Betta tank mates

[jrskater1999]

So i have a half moon betta in my 1 gal. Is there any kind of shrimp i could get? Thanks

 

[Ziggs180]

1 Gallon isn't really reccomended for Bettas. I wouldn't stock anything else in with it. If you upgraded to a 5 gallon however, Ghost Shrimp would be your best bet.

 

[phoenixkiller]

I agree to get a bigger tank for the betta. 1 gallon is too small. A five gallon is the best. My opinion with Bettas is that they do best alone. They have superb natural beauty, so no other fish are needed. Just my opinion.

Hope I helped!

 

[ashleynicole]

My betta ate the ghost shrimp... just sayin
oh yes and I think you should have at least a 5 gallon, they really are fantastic when given the space to show off.

 

[Ziggs180]

My betta ate my ghost shrimp as well, I got mystery snail instead.

 

[RedNeck]

Second the mystery snail! I put one in my tank and just love to watch it!

 

[phoenixkiller]

Second the mystery snail! I put one in my tank and just love to watch it!

You can't go wrong with snails. They tend to be one of the very few that are 100% compatible with Bettas.

If you are determined to get a tankmate for your Betta and upgrade him to a 5 gallon, possibly think about snails. Not as exciting as fish though.

 

[DRad2003]

I've had success with ember tetras. My betta is an oddball though. He will school with them sometimes. I also have snails. The baby ones he will swim up to look at then leave alone. Just depends on the temperament of the betta.

 

[Bettaluv]

Switching to a 5 gallon and keeping your betta alone would be ideal. He would be happy, healthy, and thriving. BUT, if you want to keep your betta in that 1 gallon, and plan to add something else, no offense but its crazy. You haven't even made proper conditions for your betta by itself yet! Much less a snail or other small aquatic creature!
Here's what you should do before even considering adding another species to your tank:
1.) GET A 5 GALLON TANK!!! EVEN A 3 GALLON WOULD BE A LOT BETTER FOR YOUR FISH
2.) GET A HEATER!!! I am assuming you don't have one because they don't really make heaters for 1 gallon fish bowls.
3.) Get a low flow filtration system that will not disturb your betta's peaceful swimming and long, flowing fins.
4.) heavily plant your new tank. This is so when you add a new species, it will be safer.

NOW THAT YOU DID ALL THAT:
You could go with a pair of snails, yes 1 pair of snails. No ADFs, no shrimp. If your betta is anything like mine, he will eat those small creatures up in a heartbeat. Monitor them the first twelve hours, and if they are not bothering each other and minding their own business, you can safely leave them together for the night. Make sure to provide lots of caves for your snails though (using mini terra cotta flower pots, small pieces of PVC, or plastic caves you can buy at your local petsmart/petco).
But make sure to have a backup tank(you could use your old one gallon that YOU ARE NO LONGER USING HINT HINT) to put the snails in if things don't work out.

 

[LyndaB]

I can't add much more than that. Excellent post/advice given by Bettaluv.

Bettas are solitary fish and prefer having the tank to themselves. I don't know why everybody tries to force them to be a community species.

 

[jrskater1999]

Switching to a 5 gallon and keeping your betta alone would be ideal. He would be happy, healthy, and thriving. BUT, if you want to keep your betta in that 1 gallon, and plan to add something else, no offense but its crazy. You haven't even made proper conditions for your betta by itself yet! Much less a snail or other small aquatic creature!
Here's what you should do before even considering adding another species to your tank:
1.) GET A 5 GALLON TANK!!! EVEN A 3 GALLON WOULD BE A LOT BETTER FOR YOUR FISH
2.) GET A HEATER!!! I am assuming you don't have one because they don't really make heaters for 1 gallon fish bowls.
3.) Get a low flow filtration system that will not disturb your betta's peaceful swimming and long, flowing fins.
4.) heavily plant your new tank. This is so when you add a new species, it will be safer.

NOW THAT YOU DID ALL THAT:
You could go with a pair of snails, yes 1 pair of snails. No ADFs, no shrimp. If your betta is anything like mine, he will eat those small creatures up in a heartbeat. Monitor them the first twelve hours, and if they are not bothering each other and minding their own business, you can safely leave them together for the night. Make sure to provide lots of caves for your snails though (using mini terra cotta flower pots, small pieces of PVC, or plastic caves you can buy at your local petsmart/petco).
But make sure to have a backup tank(you could use your old one gallon that YOU ARE NO LONGER USING HINT HINT) to put the snails in if things don't work out.

