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?

J_9

We had a betta fish that lived a long and happy life with a little frog friend.

ohsohappy

OH! I like frogs!

That would be cool! Did you keep it in a gallon tank as well?

J_9

Yup, it was a gallon octagon tank we kept in our bathroom. Hubby is on the way to get a new beta fish now for our 7 year old.

ohsohappy

Ohh that's cool.
I was also thinking of a glofish. I called the pet store adn they said that if you pair them with Bettas, you need a 10 gallon tank for maximum cooperation and that it's best to get a couple of live plants and some hiding spaces for them.

shazamataz

I don't know whether or not ours was just a weird fish but we had a Siamese Fighter in a 4 foot tank with a bunch of other fish...
Discus, clown loaches, silver sharks, gouramis he was fine, he used to just hang out in the plants at the back of the tank and didn't bother anyone..

Only thing I think you really have to avoid is fish with large colorful fine.

ohsohappy

How many gallons was your 4 foot tank?

Altenweg

Ohso, don't get a snail, they don't need a mate to reproduce. You buy one and end up with a tan full of them.

My dad got a snail and after that we were giving them away by the handful and they still overran the tank.

We had a siamese fighting fish that lived very happily in a 5 gallon tank with our goldfish. Of course you could always get a female beta.

ohsohappy

Really? I thought they did, but maybe that's slugs, YUCK.

Does anyone think it's a bad idea to put a beta in a tank with glo fish? I heard if you get glo fish then you need a 10 gallon because they are community fish, so you should get them in 3 or more, and they need more room to swim around. But I think a 10 gallon is a bit excessive. Would a 6 gallon be okay?

Altenweg

The usual rule for fish is 1 gallon per inch. So, if you have a fish that's 5 inches long then you need a 5 gallon tank and can't add anymore fish.

Betas fall into the 2 inch category but are not very active fish. Still, I find it cruel that many people think it's okay to keep them in tiny little bowls, even cups.

My dad had a 30 gallon tank with many different fish, usually Neons (also betas) and angel fish, etc. etc. He always had a siamese fighting fish in the tank and there were never any problems.

Just keep to the 1 inch per gallon rule and you should be fine, but take into account the growth of the fish you buy. Ask the store how big they'll get before purchasing.