Hello!
I currently have a 10 gallon set up (standard 10 gallon tank, tetra whisper filter, preset heater at 78 Fahrenheit, gravel substrate, some artificial plants, small Malaysian driftwood, and a live Cabomba plant and a moss ball) with a male dumbo betta. He isn't overly aggressive (doesn't flare at fingers like I know some bettas do) but isn't entirely docile either. I've showed him videos of other fish as a sort of experiment and he watches from a sideways position and sometimes flares his fins but shows considerably more aggression when shown images of other male bettas, understandably.
I'd like to get some sort of bottom-feeder for the tank to help in the maintenance and add another level of interest into the tank. A fair amount of food goes wasted as the moment it hits the gravel, the betta loses interest in it (I feed floating pellets but sometimes they sink and he chases them as if hunting). I don't have a preference as far as fish/invert goes. I'd consider snails but I have had problems with them breeding rapidly in the past and also fear they might escape as I don't have a lid on the tank. I can't get a species that relies on algae as a food source (such as otocinclus) as the tank is new and has not had any growth yet. A species with a shorter lifespan (around three years or less) would be perfect for me but this is not a necessity, just a helpful factor when it comes to the final decision.
Is there a species you would recommend?
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!
I currently have a 10 gallon set up (standard 10 gallon tank, tetra whisper filter, preset heater at 78 Fahrenheit, gravel substrate, some artificial plants, small Malaysian driftwood, and a live Cabomba plant and a moss ball) with a male dumbo betta. He isn't overly aggressive (doesn't flare at fingers like I know some bettas do) but isn't entirely docile either. I've showed him videos of other fish as a sort of experiment and he watches from a sideways position and sometimes flares his fins but shows considerably more aggression when shown images of other male bettas, understandably.
I'd like to get some sort of bottom-feeder for the tank to help in the maintenance and add another level of interest into the tank. A fair amount of food goes wasted as the moment it hits the gravel, the betta loses interest in it (I feed floating pellets but sometimes they sink and he chases them as if hunting). I don't have a preference as far as fish/invert goes. I'd consider snails but I have had problems with them breeding rapidly in the past and also fear they might escape as I don't have a lid on the tank. I can't get a species that relies on algae as a food source (such as otocinclus) as the tank is new and has not had any growth yet. A species with a shorter lifespan (around three years or less) would be perfect for me but this is not a necessity, just a helpful factor when it comes to the final decision.
Is there a species you would recommend?
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!
