Tank mates for male Betta

[BleuTheBetta]

Any good ideas for peaceful tank mates?
My betta is a dorky guy. I have never kept him with any other fish, because i know most betta are aggressive.
I have a 2.5 gallon, and am thinking about upgrading a tank size and retiring or doing something else with my 2.5. I was wondering- once I upgrade (to a 5 or 10gal) what are good peaceful tank mates that can share with him? I don’t know how territorial Bleu is. Like I said before, he is a loner right now.

Also, I know a 2.5 gal tank is the bare minimum for a betta tank. I have learned a lot since getting Bleu. Like I said, I will upgrade soon.

 

[Byron]

Your betta is much happier and will remain much happier in the 2.5 gallon compared to having tankmates in whatever larger tank. Yes, it can sometimes work, but I don't know how many threads on here started out with a betta and other fish veing "happy" only to have the betta overnight kill the tankmates one by one a couple of months later or soon. Don't fight nature, work with it. There is also the opposite issue of most small fish finding the betta's delicate flowing fins an easy target. I had a betta years ago that ate my neons. And I have seen small tetras rip betta fins into shreds. It is simply not humane to keep these fish together, even if some think it works. Bettas are highly territorial; always assume the normal for a species.

 

[Essjay]

I would upgrade the tank to a 5 gallon minimum and just have the betta in there, or maybe a snail for company. Those snails with long antennae could have them bitten off so I'd stay with a nerite with their short antennae.

There are no fish suitable for the current 2.5 gallon, though you might get away with shrimp if there is a good amount of live plants.

 

[BleuTheBetta]

Thank you both for your replies! I found this information really helpful. I will upgrade my tank very soon, and perhaps add a few shrimp. Thank you again!

 

[TNG]

. . . I will upgrade my tank very soon, and perhaps add a few shrimp. Thank you again!

I’m not sure if you meant that you add a few shrimp to the betta’s tank or you have shrimp in their own tank.

I’d only have shrimp with the betta if I have another tank ready to evacuate the shrimp to when the betta decides that it doesn’t want any tank mates.

 

[Essjay]

I've had bettas which ignored shrimps, both adults and babies; bettas which have ignored adults but ate babies; and bettas which killed shrimps leaving shrimp bits all over the tank. It's all down to the individual betta whether he will tolerate shrimps or not.
But I've never had a betta attack a nerite snail. One betta flared at a nerite when it was on the glass walls but that was as far as he went.

 

[biofish]

My current betta tried to attack his nerite a few times but eventually gave up LOL.

He’d previously been in a tank with a small pond snail invasion that I didn’t really care enough to stop but he thrived on hunting the small snails down, ripping them off the glass, and the feasting. Needless to say, there’s no more pond snails.

I gave him my biggest nerite and you could practically see the frustration when his usual hunting method didn’t work LOL

 

[BleuTheBetta]

My current betta tried to attack his nerite a few times but eventually gave up LOL.

He’d previously been in a tank with a small pond snail invasion that I didn’t really care enough to stop but he thrived on hunting the small snails down, ripping them off the glass, and the feasting. Needless to say, there’s no more pond snails.

I gave him my biggest nerite and you could practically see the frustration when his usual hunting method didn’t work LOL

LOL, that’s hilarious. I’m thinking about getting a Nerite.