# Tankmate suggestions..



## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

I know this has been talked about before.. But I get so many conflicting answers. I also know that it all comes down to the personality of the betta and the other fish.. But what fish (from Petsmart, only fish place around me..) would you recommend trying in my 10g with one male betta? I love my betta, but the tank is kind of boring with just him in it. I'm thinking a school of glowlight tetras and a couple ottos? I know ottos are fine with my betta because I've had them in a tank with him before, but what are your experiences with glowlights in a tank with a male betta, if any?


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

I picked up 3 neon tetras. I wanted 5-6, but 3 is all they had in stock so if all goes well I'm going to pick up 3 more next week. So far the betta could care less that they're in the tank. The tetras are just hanging out together exploring the tank.


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## phlyergirl (Nov 6, 2011)

I hope it works out for you.  I had my betta Phineas in with some neon tetras and it seemed cool, but then he got all stressed out and ate half his tail. He was fine for a while and I moved an oto from my other tank into his to eat some of the algae. Now I suppose he's used to having his own space because he chases the oto. He's never hurt it, but he is not a fan of having him there. 

Meanwhile my other betta lives with two ADFs and they are fine. Except when he steals bloodworms right out of their mouths!


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

Yeah so far they seem ok.. But it's only been a couple hours so who knows what will happen in the long run. My betta seems pretty chilled about it. He watches them a little, but isn't showing any form of aggression at them. The tetras don't even seem to notice the betta at all. For the most part, my betta likes the left side of the tank because it's opposite the filter, and the tetras seem to like the right side because of the current. So hopefully they can coexist since they both prefer separate sides of the tank. I had an otto once with my betta, and he chased it around here and there too, lol The otto ended up disappearing though? Not sure if the betta ate it, or it died and just withered away? I didn't see it for two weeks and when I took out all the plants and my cave it was gone.


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

Update: Tetras are still fine. No fin nipping on their part. I did catch the betta ram his head into one of them though. He also likes to get in the middle of them sometimes and kind of scare them off. He hasn't hurt anyone yet, and just seems to be letting them know it's his tank.


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## ZeeZ (Feb 25, 2012)

Is this the same betta you were talking about that your daughter wanted and ended up going to your ex's?


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

ZeeZ said:


> Is this the same betta you were talking about that your daughter wanted and ended up going to your ex's?


Naw, it's my betta I've had over a year. When I set up his new 10g tank a couple months ago, I had planned to add more fish eventually. A sale at Petsmart seemed like the ideal time, lol


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

So I got 3 more neons yesterday. Didn't see the two ghost shrimp in the bag until they were already in my tank, but don't see a problem with having them. One weird thing though, last night I noticed the bigger tetra was moving slowly, and the betta was following him around the tank watching him. Now this morning, the tetra seems to have completely disappeared from the tank? I looked in my cave with a flashlight and didn't see him in there.. I guess when I do my water change today I'll flip over the cave to double check it. Could the tetra have died and been eaten by the other fish? And if so, would that really all go down in one night? I'd think there would be some kind of remains floating around?

Edit: Found him.. I have a small 2-10g filter that's shut off in the tank. I use it for quarantine filter and just let it sit in there to gather bacteria. He was laying inside of it dead.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I would not necessarily attribute that to the Betta. Neons these days are not hardy at all. Don't be surprised if they all die. Unless you see the Betta picking on them enough to stress them out then I wouldn't guess it was him. 

I know that in the last year or two I have heard more about loss of neons. Just not hardy guys anymore. I went with blues from a private breeder in hopes it would be a better scene... no deal. Only 2 of the original 5 made it. That's okay though, they were not nearly as pretty as they look in pictures. I think I have the wrong spectrum of light for them.


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

Mine look really nice with my standard lighting that came with my tanks hood. The blueish green really shines on them. Yeah, I didn't think it was the bettas fault. The tetra was almost double the size of the other 5, so I think he was an older one. Probably was too weak to get past the new tank syndrome. The other 5 seem very healthy so far. The ghost shrimp were getting picked on a little by the betta yesterday, but he just leaves them alone right now. I'm happy the dead tetra ended up were he did though, because if he had any disease, it helped minimize the others getting it because they weren't able to peck at his corpse.

Any other suggestions to other good tankmates would be greatly appreciated. I plan on adding a few more smaller fish in the next couple months.


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

OH NO! The tetras were fine.. Up until I just checked on the tank now.. I put a new filter in there yesterday, and I don't know what it did. But the neons went nuts on my bettas fins. He's completely torn up! My only choice right now is to move the tetras to my other 10g, which already has 2 guppies and 2 mollies, and move their ottos in with the betta. I'm so beyond shocked they all the sudden decided to go after him..

I tried to take some pictures but he won't stay still. This is the best I could get:










I'm wondering if he didn't do this to himself because there's a lot more current in the tank now? It's really only his longest fin that's torn up? I just don't see the little peaceful neons going to town on him like this?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

There is no such thing a peaceful tetra. They are gang members by nature. When they are alone they often chill. But in a group, they can fight within the group for dominance or the whole group can go after a fish. They aren't territorial like cichlids, but that just means you don't know where they will strike next.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

His fins will regrow. If you want, you can float him in a bowl in the tank or buy a breeding trap. That's what I have with my bettas.


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## Doberz (Jun 10, 2011)

emc7 said:


> There is no such thing a peaceful tetra. They are gang members by nature. When they are alone they often chill. But in a group, they can fight within the group for dominance or the whole group can go after a fish. They aren't territorial like cichlids, but that just means you don't know where they will strike next.


They're out of the tank now. I just find it weird that the new filter was put in yesterday, and then this happens today. The betta really hates the new filter, it's a 20g as opposed to the 10g. He gets thrown around a little when he gets in the current. I put it on the lowest setting and put part of a plastic bottle over the outlet to chill out the current a bit. I just hope he'll be ok now. He's pretty old, going blind, and I put him through a lot because he was my "learning" fish. He's been sick multiple times and had fin rot at one point. Now he's all torn up.. But is still acting normal.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

I have a male betta who was blind (who is better) and is very torn up. I put him in a breeding trap and he's happy.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

betta man....i just received a western union telegram from B. Pulcher Splendens..
says he in not happy....wants to go shopping on rodeo drive...and wants a house in Carmel...


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

No, he wants a house in L.A. You must be talking about a different pulcher.


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2012)

You guys crack me up!!!!!!!!


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Get a bit of hornwort and float it in the tank. The betta will use that to rest from the current when he wants, and can still go and play in it when he wants  Both of my Betta that I had in a 10 loved to play in the filter flow.


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