Bettas

[The Trooper]

My concern would be the barbs picking on the betta if i'm honest :?

 

[Sk3lly]

That's an awesome name If you really want other fish with your betta I would suggest a 10 gallon tank and fish that stay near the middle and bottom. If you look up videos on YouTube "betta community tank" it may give you an idea. People have gotten lucky with keeping bettas with tank mates that "aren't acceptable" it really depends on how aggressive your little fella is and one way to find out is to put him with other fish and see how he does. Always keep a spare tank in case it doesn't work. I did read you have a 3 gal tank for him. You could always add java moss and other plants and get some shrimp? It's also a hit and miss, he might make a meal of them. I had a male betta closely resembling yours with ghost shrimp in a 5 gallon without a problem. Little guy got sick on me one day though and didn't end well. If you do want to go the route of a bigger tank you would likely need to cycle the tank. Bettas can live in crappier water conditions (in those little cups!) but they come up for air so it's a little different. Most fish are sensitive to ammonia and nitrites in the water. Sorry for so much info! Bettas are one of the fish I actually know a bit about.

Actually it was my thread and its 24 gallon not a 3 gallon