Tank mates??

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cheeesymelon

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
35
Could i add any fish to my 4 gal tank with a very old betta? My betta is very old now (about 2 years old) and he is starting to get less active! He still moves but there isn't really much to watch! Could i add any fish? Even just one catfish?
 
Well you should try interacting with him more. 2 years old is NOT OLD.

And there are some nano fish, or you could do some bigger shrimp like Ammanos. Remember in a 4, it may be ok or it may not with other fish. What are the dimmensions of the tank? What type of Betta?

But you should do some interaction or get him some toys or decor if he has nothing to occupy his mind.
 
Well you should try interacting with him more. 2 years old is NOT OLD.

And there are some nano fish, or you could do some bigger shrimp like Ammanos. Remember in a 4, it may be ok or it may not with other fish. What are the dimmensions of the tank? What type of Betta?

But you should do some interaction or get him some toys or decor if he has nothing to occupy his mind.
Could i add 2 corydoras or a couple of red cherry shrimp or ghost shrimps?
 
the lowball recommendation for a betta is at least five gallon.
The better recommendation for a betta is at least 10 gallon
however i think the more space you offer, the more personality you will see from him. This is from experience. I keep my male betta in a 55 gallon community tank and he puts the activity level of every other betta i have seen to shame. Plus the more space you have the more fish you can have...plus more decor. also the more stable your water parameters will be.
also 2 years old is not old at all. I think the average is 5 years and that's only that low because people don't take good care of them. There are bettas at universities that are at least 10 years old.

Shrimp can be sensitive to water parameter fluctuations. so a four gallon i don't think is stable enough to safely keep shrimp
i also don't think you could add more than one or two 1 inch fish to your tank. Corydoras like to be in large groups. plus i don't think your tank is big enough for the activity level of corydoras.

are you doing water changes for you betta?
Are you using water conditioner?
Do you have a heater? a filter (though with a tank so small you might not need one if you were on top of your water changes)?
I ask this because your betta is still pretty young for you to think he is old. however bettas do like mental stimulation (which a bigger tank could help with) so you might want to try moving the decor in his tank around a little?
 
Check your water. Make sure water is good. A 50% water change may perk up your boy, as long as it's not a huge diff in temp or parameters.

Low temp can make them lethargic.

Overfeeding can cause issues. Offer 1/2 of frozen/thawed/skinned green pea 1x weekly to prevent constipation.

4g is ok for a Betta. I would NOT add any other fish.

A couple of Ghost Shrimp might survive. Cherry Shrimp may just be a snack. I tried it with mine. Added at night, lots of plants...hard no. Killed in front of me.

Corydoras even tiny species need at least 10g. They prefer groups and need swim room groups.

Some Bettas are calm, some are killers.

My Bettas average 5yrs.

It's possible he was older when you got him.

Water quality
78-80f temp
Live plants
Indian Almond Leaf ( or a piece) will add to his comfort
New foods. Live or frozen but tiny amounts.
 
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