What can i keep in a 10 gallon with betta?

[a.tetreault]

hi, i currently have a 10 gallon tank that i am using to quarantine new fish for my 75 gallon, when im all done with buying new fish and when i am sure i wont need to remove any i would like to setup my 10 gallon with some new fish. i was considering a betta for sure, as a centerpiece fish but am not sure what (or how many) other tankmates i could add. here is what i was thinking of.

African Dwarf Frogs
Mystery/Apple Snail
Albino Corys

I dont really mind not having other actual fish but if you have some suggestions that arent too risky i will consider them. Im really just wondering how many of each i could add and if they are all compatible in a 10 gallon. Im more used to African Cichlids and really have no experience at all with other fish

 

[a.tetreault]

someone pleeeease answer im a newbie at any other fish other then cichlids

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi!
I wouldn't recommend albino cories for a 10g they get too large. Look into the pygmy cories. I know nothing about ADFs so I'll leave that one.
If you want a Betta it really depends on his/her personality if you could have tank mates. Some will tolerate other fish some will not. I'd recommend ember or neon tetras or harlequin rasboras.

 

[Koikid88]

Well all bettas are different, but you still have a decent variety, but limited with tank size.


Never owned a frog so I'm not sure, but I've never seen them mixed with anything at the store. Snails are fine, clean up crews are always a good idea.

All you have to do is make sure the fish doesn't have long, colourful fins. Even medium fins, if they have a flowing effect to them, like guppies and platys, it's like a target for the betta.

On the other hand, the common misconception is that bettas are the bullies of the tank. Most of the time, it's the bettas being nipped at. Stay away from anything known for fin nipping or being aggressive, no matter how small.

Tetras like neons, cardinals, glowlights add colour with neutral aggression. Make sure you have a small school though.
You could get a small school of pencil fish or albino half beaks.


You may regret using your QT tank though...

 

[siva]

A 10 gal makes an awesome ADF tank. I would recommend a sponge filter, so they cannot get caught in the filter intake and drown, and an adjustable heater so you can keep the temp at 80. An apple snail may work OK with the frogs, but they may damage it. They can get quite rough. A species tank is best for them as they are nearly blind and cannot compete well for food with fish. I keep a nerite snail with mine and that combo has worked out great. Because they find their food by smell, it's best to feed in the same place every time so they know where to find the food, and less goes to waste. I use a feeding dish which has dramatically reduced the amount of uneaten food I have to suck out. ADF's will really appreciate live plants, but fake is OK as long as there are no sharp spots that could harm their sensitive skin. Silk is best if you're going fake. Same for artifical decor and wood, make sure the edges are smooth. Also make sure all decor is firmly planted in the substrate. After they surface for air, they often dive back down hard and can knock something over and get pinned, which will of course cause them to drown. I'd recommend atleast a 2:1 female to male ratio. This can be tricky because the shops usually sell them young, and they are hard to sex at that size, but males have a little bump under the armpits and females do not. They should be fed frog & tadpole bites, frozen foods like bloodworms and brine shrimp, and/or live foods only as their digestive systems are senstive.

If you want to do a betta instead, you could do a school of small fish like neon tetras, ember tetras, dadios, or micro rasboras. Habrosus cories would be a great option, but I wouldn't get anything larger. Habrosus, pygmaeus, and hastatus are the tiny ones that will work in a tank that size.

 

[a.tetreault]

Hmm I keep reading that betas are compatible with the frogs but I guess not? So if I got the frog I could possibly do a snail, if I get the Betta I could do a snail and a small group of fish? And Pygmy cories? Would African dwarf frogs be compatible with Pygmy cories? Or just a snail. Sorry for all the questions just wanna make sure I won't be doing this for a while anyway but thought I might as well get some information.

 

[LyndaB]

hi, i currently have a 10 gallon tank that i am using to quarantine new fish for my 75 gallon, when im all done with buying new fish and when i am sure i wont need to remove any i would like to setup my 10 gallon with some new fish.

I would highly recommend that you hang onto the 10 gallon as a quarantine tank in case you have a fish that needs to be treated for illness outside of the main tank.

 

[skiweeangel]

Good for you for researching before doing. As for ADFs with bettas I would differ to siva, but it all comes down to the Betta. I have successfully kept both ADFs and a Betta in a 10gal but always have a backup plan.

 

[a.tetreault]

i was actually planning on buying a 20 gallon and not setting it up unless i need to quarantine a fish, 10 gallon will be too small for most of my fish when they are fully grown even if i only had to keep them in there for 2 weeks. i would just grab some filter media from my 75 and throw it in there with some of the water from the 75 aswell. If i really needed to remove a fish i do have a 5 gallon spare tank that i could put the betta in. So would it be safe to do both ADF's and a betta in the ten gallon? should it be heavily planted if i do? and how many ADF's should i add? i would also like to leave room for a snail but if its not possible that is fine too, thanks for all the great advice so far everyone

 

[siva]

You will read they are compatible and that they are not. All I can tell you is my opinion based on my experiences which is that ADF's are not compatible with fish. Not the betta or cories. I've had frogs try to attack me when feeding, so I'm sure they wouldn't think twice about going after a betta. I've heard countless stories of frogs killed by bettas as well. It's totally up to you if the risk is worth it. If you are keeping them with fish, you will need to hand feed them.

If it's a species only tank, I find 7 frogs works great. If you're keeping with fish...I guess 3.

 

[a.tetreault]

hmm okay well that gives me some things to think about. i was planning on getting a fairly expensive betta so i dont want to risk too much.

 

[siva]

Oh cool. Do you know which type you want to get?

 

[a.tetreault]

for a betta? i was either thinking the half moon type, which would be pretty expensive to have shipped, or just a crowntail i need to find "the one" first

 

[mudraker]

FYI, Crowntails are usually more aggressive than other domesticated varieties.

I kept ADFs with bettas for years (over ten) and never had aggression issues between the two.

Just be sure you get true ADF and not a very similar variety of clawed frog that LFS sometimes sell as ADF. It is very difficult to distinguish the two varieties.

 

[siva]

Look up photos of african dwarf frogs and african clawed frogs and pay attention to the front feet and the eyes. Those are the easiest way to tell them apart when they are real young. They look quite different.