Betta's + Special Requirements.

[plecostomus-mad]

TBH i think you might have trouble fitting a plec into that size tank really, they do like their room, and they get pretty messy. if you're looking at female B. splendens it might be worth looking at other species of betta altogether. most other species you can happily keep in a pair or group and will leave most other fish alone (unless they can fit it in their mouth!) i'm looking into sourcing B. smaragdina or B. prima, but there's plenty of others too, finding them can be tricky, but they shouldn't be any more expensive

i was thinking of a bulldog plec, they are small plecos that reach 3-4 inches. it just seems silly to keep a fish on its own are betta's on there own in the wild? if not what are they with?

 

[hamfist]

TBH i think you might have trouble fitting a plec into that size tank really, they do like their room, and they get pretty messy.

One or two of the very small species of plec would be fine in a 60l tank, but would need some fairly serious filtration with good flow because, as you say, they are messy.
This is, of course, the opposite of the sort of environment which Bettas like. They like little or no real flow.
Personally, despite my love of plecos, I think corys would be a much better bottom feeder to mix with a Betta.
We keep our male Betta with a small shoal of Pygmy corys, and they get on fantastically.

 

[grumpysteve]

TBH i think you might have trouble fitting a plec into that size tank really, they do like their room, and they get pretty messy. if you're looking at female B. splendens it might be worth looking at other species of betta altogether. most other species you can happily keep in a pair or group and will leave most other fish alone (unless they can fit it in their mouth!) i'm looking into sourcing B. smaragdina or B. prima, but there's plenty of others too, finding them can be tricky, but they shouldn't be any more expensive

i was thinking of a bulldog plec, they are small plecos that reach 3-4 inches. it just seems silly to keep a fish on its own are betta's on there own in the wild? if not what are they with?

in the wild they're pretty solitary, they live in similar areas to other anabantoids, but they don't get along particularly well. most rasboras are found in similar environments too which might be ok if you pick a mid sized species, if they're too small they might get eaten. i seriously think you should look into a trio or pair of a different species though, female B. splendens are quite dull, but you could happily have a trio of a different species, with a nicely coloured male. you'll probably have to wait a few months though, no one can get them this time of year!
i'd definitely agree that cory's or oto's would be a good bottom feeder in that tank though

 

[Honeythorn]

female B. splendens are quite dull

Utterly wrong! I've had a bright pink girl before now, and females come in just as many bright colours as males do. They simply don't have the long showy fins.

Girls can also be kept in groups, and tend to fare better in communities than males do. 60L would do fine for a group of 4 girls .

 

[grumpysteve]

female B. splendens are quite dull

Utterly wrong! I've had a bright pink girl before now, and females come in just as many bright colours as males do. They simply don't have the long showy fins.

Girls can also be kept in groups, and tend to fare better in communities than males do. 60L would do fine for a group of 4 girls .

sorry, i worded that wrong, but you can get different species of betta that are naturally better coloured. ie. b. smaragdina, have a look at the males and tell me a female b. splendens looks as good as that. better still thats a natural colour, not years of inbreeding to create a certain colour strain

 

[plecostomus-mad]

i was going to get a female b.splenden, they have around 10 in one local lfs,not all females tho. they are all quite colorful.they keep them in tiny sections next to the plants they sell.i thought id like one because they are colorful and look very lonley in there tiny holding tanks.

i have a situation with my new arrivals - 3 x synodontis nigrita ( upside down cats.)there driving my other plecos and corys nuts! so i need to sort them out first then get back on the betta situation

so i can have 2 female and 1 male betta in a 2ft 60l?

mark

 

[Honeythorn]

so i can have 2 female and 1 male betta in a 2ft 60l?

Not if getting B.Splendens no, they almost always fight/chase eachother when opposite sexes are kept in the same undivided tank. They'll end up being extremely stressed most of the time.

With the more sociable species of betta though, that should work.