betta in 15 gallon

[JxsPxxle]

I have a betta and 8 ember tetras in a 15 gallon tank, I was wondering if I could keep a dwarf crayfish in here. If not is there anything else that could live in the tank?

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

if with dwarf crayfish you mean cambarellus patzcuarensis then let me tell you that they need a higher Gh than bettas and ember tetras and with a maximum recomended Gh of 180 ppm for ember tetras and a minimum recomended Gh of 250 ppm for the crayfish then they would not be compatible, also bettas and gourami like to "play" with crayfish which causes them stress and for my last point crayfish are opportunistic omnivores so if they catch a tetra they wil eat it and if the betta is sleeping nearby the crayfish the crayfish can slash the bettas fins. So i would say do not do it unless you get rid of the ember tetras and your betta is a short fin peaceful little dude.

 

[JxsPxxle]

if with dwarf crayfish you mean cambarellus patzcuarensis then let me tell you that they need a higher Gh than bettas and ember tetras and with a maximum recomended Gh of 180 ppm for ember tetras and a minimum recomended Gh of 250 ppm for the crayfish then they would not be compatible, also bettas and gourami like to "play" with crayfish which causes them stress and for my last point crayfish are opportunistic omnivores so if they catch a tetra they wil eat it and if the betta is sleeping nearby the crayfish the crayfish can slash the bettas fins. So i would say do not do it unless you get rid of the ember tetras and your betta is a short fin peaceful little dude.

My betta is fairly aggressive to be fair but doesn’t seem to mind the tetras, but will happily decapitate 10 neocardinia shrimp. Anything else I can put in there? Someone in the shop mentioned 3 cories but i’ve been lead to believe I need a group of 6-8 at least?

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

My betta is fairly aggressive to be fair but doesn’t seem to mind the tetras, but will happily decapitate 10 neocardinia shrimp. Anything else I can put in there? Someone in the shop mentioned 3 cories but i’ve been lead to believe I need a group of 6-8 at least?

well that is true cory ctas need at the very least 6-10 of their own to feel happy, if there are less than 4 they will be super shy and stressed and with 5 they will be boring and shy but not stressed, the thing at least for me is that i hate cory cats, i am more part of otocinclus gang, for them i would recomend at least also 6 and a bunch of bushy plants with a large leaf like amazon swords, java ferns, cryptocorynes and anubias, some wood (since they are part of the loricariid family), and a lot of hiding places like rocks and pots. They are small and non agressive, mostly herbivores but will eat fish flakes but their main diet is algae and biofilm (you can also feed squash, cucumber and leafy greens), since they are armoured the betta can not hurt them and they are as cute as puppies, they can vibe in a Gh from 18 to 300 ppm, temps from 20 to 30 degrees celsius and a Ph of 6 to 7.6, they are shrimp safe, they are fun to watch and they eat every algae except black beard algae, so overall the perceft nano catfish. Cory cats are poop in comparation.

 

[AilyNC]

I love my cories so much they roam a lot so i think they're suited to a bigger tank and in big groups.

It's not generally advised here to keep Betta in a community tank. I'm not sure what fish to advise. The embers are a beautiful little fish.

 

[HoldenOn]

Only way to keep a betta in a community is to have slow moving, small finned fish. I'm not sure about embers but would recommend something like lambchop or chilli rasboras.

 

[CassCats]

Would not add anything else, perhaps a snail. Bettas aren't community fish.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Would not add anything else, perhaps a snail. Bettas aren't community fish.

they can be but only with specific fish and only some bettas with a calm temperament

 

[Naughts]

My betta is fairly aggressive to be fair but doesn’t seem to mind the tetras, but will happily decapitate 10 neocardinia shrimp. Anything else I can put in there? Someone in the shop mentioned 3 cories but i’ve been lead to believe I need a group of 6-8 at least?

I have 5 panda cories with a betta; and 12 pygmy cories with embers. It works for me. People have found that panda cories have weak genetics but I have noticed this is members from US/ Canada, not Europe.

 

[CassCats]

Not only behavioral wise but bettas need temperatures 78-82F which is too warm for some other fish...

Especially if your betta is already aggressive, its risky and they can snap out of the blue on their tankmates they've been previously fine with.

Not to mention risk of dropsy increases in community setups because access to more food and wrong kinds of food for bettas. Bettas are already prone to dropsy on their own, it is devastatingly increased in community setups.

Honestly, I think its playing with fire and think you should leave it as it is

 

[JxsPxxle]

Not only behavioral wise but bettas need temperatures 78-82F which is too warm for some other fish...

Especially if your betta is already aggressive, its risky and they can snap out of the blue on their tankmates they've been previously fine with.

Not to mention risk of dropsy increases in community setups because access to more food and wrong kinds of food for bettas. Bettas are already prone to dropsy on their own, it is devastatingly increased in community setups.

Honestly, I think its playing with fire and think you should leave it as it is

Okay i’d rather be safe than sorry thanks for the info!