Betta Tank!

[NikNak]

I finally got my Betta the proper tank size! 5 gallons! And its pretty nice if I do say so myself.
The betta I have is a King Half-moon Male. Pretty large in size and rather feisty as well. I was curious what is compatible with this betta or if the tank would be too small to support perhaps shrimp or whatever else is suggested. Not to many of course but just sheer curiosity.

All help is very appreciated!

 

[Shadowraven]

I think that the best companions for your Betta would be shrimp. They have a very low bioload and would help in keeping the tank clean. Since this is a small freshwater tank I would suggest maybe 6 RCS. You can find out more about them here: http://www.planetinverts.com/Red%20Cherry%20Shrimp.html.

Here is a great link to follow if you would like to learn more about shrimp: http://www.planetinverts.com/shrimp_species.html

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Get the biggest shrimp you can fine, I have heard from members on here that some shrimp like RCS can get eaten.

 

[siva]

In a 5 gal the only options really are snails and shrimp. I keep a nerite in all of my betta tanks to take care of any algae clean up. Unfortunately I haven't had much luck keeping shrimp alive in there...you might want to try some cheap ghost shrimp first and see if they last. In general, I have had better luck with bettas and colorless shrimp than colored.

Did you cycle the 5 gal?

I'm considered because I don't see a heater...bettas thrive at 80F. Without a heater they will be prone to illness such as velvet.

Also, sadly, I believe you have non aquatic plants in there that will just rot and foul your water I can see the one on the right is...I believe that's the one they often sell as "gold ribbon" in those little plastic tubes. I can't tell about that one in the back left from the photo though. It looks like it could possibly be a "peacock fern" which is also not aquatic.

 

[Shadowraven]

Forgot about their size but bruinsbro is right. Larger shrimp only with a Betta, but they will still have a low bioload, even with 6.

 

[Emclenaghan]

I like your tank! What about adding an ADF- African dwarf frog?

Would also love to see a pic of your Betta!

 

[siva]

IMO bettas and ADF's both require a min. of 5 gals to themselves and shouldn't be mixed in a 5 gal. They are dangerous to mix in any tank however as they can easily injure eachother.

 

[NikNak]

Indeed I installed a heater. Its an older one from a past tank that works perfectly but the tank is now at a lovely 78-80 degrees
When you mentioned the plants that concerned me. Dang petco person said they were safe to have in the 5 gallon tank. What a con artist. Thats disappointing. Then again its always helpful that I have a million plastic ones laying around. Indeed it's been cycling for a while now. Had to soak the drift wood for a week and my oldest brother said that it's good to cycle the tank for up to 3 weeks to make sure ammonia and everything else are safe for the betta.

 

[siva]

And by cycling you mean you were dosing the tank with ammonia for 3 weeks before adding the fish and had a reading of zero ammo and zero nitrite or...? Most cycles tank longer than 3 weeks. The only ammonia level safe for fish is 0. Here are some helpful links about cycling:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!