Those Poor Beautiful Bettas!

[GouramiFanatic]

Ever since I got a fish tank for work, I can't go into any store now without going to see the fish. I'm so sick and tired of seeing those gorgeous Betta fish being held in those tiny plastic containers just big enough for them to 'exist' in. Often times a good portion of them are dead or on their way out. It's so depressing to see such a beautiful fish being treated with such cruelty!

After a recent trip to a lfs I decided to purchase a 10 gallon tank to keep at home (right now this is the biggest that I can fit in my room). My goal is to rescue a Betta and give it a better home. I wish I could save them all, but at least I'm doing something!

So my question now is should I get just one male, a male and a female, a male and two females, etc.? I know I can't get two males for the same aquarium, but what's the recommended route for Bettas? Also, what else would I be able to put in the same aquarium with the Bettas? I was looking at Dwarf Frogs (probably 1 or 2) and maybe a snail would that be ok in a 10 gallon? Any other suggestions are welcome!

Thanks!
- Mandy

 

[pitt420dude]

Try getting one male and one female, maybe they will breed. I think a male and two females will also probably be ok. Of course it always depends on the fish. Good Luck! Maybe you will get a breeding pair!

 

[krap101]

its suppose to be a male/2 females because after the eggs are dropped the male will chase the female and stress them out.

plus in a 10 gallon just get like 2 tnak dividers and e bettas will get 3.33333333333 gallons of water. which is a pretty good amount. or you can go with 5 gallons a betta

 

[An t-iasg]

For your stocking questions, you could get one male betta, and 4-5 cory cats as tankmates. I haven't put bettas and cories together, but I read that some members have with good results. Bettas can be picky about tankmates -- I would definitely stay away from tetras and guppies. The cories will mostly stay at the bottom of the tank and the betta will stay at mid-level/top of the tank.

Ghost shrimp also can get along with a betta. I did have some ghost shrimp in with my betta, but the shrimp died. Sometimes, bettas will eat ghost shrimp. My betta didn't kill the shrimp, but he kind of pestered it out of curiousity. It's a 50-50 chance if your betta will get along with the shrimp or eat it!

You mentioned a snail -- you could try that too. I would try a snail with my betta, but I'm afraid my water is too soft for the snail's shell. I think my ghost shrimp died for the same reason. It would depend on your betta if he'd get along with a snail. I have read here that bettas and snails get along fine, and I've also read that the betta bit off the snail's antennae.

You could also get 3 or 4 female bettas and some cory cats. I would not put a male and female betta together in this tank -- they will most likely kill each other. The male and female have to be ready to breed, and then they must be "introduced", and if they do breed they must be separated afterwards. They can't live together as tankmates. It may be possible to have a male and female as members of the community tank in a big tank like a 55 gallon, but in a 10 gallon tank, there's bound to be trouble!

 

[RoK]

Yeah, I would not put a male and female together unless they are conditioned and ready to breed. They should not be kept as tank mates, the female will most likely get killed. Dwarf frogs should be fine with it.

 

[redwhiptailplec]

It is always heart rending to see those beautiful Bettas in such horrible conditions even if they can survive them. I can never decide whether buying one is saving that fish or encouraging the shops to go on selling them. I have tried complaining, saying I could survive locked in a tiny box for years if I were fed etc. but I know I bloomi' well wouldn't enjoy it, but you just get shrugs.....*sigh*

 

[redwhiptailplec]

Oh and consider buying a Betta from Aquabid or some specialist Betta site. They will cost you more money, but they are much more beautiful fish, have better bloodlines and will have been treated a whole lot better. This way you would not be encouraging LFS keeping Bettas in squalid cramped conditions.

That said I understand perfectly that it is a heck of a lot cheaper to buy a $4 Betta from a LFS than to spend $25 online, and it does no harm really.

 

[GouramiFanatic]

Thanks everyone!

For your stocking questions, you could get one male betta, and 4-5 cory cats as tankmates.

Is a 10 gallon big enough to house this many Cories? I've read that they should be kept in at least a 30 gallon tank, especially in a school of this size.

If keeping that many Cories really is ok to do in a 10 gallon, then I have my stocking list made up.

1 Male Betta
4-5 Julii Corydoras
1 Snail

After doing some more research, I've decided to stay away from African Dwarf Frogs for now. Maybe I'll try to make the room to purchase another small aquarium for the frogs alone. If for some reason the Betta doesn't approve of it's tankmates, I'll either transfer some to my tank at work or as a last resort, I'll return them to the lfs.

Thanks again!
- Mandy

 

[Guest]

A cool 10 gallon tank would be 2 ADFs, 2 Corys, and 2 tetras of your choice. Man, I really hope I'm not getting MTS!

 

[An t-iasg]

Yes, I was kind of thinking about the cories. They do like to be in groups, so for that reason I wouldn't have too few of them. In the 10 gallon tank, they will be the major bio-load, and the betta will be almost negligible. So, I'll say 4 cories, which accounts for the available space and the fact that they like to be in groups. It's also a very good idea, like you have planned, to have a backup plan for the betta just in case he doesn't like the cories.

 

[RoK]

Just curious what is the reason you want to stay away from the frogs, for now? They do fine with fish.

 

[Steven A]

I to feel sorry for the bettas in small containers they dont have chance to show there true buety wich every one know they have. I had one before in my 3 foot, when he came from a plastic breeding trap in one of the stores near me.

 

[GouramiFanatic]

Just curious what is the reason you want to stay away from the frogs, for now? They do fine with fish.

I've read mixed reviews on combining fish and frogs. Some say they get along great while others say it's a bad mixture because they each need different water conditions. I guess I'm just trying to take the easiest route by avoiding as much problems as possible.

Also, if I get a Betta and a small school of Cories I really don't want to overstock the tank. Being such a small tank to begin with (10 gal) I'm already limited to what I can keep in it. Who knows, maybe once everything's set up I'll change my mind and get a frog or two. We'll have to wait and see.

- Mandy