  I do not recommend any kind of pleco for a 10 gallon as their bioload is really way to big for such a small tank.

 

[Paradise3]

But candy striped plecos can grow up to 10cm long, that's why I never got one for my 180 litre, leave alone a 37 litre!

 
They are fine in a 10 gallon. I will agree with Wildbetta though, you do need good filtration or their bioload is bad. Attibones, they aren't territorial to other fish as such, just other pleco's.

 

[attibones]

Hmm... Well it sounds like this particular pleco species may not work out. I'll see about dwarf cories, as I do love Cory cats, but it's not the end of the world if I can't find a suitable second species to live with him. One of my crowntail a does so well with other fish that I'm really hoping I could find him a friend. Is there anyway to test this one's tolerance of other fish (without putting anyone in danger) before I go out and buy another fish? Then again, I suppose the safest route would just to keep him by himself with a group of ghost shrimp to clean up any pellets he misses during feeding. He only gets about four every other day.

 

[rolo0151]

I've kept amano shrimp with my betta in a 35L. Had no issues. Currently got him in with 6 ember tetra & they're all getting along nicely.

I always take my betta out when I introduce other fish as he thinks anything that comes in when the lid is up is food!

 

[TallTree01]

Fiddler crabs would work but they need easy access to land as well. I'd forgotten about ember tetras: a shoal of them would work well ( maybe 7-8