What Goes Well With A Betta?

[stanleo]

This might be a stupid suggestion but I have often seen threads started asking if this or that can be homed with a betta. I have started one about gouramis and bettas.
 
Maybe someone with knowledge on this subject could make a list of fish that are compatible with bettas? That someone would not be me but I would like to see that list. I am getting a betta soon and maybe would like to have another fish in there with it.
 
Thanks

 

[Chad]

Drab bottom dwellers work great. I've kept peppered cory with male betta with great success.

 

[FungusTrooper]

I can reiterate that corys go well - my betta flared at the bag of corys when I put it in, but within a day or two they totally ignore each other. The betta sometimes hunts the cories down, but it's only to steal whatever they are eating!
 
I have trilineatus corys, myself.

 

[r.w.girard]

I have been quite successful with Hengel's Rasboras, Trigonostigma hengeli. They are very attractive, tightly schooling fish that are quite active. Have never seen any aggression from either side.  Further, they do not seem to outcompete the betta for good.  And, of course, otocinclus do well as EVERYTHING seems to get along with them.

 

[VickyChaiTea]

First of all- it depends on the bettas personality. You can pick the dullest mildest bottom dweller and there will always be a betta out there that will try and kill it.
 
That being said, that is usually not the case. General rule is: nothing with long flowing fins or brightly colored fins, nothing that nips fins, nothing too closely related, no cichlids, something of a similar size and temperature/pH requirements, and no conspecifics!
 
So, bettas personality allowing, they do well with: Medium rasboras, corydoras, suckermouth catfishes, platys, peaceful tetras (no serpaes, etc.), loaches, peaceful barbs (cherries), African dwarf frogs, snails, and sometimes shrimp- though they often get eaten.

 

[SamB]

I had a betta live happily with neon tetras, an ADF, false julii corycats, and ghost shrimp, before one day eating all the ghost shrimp. I've had a betta live happily with just the corycats. I had a betta who attacked all my corycats. Now all three of my bettas live alone.

 

[stanleo]

ADF? Now there is an idea I hadn't considered. What are their tank size requirements? pH and temp? The tank I am thinking of will be no more than 5gl. I am more than happy to keep just a betta and some snails, I just wonder if there is a fish that can thrive in that small of a tank with a betta?
 
I am going to take my time looking for a bettta though. I am thinking crown tail or big ear. I saw a beautiful crown tail at my LFS that I would have killed for but the funds at the time wouldn't allow it. Seriously, I considered putting him in my shrimp tank and ditch the cherry shrimp idea! But I love that tank so I couldn't.

 

[Shelster]

Stanleo, I found this link just now from this forum:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/382234-betta-fish-compatibility/

 

[tropicalmumma]

I have guppies and bristlenose catfish in with mine and they get along fine.

 

[r.w.girard]

Stanleo, if you are looking to put a betta in a 5 gallon tank, I would first advise that you don't, and then that, if you do, you do not house anything in it apart from the betta and a snail or an ADF.  Because 5 gallons is small and as such nothing else can really thrive.  Plus pollution from feeding will quickly foul the tank.  Of course, recommending ADFs is hard as each one I have kept have died very quickly (4 or 5 of then a long time ago, when I first got started) after introducing disease to all the rest of my tank.  Might just have been the ones I was buying, or rather my partner.  I am sure other people have been more successful.

And don't forget that bettas can be VERY boring creatures.  I, sadly, am the proud owner of one that a friend gave me which seems only to lodge itself in plants face first and not move in the least until fed. That and it killed every shrimp put into the tank, despite being what seemed to be laid back. That and it attacks snails.

 

[Shelster]

I totally disagree, bettas are far from boring!

 

[tropicalmumma]

Ours is not boring.  I said hello to him before and he came right over and gave me a "You talkin' to me?" look.  I swear he listens more intently than the dog who spends a lot of time pretending he can't hear me, particularly if I'm telling him to go outside.

 

[Wildbetta]

And don't forget that bettas can be VERY boring creatures.  I, sadly, am the proud owner of one that a friend gave me which seems only to lodge itself in plants face first and not move in the least until fed. That and it killed every shrimp put into the tank, despite being what seemed to be laid back. That and it attacks snails.
 

 
I highly disagree.  Bettas are very interactive fish and when kept correctly are most certainly not boring.  Most times bettas that are "boring" tend to not have the best living conditions.  Meaning the living space is too small, too cold, or there are tankmates that stress the betta out.  Even the most laid back betta will munch shrimp since it is a natural food source so that is no surprise to me.  
 
I personally do not recommend keeping anything with bettas.  They are solitary fish and do the best alone.  I have kept mine with cory cats, otos, and BN plecos with success.  Other than that I personally do not recommend other small schooling fish.  ADFs have a 50/50 chance of working out.  I have tried it and failed.  Feeding was a major issue in that situation.

 

[r.w.girard]

You all disagree with with the modal verb "can"? Well, that is remarkable.

 

[FungusTrooper]

It was a little bit of a bizarre thing to post in a topic about good tankmates in a betta forum, really. The question wasn't "how active are bettas", it was "what goes well with bettas". You should have expected some backlash.