Hi, My old Betta fish recently died. I have an empty tank and i want to get a new one. The tank is a gallon.

When I get my Betta, I want to get it a tankmate. I was thinking about getting a snail, but I also want to get it another fish friend.

First, I know that Bettas are territorial, so the gallon may not be big enough for 2 fish. It's fine for just the betta, with the snail though. I read that the snails help clean up teh waste that the betta leaves, So I think that would be really good for keeping the tank clean. I also had a live plant, I want to get another one because it helps filter the water natrually and keep it cleaner longer. I think the plant, slong with the snail, would help a lot.

So now I just need to know what other fish, if any will fit in with a Betta in a gallon tank and not cause any problems. I want something interesting, and possibly colorful, something that won't cause conflict with my betta and will compliment it's colors.

Any suggestions?

Altenweg

I won't judge the name, my goldfish is Goldie, my feeder fish is Fang.

Congrats on the new fish friend.

shazamataz

Awesome, you will have to post pictures

ohsohappy

When I can find a camera that won't make him look all fuzzy I will! I'm excited! I need to get him a plant though, the tank looks kind of empty , And he likes to hide in corners sometimes.He needs some cover.

ohsohappy

He doesn't seem to want to eat yet. I'm going to keep trying about 3 pellets before bed or when I wake up. I'll make sure to take out what he doesn't eat. i just want to make sure that he has the chance to start eating.

shazamataz

Give him some time to settle in, he will eat when he's ready.

How long did you have the tank set up for before you bought him?

Definitely get some plants for him, I know mine used to like resting on top of the leaves

Altenweg

How big are the pellets that you're feeding him?

When we first got our siamese fighting fish we had to cut the pellets in half, they were to big for him to get in his mouth.

ohsohappy

My boyfriend's mom has fish, and she got the water all prepared for me. The water was ready for about 4 hours. We put it in a clean ice cream bucket for me to take home and use for him. I also made sure that was water was about the same temperature as his little container when I put him in there. it might have been a degree or two off, but it felt pretty much the same.

As for the pellets, my other betta could eat them, and they have the same size mouth. I've seen him take them in and them spit them out. My other betta would do that too sometimes. You're probably right that he needs some time to settle in.

This might sound kind of weird, but my new fish feels like a stranger. I don't know him yet like I knew my other fishy Zavier. I'm still kind of getting used to him. I really like him though. I'm just scared that he's going to die all of the sudden.

I'm super paranoid now, I want to make sure that my fish is as happy as possible.

shazamataz

Aww, he will grow on you eventually
When I got my dog Brody he didn't feel like he was 'my dog' for a few months because he was 1 year old when I got him.

Sounds like you have done everything perfect, whenever we bought fish from the pet store they would hide for a few days behind the plants, once they were settled they came out and were fine.
Except for the clown loaches, We had to do spot checks once a week to make sure they weren't dead because they just hid all the time

XOXOlove

if you get a mate for your fishy make sure it is a female. the males fight each other if you didn't know. i had a beta fish before too. his name was hungry mungry. lol sometimes i would put his bowl next to my sister's beta fish and both of their gills would puff out!

ohsohappy

I think I'll feel better when he has a plant or something. I can tell he's a bit uneasy still, it's like a 6th sense. His tank is just so open on the inside. He's up on my dresser, and there's stuff around his tank, and the sunligh can't affect him too much. I keep hte light on above his tank for about an hour or so just so it stays at a decent temperature. So he's not in dorect sunlight, but he gets a decent amount of warmth.

I also don't think that he knows what to do when Luka (my kitty) decided to jump on the dresser and stick her big furry face to the glass. I' sure it's terrifying.
I'm sure he'll feel more secure when he has a plant to lurk in.

I bet when he feels more secure, then I will too.