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is there any fish at all that would be ok to add with a betta im wanting to get one but want to add more with it and which is better to get female or male i know the males are more colorful but which is better really to put which other fish if any?

Hi,

It is definitely possible to put other fish in with a betta and there are many options available to you.

As with any other fish combination / community tank you need to consider the needs and temperaments of the species you are going to be combining. What size tank are we talking about and do you have any particular combination in mind?

As a general guide - unless you have lots of tank space combining multiple male bettas is a no-no, as is anything that will nip at the flowy fins of a betta, anything that a male betta may mistake for another male betta (ie showy guppies), or anything that will fit in the bettas mouth (ie small shrimp).

Multiple female bettas can often be housed to together successfully (personalities permitting), and I have seen lots of setups with bettas and smallish, peaceful tetras or rasboras and bottom feeders.

Let us know some more details about the tank size and your preferences and we can probably help you come up with a nice combination.

G_T

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

a 10 gallon tank

a small harlie (harlequin rasboras) shoal, a small tetra shoal, a small school of corries, platies, danios, minnows, etc.

many people find that if you introduce 6-8 harlequin rasboras to a tank, let them aclimate a week, then introduce a single male betta, the show is stunning.

a memebr by the name of scottf is doing this and his tank looks good. also keep in mind plants will be a must as the betta will need them to distinguish his territory.

good luck and keep us posted!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I have a 10g, with a brilliant cornflower blue male betta. There are 7 Harlequin Raspboras in there with him. I also have a gold algae eater in there as well for some clean up but he is destined to go back to the 20g at some point.

I am considering a skunk botia for the bottom of the tank, as I have a snail population that is growing and needs to be controlled.

I also have live plants in my tank including 3 banana plants, some anacharis, rosetta swords and wisteria. Those plants help to break things up and give the Betta some space of his own.

All the fish do well together and as someone said, the show is stunning. It's a real hoot when Jack gets testy and chases a Harlie or two, all the while flaring out his fins and gill plates...

Good luck and let us know what you decide...

I have Cardinal tetras, Ottos, and Kuhli loaches with my M Betta with plenty of live green plants it shows of their colours.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

One other thing to consider is that fish of a similar color to the Betta, are IMO not welcome. I have a dark blue Male and he is fine with gold Crescent Platies or fish that are obviously different colored from himself, but when I put in fish that are similar colored ie black or dark blue, he attacks them and kills them. I have had the same problem with female bettas as well. Just something to think about.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

Yes, I would be inclined to agree with FKJ on the notion of putting fish in there with Mr Betta that are similar in color or with long flowing fins. The Betta could easily see a similiar looking fish as another male Betta and attack!

*sigh*
I get bored of reading all this advice, with most of it being incorrect.
All the fish that have been mentioned by keith and the others will live with a male betta.
however they require seperate conditions that does not suit the betta..
Bettas do not like dense planting.
Bettas do not like high lights.
Bettas do not like lots of water movement.
Unfortunatly for the Ottos in keiths tanks, or the betta, one will be lacking the natural environment it should have to thrive. Ottos love a really strong current, and lightingi is essential to promote the proper algae growth that the Ottocinclus feed on naturally.
Kuhli loaches may work, but i dont see why anyone would want it to.
Cardinal tetras may be eaten at some point.

Hmmm. I've been keeping male bettas and otos in tanks with low light and a UGF since I got my first male betta about 16 years ago now, and longer for the otos. Both species have thrived, or I wouldn't keep doing it.

I guess I've been doing it wrong for many years.

I vote! Do you?

There is usually a happy medium with most 'bread and butter' aquarium fish.

I agree that strong lighting would be a bit of a stresser, but that would go for most fish. And algae really just needs algae-producing light which need not be strong. (IIRC that tank has plenty of broad leaf plants and tannins that would filter the light further anyway) IME bettas adore heavily planted tanks, especially if there is surface planting (floating or tall plants) and broad leaved plants.

The water movement thing is easy enough to figure out with setup, providing high, medium and low movement areas within the one tank by using decor/plant baffles etc or just altering the filter output/intake to cut the flow in part of the tank. It probably won't be 100% what the oto could tolerate and the betta will probably prefer the slower areas, but it isn't a deal breaker. They just move to where they want to be, and I'd say that'd go for any range of filtration in any tank. For fancies, some current even has some benefit in that swimming against it helps to develop the muscle required to hold up the weight of the fins.

Who would eat the cardies? They are fat as jelly beans

And *tsk* kuhlies are totally desirable who wouldn't want little stripy worms darting about on the substrate?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

hmm such arrogance, not nice Mez tsk tsk indeed...

In fact, my male Betta is doing quite nicely with the Harlies under a very low current and medium lighting in a moderately, nicely planted tank. As for people's taste in fish, if they can be kept together successfully, who's to say what's right or wrong?

I am just glad that there are very few condescending, judgemental people on here. New folks come on here for the advice and experience of others who have had both success and failures. You ought to try being a little more patient and understanding of that, and keep your judgemental nonsense to yourself. but hey, that's just me.

thanks scott, i was wonderin who would stand up for everyone!

and igree with scott an calla on the stocking ideas.

cardinals and harllies would do fine with a betta, it isnt their natural (in the wild) ecosystem partner, but those fish have been bred in captivity and dont know of the wild. the merely know eat to survive and hey look there is another fish. they a bred to be used to and more adapted to other fish. and even wild platkats and etc dont mind being arround a few tetras as they keep the tank active and colorful as well as provide for antoher species to eat foods that might be in the wter column or in/on the substrate to reduce nitrate/ammonia/nitites in the water from decaying organic matter left in the tank.

so they might not be exact matches on water chemistry, but havent you wondered why fish are able to adapt... GOd wanted us to be able to have mixtures of fish from different geographical loctions in our personal and public aquaria.

well at least there's a perspective of it!!!!

now dwarf gourami dont be discouraged from coming arround here to get advice because of a few cranky memebers, but come come! we are always willing to give advice... and dont forget to forgive those who might offend you as with words typed we cannot always give the correct tone or convey things crrectly and the words make us seem arrogant.

i really hope you can find a good mix for your tank!

if you have a ten gallon (thats what i remember yu saying i think!) you could easiyl have 2 khuli loaches, six cardinal tetras, and a male betta. this would provide a stunning display for your aquarium and well it would just be beautiful.(wait before purchase to see if anyone has something to say countering this as soemone may have more knowledge to say no. but in my observation tetras are low waste produces as are bettas. and khulis will clean up your tank and eat veggies. so idk, someone might know more than me... it wouldnt be the first time!)

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"