friends for my betta?

[bud29]

If you post a "wanted" ad in the classifieds section, you could probably find some people with cheap rcs. There was someone on there who was selling them for $1 a shrimp. Sadly, I think he is now out of them.

 

[linds3y]

Awh man, I'll have to look cuz at my lfs the rcs are $4 each. I'm not home any regular hours so I'd have to figure out a way to get them held at the post office for me to pick up too..

 

[hellaasian]

Maybe blue cobalt goby and badis

 

[linds3y]

That goby is awesome

 

[bud29]

The male gobies are somewhat territorial, though, so I am not sure how good of a betta tankmate it would be. They also need lots of filtration and current which bettas hate.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Small shrimp could get eaten by the ghosts if not the betta. Ghost shrimp are actually carnivores. Cajun dwarf crawfish are a possibility. I have neons with my betta and they're great together. Harlequins are a fine idea. Really, anything small without long fins should be okay.

 

[bud29]

I wouldn't recommend harlequin rasbora in a 10 gallon. They are very active and really should be kept in no less than a 20 gallon.

 

[linds3y]

Cajun dwarf crawfish? Tell me about this, that sounds interesting. I have 9 neons in my 15 gallon and I could move a few over to the bettas tank but I was leaning more towards inverts.

 

[bud29]

The cajun dwarf crayfish would probably be your best bet if you are looking for a crayfish for your tank.

 

[linds3y]

I was thinking more along the lines of shrimp and snails possibly fish, but this crawfish is interesting.

 

[bud29]

Yeah, shrimp would be a much better option than the crayfish IMO, crayfish can be aggressive. But, if you really want a crayfish, the Cajun Dwarf would probably be one of the better options. Once again, though, if it were my tank I would do rcs. It would make me feel better, knowing that there isn't a chance of my fish being eaten.

 

[linds3y]

Yeah I think I'll look into a few different types of shrimp, maybe some crystal red crystal black with some rcs or even blueberry crystal. If I can find any

 

[bud29]

Great! IMO that is the better option. Be aware, though, that if you mix blueberry shrimp and red cherry shrimp they will likely interbreed and revert back to their brown state.

 

[linds3y]

What about the crystal and red cherry? Will they interbreed?

 

[bud29]

The crystal shrimp are Cardina and the cherry reds are Neocardina so they will not interbreed.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Cajun dwarf crawfish don't eat fish at all. They're smaller and way more peaceful than ghost shrimp. Pretty much harmless. RCS and CRS are likely to be eaten by your betta so add them at your own risk. The dwarf crawfish could possibly be eaten by the betta but not nearly as likely as shrimp. If you want some cool snails check out horned nerites. Pretty awesome looking and useful to boot!

 

[bud29]

Cajun dwarf crawfish don't eat fish at all. They're smaller and way more peaceful than ghost shrimp. Pretty much harmless. RCS and CRS are likely to be eaten by your betta so add them at your own risk. The dwarf crawfish could possibly be eaten by the betta but not nearly as likely as shrimp. If you want some cool snails check out horned nerites. Pretty awesome looking and useful to boot!

I doubt that rcs and crs would be eaten by the betta if the ghost shrimp were not eaten.

 

[Billbug68]

I wouldn't recommend harlequin rasbora in a 10 gallon. They are very active and really should be kept in no less than a 20 gallon.

But you would suggest neons in a 10g? I've even heard harlequins suggested for a 5g... I think they'd be fine.

 

[Billbug68]

IME shrimp are def hit or miss with bettas, put RCS in with my female, had a total of 11, now 3 remain. I watched her nearly choke down an entire shrimp. Put ghosties in with my male, not a nip or a flare. Now is that their separate personalities? Could be, or could be the bright red of the RCS. No way to tell. Another thing to consider, at my LFS RCS-$3.99, Ghosties $0.37... I'd just keep a bunch of ghosties, a few cool snails, and one group of schooling/shoaling fish with him. You could definitely also do the Pygmy Cories or perhaps some Otos, although I've NEVER seen pygmy cories in stock anywhere.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I doubt that rcs and crs would be eaten by the betta if the ghost shrimp were not eaten.

RCS and CRS have no means to defend themselves and are way smaller (ie. easy prey) while ghosts can actually give a mildly aggressive fish a little nip to warn it to back off. There really is a difference, at least to most bettas.