tank mates

[flautist]

I'm aquiring a 5 gallon tank, which I am very excited about. I'm going to move my new little Diamond to that tank. I would like to put some tank mates with him, but I'm not sure what to put in there. I have always liked neon tetras, but I know nothing about them. Would they be okay to put with a betta? Would there be enough room for 4 or so plus my betta in a 5 gallon tank? And, what do they prefer to eat? Are there pellets for them, or flakes?

If tetras won't work, then what do you all suggest? I know many have ADFs with theirs, but I have heard that all they eat are worms, and I don't have the money to buy real worms, nor would I know where to get any, and I know feeding freeze-dried to them all the time is unhealthy.

So, what do you suggest?

 

[Texaswoman]

Under the pinned topic at top, there is a section for tons of goodies and sites. In there is a link for betta tank mates you can follow and look around. I personally like cory cats, the pandas. Real cuties.

 

[flautist]

Thanks for the info, I think I might get some white cloud minnows! Now to find out what they eat...

 

[KageBunshin]

Try to find something that doesn't nip your bettas fins and also it would help if they ate the same kind of food. Also you could keep invertabrates like apple snails or ghost shrimp. Betta personalities are different so you will get different reaction with different tank mates. So experiment.

 

[BettasRFriends]

Well i bought 2 ghost shrimp for 20cent for my male betta. It worked out really great. Yesterday I thought one of them died but it was just a shell (ghost shrimp molt). Scared the beep out of me

 

[flautist]

oooh, I don't think I want to do ghost shrimp... they look scary!

Does anyone know what white cloud minnows eat? I can't find anything on what they eat. I'm assuming they don't nip fins, because I have seen them mentioned on a few sites now as good tankmates for bettas... if anyone has experienced differently, let me know.

 

[mandi]

White clouds would eat a regular tropical flake food and would probably also enjoy occasional bloodworms & such.

My only hesitation is, white clouds are like danios, they should be kept in groups (LiveAquaria suggests 8 or more), and a minimum tank size of 10 gallons. They're very active fish and swiming back and foreth in 5 gallons doesn't seem enough. They grow to 2" -- so figure in a 5 gallon tank, with a betta, you could maybe fit 2 if you go by the 1" of fish per gallon "rule". I could be wrong though.

[Edit] Also this might be a dumb question, but does your 5 gallon have a heater and filtration?

 

[Sorrell]

Bettas will live with shromp for awhile, but the majority of them will notice the giant food source at the tip of their fins

Otos are a good choice, cories really do best in large groups, so a five is really too small. I think you'll like white clouds

 

[flautist]

It doesn't really need a heater, my room is pretty warm, and the light in the hood keeps the water where it needs to be. It does have a filter.

So you guys think 4 white clouds plus my small betta will be too much in a 5 gallon, or would that be okay?

 

[mandi]

I only asked about a heater because you'll want to take that into considderation as well when you're looking for tankmates. I think white clouds are ok in cooler (room temp.) water but other tropical fish (for instance, you mentioned tetras at first) would require a heater. Just trying to get a feel for your setup.

Personally, I wouldn't do the white clouds -- 2" each x 4 = 8" of fish right there, plus the betta. (Though I realize the 1" of fish per gallon rule is flexible.) My other concern is that white clouds are kind of like zebra danios -- they like a lot of room to go zipping back and foreth swimming around. They might feel a little cramped in a 5 gallon. But get some other opinions too.

[Edited for typos... whoops!]