Questions about my Betta

[PheonixKingZ]

I noticed that fluval bug bites has copper in it. Would this hurt shrimp if some got on the substrate? I read to avoid copper as much as possible in a tank with shrimp.

No, it will not hurt the shrimp. The copper is in such low of doses.

 

[Falaria]

Beautiful Betta! I have tried on four occasions to keep Bettas with shrimp so I have a lot of experience. Twice it ended in all of my shrimp being murdered one by one. Twice it worked out well because those bettas were very relaxed bettas and they were heavily planted tanks. However, even in one of those cases, when I try to skip a day of feeding for the Betta, he would kill a shrimp or two. Also, if you let your shrimp populations get overpopulated, it can stress out your betta because they start bumping into each other.

Your betta looks healthy to me and the bump at the back is completely normal. The patch on the head doesn't look like a problem to me.

As far as feeding, I don't think there is much benefit in feeding frozen insects. You could get frozen bloodworms for occasional treats. I also occasionally feed live fruit flies but that's only because I have them anyway for my dart frogs.

Good luck! They are fun beautiful fish.

Thank you so much for your reply! I love my Jasper boy. I am house manager at a non-profit home for women recovering from severe PTSD. He brings joy to many. My plants haven't grown up a ton yet. I just set up this aquarium in July. Perhaps I should wait til the plants are bigger...

Is that your betta in your picture? Absolutely gorgeous!!! Is that a half moon? I'm betting that you didn't get it in Petco!

 

[Falaria]

Also, I would not recommend adding neon tetras or dwarf frogs. The tank is too small for neon tetras and sometimes they nip the fins of bettas and stress them out. Dwarf frogs were already covered by others. In a ten gallon, I would recommend snails, but otherwise, they are best on their own in my experience.

I have successfully kept bettas with Celestial Pearl Danios and with Harlequin Rasbora. They get along well I find, though I think it's better in a 20 gallon long to allow for a school to have the space they need. The trickiest part is managing the feeding which is why I ended up giving my betta his own tank in the end.

Were I to try keeping one of those fish you have tried, how many in a 10 gallon with a Betta? Could I keep a snail, too? Recommendations for what kind of snail? What about Corydoras Catfish?

 

[hansgruber7]

Thank you so much for your reply! I love my Jasper boy. I am house manager at a non-profit home for women recovering from severe PTSD. He brings joy to many. My plants haven't grown up a ton yet. I just set up this aquarium in July. Perhaps I should wait til the plants are bigger...

Is that your betta in your picture? Absolutely gorgeous!!! Is that a half moon? I'm betting that you didn't get it in Petco!

I think an aquarium is so relaxing (when things are going well.) At the end of the day after work and when the kids are down, I always sit in front of my aquariums for a while to unwind. So much more relaxing than tv.

The plants will take a few weeks to grow in. If they are root feeders you could put in some root tabs to help. Or if column feeders, Aquarium Co-op has a good bottle of nutrients for plants you can just squirt in once a week. I found those options helped plant growth a lot. Make sure you have a good light.

Yes, that is my betta in my picture. I made the mistake of browsing on Aquabid and fell in love and couldn't resist buying him. Don't browse Aquabid!

 

[hansgruber7]

Were I to try keeping one of those fish you have tried, how many in a 10 gallon with a Betta? Could I keep a snail, too? Recommendations for what kind of snail? What about Corydoras Catfish?

You could try maybe 5 or 6 at the most, but it might get a little tight. It also increases the bioload which means you have less margin for error on things like ammonia creeping up. You'll have to really stay on top of water quality.

My favorite snail is the Nerite snail. The only downside is sometimes they lay their little white eggs on everything which some people find a little unsightly, but others don't mind. Good luck!