Good Stock

[Georgia_ofthejungle]

Hi there, I am planning to get a 50L tank in the future, and I was wondering what a good amount of stock/type of stock is suitable for this sized tank!
I am definitely keen on a male Betta, and some neon tetras! Any others?

 

[dave840f1]

I think it's a bad idea to mix Bettas and neons, in fact I would not mix Bettas with any small fish no matter how large your tank is. Now this is only my opinion I'm sure someone else on this forum can advise you better.

 

[Ninjouzata]

You can mix smaller fish with bettas but make sure to have a back up plan in case he decides he doesn't like tank mates.
Even if they don't attack their tank mates, they may be quite stressed with them around, and some tank mates could nip your betta, so you need to keep a close eye on how everyone is acting.
 
Snails are another good tank mate, they help keep the tank clean and come in an assortment of colors/types.
Corydoras are also good since they stay in a different level of the tank (usually) and are not nippy. You want to make sure you get a pygmy or dwarf variety in this size tank though.
 
For some other small fish, have a look at this: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/418749-nano-fish/ 

 

[baker360360]

I had a 55l with a male betta and 6 neon tetra. I had no problems with them fighting.

You could try 1x betta
6 x neon
Maybe some snails or shrimp

 

[Linway]

I have a 95L tank an inside it has a betta with 10 neon tetras... I was worried about the tetras nipping at his fins but this hasn't happened at all, I may have lucked out however, One thing I ensure though was that the store I bought the betta from would take him back if there was an issue so just ensure you have a backup plan as someone above suggested

 

[Fishywishy333]

I had neons with a dwarf gourami, which has a very similar temperament to bettas. Sometimes it works with bettas and other fish, sometimes it doesn't. Personally I wouldn't mix them since you may either end up with the tetras nipping the betta or the betta attacking the tetras.

Neon tetras would ideally have a bigger tank of maybe 70l, but that size would do for maybe about 8 of them. With about 8 you could have maybe 2/3 Platies or 2/3 guppies.

Don't overstock your tank as this will cause problems in the future. Also don't keep the tetras in groups smaller than 6 as they are schooling fish and you will not have the same effect.

Hope this helps .

 

[Georgia_ofthejungle]

Thanks guys for the help!
I am definitely wanting to have an interesting tank, with different fish species, so I would be much happier to not have a Betta and have other fish, then end up just having one betta!
With a school of neon tetras, is there another type of fish they are happy to live with?

 

[baker360360]

Maybe, Cory's , danios
(Zebra danio are nice)
(Harlequin rasbora too)

 

[Ninjouzata]

I'd advise against zebra danios, they're very active so most would like to see them in a 4ft tank.
 
If you really do want the betta the things I've seen work with them the most are corys, or otocinclus but don't want to recommend otos since they can be a bit sensitive.
I understand wanting variety though

 

[Georgia_ofthejungle]

So if I was to get some corys and a Betta, how many corys is it best to get for their happiness?

 

[Ninjouzata]

You want a minimum of 6 corys.
You'll want smaller varieties such as pygmaeus, hastatus, or habrosus.
Not all 3 as they need to be with their own type, but I believe those are the ones you should pick from.
 
I'm not exactly the best at stocking numbers, so someone else would need to say.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/425971-could-i-put-any-more-pygmy-corys-in-my-12-gallon/#entry3605649 This makes me think you could have 12 pygmies in your tank with a betta, but would wait for someone else to say.
 
Not sure how many you could have with the other varieties though..I'm getting 15 habrosus to go with my betta in a 20g. Sorry I couldn't be of more help :c

 

[Georgia_ofthejungle]

That is very helpful, thank you!S
So if I was to have a betta and 8 pygmy corydoras, would I be able to even add one more species, in a number that all the fish would be happy?

What about 2 plattys as well? Or do they need to be kept in bigger groups?

 

[Ninjouzata]

I think this tank is a bit small for platys unfortunately.
I was wondering myself if maybe you could do 6 pygmy corys and then 6 of a small tetra, and then the betta, but not sure if that'd be overstocking or not.
It's a bit late right now I think, hopefully someone else will pop in soon ^^'

 

[Georgia_ofthejungle]

I think this tank is a bit small for platys unfortunately.
I was wondering myself if maybe you could do 6 pygmy corys and then 6 of a small tetra, and then the betta, but not sure if that'd be overstocking or not.
It's a bit late right now I think, hopefully someone else will pop in soon ^^'

 
Hmm, that would be quite nice! Will see what others think about the over stocking of not Thanks so much for all your help! I was doing internet research before, but I find I can't really trust internet fact sheets, as some of the information I have read on other animals has been so wrong! So it's so nice being able to talk to people on here I know are fish experts! Thanks guys!

 

[Georgia_ofthejungle]

Ok so after doing a bit more research on these fish species, I really like the idea of 6 neon tetras, 6 Pygmy corydoras and 1 male Betta! Is this overstocking? Also I am leaning more towards a 65L, instead of a 50, so if those fish numbers weren't overstocking in the 50, I could up the numbers of the tetras and corys!