Oh wow guess what?? It isnt a bowl, it is planted, and it has a filter, and i live in Texas where its about 100 degrees so i dont need a heater!

 

[Bettaluv]

I am assuming that it isn't 100 degrees inside your house. ok, so its planted, when you upgrade to a bigger tank (which you should probably consider) you will need MORE PLANTS. Plus, it doesn't matter if it is a tank or a bowl, 1 gallon, is 1 gallon, is 1 gallon. And BTW, how in the world did you get a filtration system for a 1 gallon tank that isn't too strong of a current? Just asking...

 

[ashleynicole]

I've seen 1 gallon tanks with under gravel filters and sponge filters. I don't really like under gravel filters but they are really good at biofiltration no mater what people say.
A 1 gallon filtered tank isn't the worst you could do for a betta. It definitely does not leave room for tank mates unfortunately and yes a bigger set up would be better. However i have seen stick on under tank heaters made for small betta setups and would suggest you try to find something because betta's really prefer stable temperatures and without a heater you temps will fluctuate with your house temperature. They also thrive in temps of 78-82 degrees, so when temps fall below that they will become more listless and lethargic.

And I also want to mention that the water temperature is going to be cooler than your house temperature. I live in FL and it is HOT. I keep my house at 76 degrees year round, but I still heat all my tanks because with the house at 76 degrees, without a heater the tanks stay around 70 which is too cold for tropicals and betta's.

Just some things to think about.

You can get 2-3 gallon setups pretty cheap and the heater and filter I have in my 5 gallons would work. They are both made by hagan for nano tanks and are both affordable.
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Elite-U...D7D4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338946949&sr=8-1
Amazon.com: Elite Submersible Preset Heater Mini, 25-Watt: Pet Supplies


The heater has an adjustable thermostat and the filter has adjustable outflow. I just recently experimented with putting a sponge on the output because the current was kind of fast for my betta even on the lowest setting and the piece of sponge on the outflow works great at dispersing the water outflow.

 

[siva]

A 1 gallon tank will make a great little shrimp set-up, but it isn't suitable for any fish. If I were you, I'd get the betta a 5+ gal for itself, or a larger tank if you want to mix it with some community fish, and then get some colorful dwarf shrimp and do a little planted nano in the 1 gal.

 

[jrskater1999]

A 1 gallon tank will make a great little shrimp set-up, but it isn't suitable for any fish. If I were you, I'd get the betta a 5+ gal for itself, or a larger tank if you want to mix it with some community fish, and then get some colorful dwarf shrimp and do a little planted nano in the 1 gal.

What so i could have a shrimp farm in a 1 gallon??

 

[siva]

Not a farm so much as a display tank. You can breed them in there but of course you'll only be able to keep so many long term. Many species of dwarf shrimp are prolific breeders, but when you had too many in the tank you'd have many options. You could sell them to other hobbyists online, trade for supplies at a lfs, or even throw them in the tank with your betta and let nature take it's course. Dwarf shrimp stay very small and produce very little waste, which is why they are good candidates for smaller tanks like this. Most species won't require a heater which is ideal since a 1 gal can be tricky to heat.

 

[smomus]

You could go with a pair of snails, yes 1 pair of snails. No ADFs, no shrimp. If your betta is anything like mine, he will eat those small creatures up in a heartbeat. Monitor them the first twelve hours, and if they are not bothering each other and minding their own business, you can safely leave them together for the night.

It is fully dependent on the betta if they can live with an adf. While I do agree not to add adf to the 1g, if you were to upgrade to a 5g, try it out! Just give the frogs lots of hiding places.
I have had 3 different bettas in with 4 adf and have not had a problem. My set up is a divided 10g. It currently has a male and a female living separately, each with 2 frogs. The key though....SPACE!

 

[absolutangel04]

Just a friendly reminder to play nicely and stay polite to each other please. Thanks.

 

[jetajockey]

I have an adf and betta together in a 29g. They have only been together for a month or two so far but seem to ignore one another.

 

[ashleynicole]

Like I said i was not suggesting a 1 gallon betta tank. I would recommend 5 gallon minimum but if you already have him in a 1 gallon setup I was offering filtration methods and heating methods. I would suggest upgrading to a 3 gallon minimum ASAP