Tank Size for Betta

[vanceio]

Hello! I'm planning on getting a betta soon (Just an average male betta, possibly a halfmoon rosetail) and I was wondering is a 20 gallon tank would be too much room for just 1 betta. If it is, what are some other species of fish that are suggested for housing with male bettas?

Edit: Thank you all so much for the input! Once I get the tank all set up & aquascaped I'll just stick to having 1 betta and keep an eye on them for ~2 weeks to try and figure out their personality. If viable, I'll just add some snails / shrimp to keep the tank lively!

 

[SeaAngel]

A 20 would make fir one very happy betta. Mine are in 10G. I’m a strong believer that bettas should be kept alone but others may differ in opinion.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

A 20g would be plenty of room for 1 Betta. I don't support keeping other fish with Bettas, but it's up to you. You can read about basic care and such, in my Betta research paper:https://www.fishforums.net/threads/betta-research-paper.465208/

 

[emersama]

A betta would be very very happy and comfortable in a 20 gal. As for tank mates, it really just depends on the temperament of your betta. I have a veil tail betta (known for being fairly non-aggressive as far as bettas go) and he’s happily lived with guppies, African dwarf frogs, killifish, snails, shrimp and more for years.

But I had a half moon betta a few years ago that killed anything and everything. Nerites, frogs, etc. He was super aggressive and would attack my finger when I fed him and the glass when I would walk by.

Bettas are kind of like dogs in that they all have extremely different personalities! Certain types are more prone to aggression than others, though. So do your research on what type you want!

Some safe bets for most bettas would be snails (nerites, mystery, Malaysian trumpet, assassin) and shrimp (non-colorful ones like ghosts would be best).

Many bettas will do fine with small neutral colored corydoras (pandas, albino, etc.), loaches, or plecos as they hang out at different levels of the tank. You could keep a betta and a small school of bottom dwellers and probably be fine! Just make sure there are lots of hiding spots

I’ve done fine with African dwarf frogs with most of my bettas, and a 20 gallon is a great size for them.

Avoid fish that are colorful or flamboyant (male guppies, etc.), top dwellers, aggressive, or nippy (barbs, tetras) with most bettas. Remember, you can return or rehome fish if they aren’t working out!

 

[Essjay]

I had problems with a betta and dwarf frogs, which shows that every betta is different. The betta ate all the frog's food, and one of the frogs mistook the betta's tail for food and clamped onto it. I found the betta swimming round the tank towing the frog. After I separated them (frogs into my quarantine tank) it took ages for the betta's tail to heal.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I had problems with a betta and dwarf frogs, which shows that every betta is different. The betta ate all the frog's food, and one of the frogs mistook the betta's tail for food and clamped onto it. I found the betta swimming round the tank towing the frog. After I separated them (frogs into my quarantine tank) it took ages for the betta's tail to heal.

Aquatic frogs shouldn’t be kept with any species of fish, for that very reason.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I had problems with a betta and dwarf frogs, which shows that every betta is different. The betta ate all the frog's food, and one of the frogs mistook the betta's tail for food and clamped onto it. I found the betta swimming round the tank towing the frog. After I separated them (frogs into my quarantine tank) it took ages for the betta's tail to heal.

That would be a sight to see.....

 

[Essjay]

It was a horrifying sight, I've never seen a betta swimming as frantically as that

 

[OliveFish05]

Hello. That will be one happy betta! Bettas are generally solitary fish and prefer to be alone, but there are definitely some who do well with tank mates. You could do some cherry shrimp and nerite snails! If you wanted fish tank mates, you could get a nice school of cories, as they would stay to the bottom of the tank and generally out of the betta's way. Is the tank a 20 long or a 20 high?

 

[Slaphppy7]

It was a horrifying sight, I've never seen a betta swimming as frantically as that

I can only imagine...

 

[emersama]

I had problems with a betta and dwarf frogs, which shows that every betta is different. The betta ate all the frog's food, and one of the frogs mistook the betta's tail for food and clamped onto it. I found the betta swimming round the tank towing the frog. After I separated them (frogs into my quarantine tank) it took ages for the betta's tail to heal.

Oh my! Poor fish. That frog was a bold one.

 

[emersama]

Another tip - introduce your betta to the tank last. This makes them less territorial, as they are the new one to the crew and existing habitat.

If you do get your betta first, take him out, add tank mates, then rearrange the tank decor and put him back in. He will see the tank as a new space, and again, might be less territorial.

 

[carligraceee]

Hello! I'm planning on getting a betta soon (Just an average male betta, possibly a halfmoon rosetail) and I was wondering is a 20 gallon tank would be too much room for just 1 betta. If it is, what are some other species of fish that are suggested for housing with male bettas?

Edit: Thank you all so much for the input! Once I get the tank all set up & aquascaped I'll just stick to having 1 betta and keep an eye on them for ~2 weeks to try and figure out their personality. If viable, I'll just add some snails / shrimp to keep the tank lively!

Hello!

Bettas can live in tanks as small as 3g so your 20g is perfect for him!

I have a Pink Orchid Betta and he is incredibly aggressive towards all other things (except me haha).

Like said in the last posts- veil tails are the least aggressive and are actually pretty docile.

If you got one of them- I would recommend accompanying him with livebearers like platys or guppies (females) because they are very non-aggressive. The only issue with that would be that platys and guppies are community fish and you would need around 3+ for them to thrive! Shrimp are okay but don't get cherry or colored shrimp, bright colors attract bettas like bulls and they will likely eat them.

Snails are very good with bettas- haven't had problems with them.

 

[hansgruber7]

I think a 20 long is perfect for a betta. A 20 high can be a little deeper than ideal, but can work. I find bettas are happier in shallower tanks because they spend a lot of time at the surface, but also like plants to be near the surface. The wider the better though I think. I vote against keeping other fish with the betta. I've tried it a few times, and everything seems to work out better when the betta is alone. You can keep snails and even shrimp sometimes in a heavily planted tank.

 

[hansgruber7]

You could also keep Kuhli loaches. My betta got along great with the kuhli loaches I had in his 20 gallon.