Shaoling Fish And Male Bettas?

[JodieLM]

im soon going to get some new fish (60l tank) im thinking of a male betta but im not sure what other fish to go with it im really looking for shoaling fish like tetras or barbs, what barbs or tetras would you recommend

 

[oldoak66]

hi Jodie,

If you go to the Think Fish website and look at the community creator (once you have registered) you can find out there what fish are suitable tank mates for bettas. Someone recommended it to me and I have found it excellent. Although I am sure the more experienced fish keepers will be along to give you some advice before long.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

For a tank with a male betta I would recommend Rasboras. There are lots of different varieties of Rasbora... Brilliant, Harlequin, Red-line, Pygmy, Scissortail, Two-spot, etc...and they tend to be far less nippy than Tetras or Barbs.

 

[Christine1014]

If you do decide to put any other fish in with a male betta, please make sure there are lots of hiding places, and have a back-up plan in case it doesn't work out (e.g., another tank that can be set up, or a friend or LFS ready to take some fish from you). Aphotic Phoenix is right; Rasboras aren't a nippy fish like tetras, but that just means they won't go after your betta; your betta could still make a snack of them - just depends on his personality.

 

[rdd1952]

I definitely wouldn't trust Think Fish as their calculator is terrible IMO. Just playing with it, I got the results that 26 rasboras and 4 angels in a 29 gallon tank was acceptible stocking with a standard internal filter. To me that is terribly overstocked unless you have extra filtration. It is probably ok for compatibility concerns but I wouldn't go by the number of fish they say is an acceptible stocking level.

 

[Lynda B]

Just remember that it's not only what will nip your betta, but what will your betta nip.... they'll go after anything with bright colors or long fins, seeing it as a competing male. In my opinion, male bettas should be kept alone, although I've heard they do okay with ottos, and female bettas should be kept with other female bettas. Just my 2 cents.