Betta Fish Compatibility

[Fishy friend2]

i just decided to make a little sheet that had, commonly sold, easy to care for and cheap compatible fish for bettas
if anyone has any corrections on this, please comment and ill edit it

Some Betta fish will NOT tolerate tank mates and will go on a killing frenzy when introduced to other fish, so if you do decide to keep your Betta with other fish. Make sure that you have a backup plan incase It doesn't work. And make sure that you add the Betta last, because this will prevent some aggresion. If you add it first then the Betta will claim its territory and then when you introduce the new fish the Betta will think that the new fish are in his territory and kill the fish

generally compatible fish for bettas

----Name of fish-------minimum tank size------minimum group number

Ember tetras--------10 gallons----------six
Habrosus cories--------10 gallons----------six
hastatus cories------10 gallons-------------six
Von-rio tetras-------------15 gallons---------ideally 7 or more
Pristilla tetras------------10 gallons-----------six
Head and light tetras----10-------------------six
Cherry barbs----------15 gallons----------------six
Neon tetras-------------10 gallons------------ Six
Neons tetras can be a bit nippy when kept in small numbers so you would need atleast 6 to house them properly with a Betta
galaxy rasboras------------10 gallons-----------Six
panda and pygmy cories------10 gallons-----------Six
most other cories-----------15-20 gallons -----Six
harlequin rasbora -----------10 gallons---------Six
non fancy female guppies------10 gallons ------- Three
endlers livebearers------------5 gallons---------Three
zebra danios-----------------3.5 foot tank-------Six
Bristle nose plecos------------2.5 foot tank-------One
Bushy nose plecos-------------2.5 foot tank------One
non colorful platies------------10 gallons---------Three
glo fish----------------------3.5 foot tank--------Six
rummy nose tetras------------15 gallons-----------Six
glo light tetras----------------10 gallons----------Six
cardinal tetras----------------15 gallons----------Six
X ray tetras-------------------10 gallons----------Six
"feeder guppies"---------------5 gallons-----------Three
Khuli loaches------------------2 foot tank--------Six
Scissor tail rasboras-------------10 gallons----------Six
Otos---------------------------10 gallons---------3 - 4
Bloodfin tetras-------------------15 gallons-------- Six
Rasbora Brigittae-----------------5 gallons----------Six
Black neon tetras------------------10 gallons-------Six
Endlers-----------------------------5 gallons----------three
Yoyo loaches

Shrimp that are compatible with bettas
Ghost shrimp---------------------2.5 gallons --------one
Amano shrimp-------------------2.5 gallons----------one
Cherry shrimp-------------------2.5 gallons---------one
and a little note about shrimp, they are a hit and miss, some bettas are fine with shrimp and some aren't but all of my bettas have been fine with shrimp that are over 1 inch. I would suggest that a well planted tank with lots of cover should be used when having small ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp

Snails that are compatible with bettas
Apple snails------------------5 gallons-----------one
Ramshorn snails------------2.5 gallons---------one
Malaysian trumpet snails---2.5 gallons--------one
Pond snails--------------------2.5 gallons---------one
Nerite snails------------------2.5 gallons----------one
Snails are a hit and miss too with bettas some will tolerate them but some will chop their feelers off

sometimes compatible fish with bettas

---Name of fish---------------------Minimum tank size------minimum group number

male, and female Fancy guppies----------10 gallons-----------three
Honey gouramis -----------------------10 gallons-----------one
bright and colorful platies----------------10 gallons-----------three
Black widow tetras----------------------20 gallons------------Eight to not be as nippy
sword tails----------------------------2 ft. Tank------------Three
Mollies-------------------------------25 gallons------------Three
Angle fish-----------------------------35 gallons-------------One
Gold gouramis-------------------------20 gallons-------------One
Lyre tail guppies-----------------------10 gallons-------------Three

Fish that are rarely compatible with bettas

IM not going to say all the stuff about groups and tank size, because I don;t even want anybody to try any rare compatibilities

Serpae tetras
other bettas
SA cichlids
NW cichlids
Dwarf gouramis
Tiger barbs
Boesemani rainbows
Red tailed sharks
Any type of crayfish with claws over half an inch



Hope this helped!​

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[MegaZerino]

I like that my entire tank is only made up of rare compatabilities

 

[Cossie1111]

I think this should be pinned.

 

[Fishy friend2]

I like that my entire tank is only made up of rare compatabilities

that means that you have special fish

I think this should be pinned.

Thanks, maybe we should PM a mod about it or something

 

[Rummynose]

Most people keep Bettas in small tanks, so it would be good to also list the minimum tank size needed for the other type of fish you want to pair the Betta up with.
To make this list helpful for beginners it may also be a good idea to list the minimum numbers of the other fish (schooling fish).

 

[Man of fish]

Ace FF2!!
I agree with rummynose that would make this great thread all the greater!

 

[pkppv]

I see potential greatness...but there is so much you could add!

I have a question...are bettas good with other plecs? I assume so..

 

[Baccus]

+ 1 for adding suitable sized tanks for keeping a min number of schooling/ shoaling fish with a betta. Most shrimp adult shrimp are safe with a betta but the betta will often eat any shrimplets they can track down. Also black neon tetras are ok with bettas...well there's never been any agro between my 10 and the female betta that's in their 4ft tank. There is also some Pakastani loaches (Yo-Yo loaches) in the tank and they aren't being a bother to anyone but the snails.

 

[Fishy friend2]

okay i added all of that stuff, about min. number of fish and min. tank size

 

[Rummynose]

I don't know about the general opinion or recommendation but I had 6 Rummynose Tetras in my 10 gallon and got them a 3 foot long tank because they just seemed too crowded in there. I would think it's the same for the Cardinal Tetras or any Tetras that size.

Neon Tetras are known also as fin nippers and I would move them to the "sometimes compatible list"! Don't know if others feel the same?

 

[Fishy friend2]

IMO the min. For those is 10 gallons

And neon tetras are only fin nippers when they are kept in smaller numbers. That's why I put them in generally compatible. Ive heard Many more success story's than bad story's about neon tetras and bettas being kept together

 

[Man of fish]

Is this going to be pinned because I believe it should be.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Aren't neons kinda nippy? (correct me if I am wrong, I heard they were) and I have also been told that the speedy activity of danios can stress a betta....can anyone confirm or bust this?

+1 on pinning this topic

I have kept bettas with platys, swordtail, cories, and harlequins. All great choices for compatible tankmates

 

[Fishy friend2]

In my own personal experience neons are only nippy when kept in small groups, and I don't know if zebra danios would stress the Betta. I have some with mine and they get along fine...... Well he did seem a little weary about the zebras when he first interacted with them but as the days passed he accepted them..... It might have been because he had been a solitary fish his whole life

 

[Fishy friend2]

Okay, I added that neons can be a bit nippy when kept in small numbers. And that you would need atleast six to house them properly with a betta