Finding a tank mate for male betta

[Sarah]

I have a male betta who is housed in a five gallon tank. I would like
a couple of tank mates for him but I'm not sure who to put in there
with him. I was thinking that 3-4 pygmy cories would do nicely. Can
anyone make any suggestiong? Or let me know if pygmy cories would be
a good choice?

Sarah

[NetMax]

"Sarah" > wrote in message
om...
> I have a male betta who is housed in a five gallon tank. I would like
> a couple of tank mates for him but I'm not sure who to put in there
> with him. I was thinking that 3-4 pygmy cories would do nicely. Can
> anyone make any suggestiong? Or let me know if pygmy cories would be
> a good choice?
>
> Sarah

Most bottom feeders do not illicit too much interest from a Betta. Avoid
any fish which might pester him, or nip his fins. Most Bettas are not
very tolerant of the constant activity generated by danios. Bettas are
carnivores, so do not mix with tiny fish (good for fry control). They
also need to 'secure' their territory of distractions to any future
wandering female Bettas, so besides not being able to put another male
Betta in there, most male guppies would fare badly as well (tail is just
too flashy) ymmv. Otherwise, the list of potential tank-mates is quite
long, including African Dwarf frogs (bottom feeders to the Betta's top
feeding behaviour) and large snails (algae control for small spaces).
Remember that Bettas IMHO, are the least predictable fish in fish retail,
so ymmv.

NetMax

[Sarah]

"Tiny fish" I guess would in include pygmy cories. I know fish are
individuals but my betta seems to be a bit aggressive (I've seen him
flaring at the gold platies I have in my other tanks), so I should
prolly shy away from the pygmies. Are there any cories that I can put
in there by themselves and that won't outgrow the tank in 3 months?

I'm afraid to go with a snail because I don't want to inadvertedly
infest my tank with them. A frog sounds interesting but I know
absolutely nothing about amphibians (other than I managed to kill one
when I was a kid :( ).

Sarah


"NetMax" > wrote in message >...
> "Sarah" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I have a male betta who is housed in a five gallon tank. I would like
> > a couple of tank mates for him but I'm not sure who to put in there
> > with him. I was thinking that 3-4 pygmy cories would do nicely. Can
> > anyone make any suggestiong? Or let me know if pygmy cories would be
> > a good choice?
> >
> > Sarah
>
> Most bottom feeders do not illicit too much interest from a Betta. Avoid
> any fish which might pester him, or nip his fins. Most Bettas are not
> very tolerant of the constant activity generated by danios. Bettas are
> carnivores, so do not mix with tiny fish (good for fry control). They
> also need to 'secure' their territory of distractions to any future
> wandering female Bettas, so besides not being able to put another male
> Betta in there, most male guppies would fare badly as well (tail is just
> too flashy) ymmv. Otherwise, the list of potential tank-mates is quite
> long, including African Dwarf frogs (bottom feeders to the Betta's top
> feeding behaviour) and large snails (algae control for small spaces).
> Remember that Bettas IMHO, are the least predictable fish in fish retail,
> so ymmv.
>
> NetMax

[Anna Hayward]

In article >, Sarah
> writes
>I'm afraid to go with a snail because I don't want to inadvertedly
>infest my tank with them.

Apple snails lay their eggs out of the water, so it's just a matter of
checking under the hood periodically and scraping off the egg mass with
a tissue (it's a hard bundle so not yucky to remove). I bred them on
purpose a while back.

> A frog sounds interesting but I know
>absolutely nothing about amphibians (other than I managed to kill one
>when I was a kid :( ).

I gather these are not as amphibious as your average pond frog. One
problem is they are a bit polluting of the water.
--
Anna Hayward, Alien Visitor
Email me at: alienvisitor AT ratbag DOT demon DOT co DOT uk

Anna's Pregnancy, Parenting and Autism page:
http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna/

[Lady Samsara]

"NetMax" > wrote in message >...
> now top-posting :o)
> I think a few pygmy corys would be fine. Betta's have small mouths.
> Flaring is just his way of reinforcing the notion that he is top dog. If
> all he does is flare, then you are ok. Remember that the Platys will
> cross the Betta's territory much more than a cory.
>
> Apple snails leave the water to lay a pod of pink eggs, and then turn
> around (sometimes, but not usually, getting lost). It usually requires
> some human intervention to get the eggs to hatch, and to keep the babys
> from getting eaten. Because of this, they are not prolific breeders such
> as pond snails. Applesnail.net has lots of info. Be warned that snails
> can be surprisingly entertaining and personable.
>
> The African dwarf frogs (ADFs) are air breathers, but otherwise
> completely aquatic (no above water resting spots are needed or
> advisable). They can be picky eaters (as Bettas can be) and their diet
> is covered by the same foods typically provided to Bettas (bloodworms,
> tubifex worms, brine shrimp, Bio-gold pellets, red grubs, shrimp pellets
> and Betta flakes). If you give your Betta a variety of foods, and the
> ADF is healthy and not harassed by anyone, then they are generally low
> maintenance critters, providing a unique & interesting addition to your
> tank's activity level.
>
> Another frog often seen in the LFS is the Clawed African frog. These
> characters get big and will eat any fish they can catch & fit in their
> mouth. Beware.
>
> NetMax
>
> "Sarah" > wrote in message
> om...
> > "Tiny fish" I guess would in include pygmy cories. I know fish are
> > individuals but my betta seems to be a bit aggressive (I've seen him
> > flaring at the gold platies I have in my other tanks), so I should
> > prolly shy away from the pygmies. Are there any cories that I can put
> > in there by themselves and that won't outgrow the tank in 3 months?
> >
> > I'm afraid to go with a snail because I don't want to inadvertedly
> > infest my tank with them. A frog sounds interesting but I know
> > absolutely nothing about amphibians (other than I managed to kill one
> > when I was a kid :( ).
> >
> > Sarah
> <snip>

I have had my male Betta with both snails and ADF's. He never seemed
interested in either and all got along fine. He would flash the frogs
a dirty look sometimes if they got too rambunctious...lol. He always
wanted to be close to the snail foe some reason, his fins just grazing
the snail's shell. The critters added lots of entertainment to the
tank.

[Anna Hayward]

Sarah,
>I do have a question about brine shrimp though. I feed my betta some
>freeze-dried blood worms, betta pellets, and flakes. I keep reading
>that brine shrimp is a real treat for bettas. How exactly do I feed him
>these? I know bettas will eat themselves to death so you can't just
>leave them in the tank. Also mine will not eat anything off the bottom
>of the tank, only things that are floating. When I fed the worms to the
>frogs, the betta ate the worms that were floating but disregarded any
>that had fallen to the gravel (good for the frogs). Do the shrimp float,
>or do they just sink to the bottom of the tank?

Maybe your betta isn't all that bright? Or maybe he's just young (bless
'im!). If you have frogs in there I wouldn't worry so much about food
dropping to the bottom, and once you get a snail you definitely don't
need to worry.

Shrimp do float to the bottom - unless they're alive, of course! You
could breed your own live shrimps to feed him. You can even get them in
the supermarket - they call them Sea Monkeys (just don't tell any little
kids what you plan to do with them!). Extract the brine shrimps with a
pipette, rinse them in a bowl of fresh water and then suck them up and
pop them in the betta tank. Evil, but fun <cackle>
--
Anna Hayward, Alien Visitor
mailto:

Anna's Pregnancy, Parenting and Autism page:
http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna/