Trusted compatibility chart

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sallyjano

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
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Location
Laguna Niguel, CA
I am looking around and I seeing different freshwater compatibility charts with conflicting information regarding what fish do well together.

Can someone please share or direct me to a chart which has trusted good information?

Thanks!
 
Yes they can. Just not with other males of fish that have long flowing fins like theirs. They can be pretty peaceful fish, just not with other males of their own kind. haha


Haha well I have a spare 25 litre tank. 11.3g tank and I am looking at getting a male. Any suggestions for a tank mate?
 
A small school of tetras or danios. Say 6-7. They are peaceful and relaxing to watch.
 
Well it depends on what you like. You will want peaceful fish, and look on liveaquaria.com and look at peaceful fish that can live in 10G tanks. I personally like Neon Tetras, but you could also get a snail or some colorful small shrimp.
 
Yes they can. Just not with other males of fish that have long flowing fins like theirs.

I would say this is true for roughly half of male bettas. The problem with bettas is that they have widely varying temperaments, which is why most compatibility charts err on the side of caution and say they can't be kept with anything else. I have successfully kept bettas with a wide variety of fish, including supposed no-nos such as guppies, gourami, and other flowy finned fish without issue. Success relies on picking out a betta with the right temperament as well as how you introduce them to each other. Adding them last (so they don't see newcomers as intruders on their territory) and floating them in a breeder box/net for several days before releasing them alongside their new tankmates goes a long ways towards making sure you don't have aggression issues.

Females are another story entirely. They hide their feelings toward their tankmates and can suddenly snap... This is why I generally avoid them other than species sorority tanks. Males generally will show you right off the bat who they'll attack vs ignore ;)
 
If I add both at the same time but put the Betta in last would this might keep him less aggressive to the little guys?
 
As long as your tank has cycled to keep the fish not stressed you will be fine in my opinion. Stress may make the fish (and people) snap. I have had a couple bettas with no issues but I would stick with a male
 
I am thinking of a male Betta and some snails, RCS and/or small underwater frogs.
 
I am getting Red Cherry Shrimp too with my snails. Just so you know, they are graded on quality (darkness of red). You can buy some from people on here in the classifieds or on aquabid.com. You can easily have 10-20
 
Any tips on what shrimps and snails to put in with the Betta? Preferably shrimps and snails that mix and don't reproduce.

Thanks
 
Nerite snails will not reproduce and can have pretty shells. It's best to let the tank grow some algae before adding them so they have food, but you can get by earlier if you supplement them with wafers/veggies.

Amano shrimp will not reproduce and are excellent algae eaters. Again, they do best if you add them after there's algae in the tank, but can be supplemented via wafers/veggies.

Adding both the betta and the other inhabitants are fine aggression wise as long as you've gotten the biofilter ready beforehand, otherwise you could go into a mini-cycle and cause aggression. If you go with african dwarf frogs, I highly recommend using frozen food and spot feeding them via a turkey baster or tweezers, as bettas tend to be pigs and will steal the frogs food without spot feeding and possibly distraction.
 
I am looking around and I seeing different freshwater compatibility charts with conflicting information regarding what fish do well together.



Can someone please share or direct me to a chart which has trusted good information?



Thanks!


No one can say for sure what will work and what won't

Many factors play a part like tank size and decor

Most comm tanks just boil down to common sense

Like you would put a goldfish with a piranha
 
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