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This article was saying to put some ghost shrimp in with your betas.

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/bettas/bettas_female_more.htm#top2

3 corrys, it seems they would be too crowded in the tank snce it is a hex tank. And I do have some plants on the bottom so they wouldn't have much area to move around in.

I agree that cherry barbs don't really need to be in a large group. I have a pair in my community tank and they're quite active. However, I think I read somewhere that sometimes cherry barbs can be a bit nippy with long-finned tankmates. My male cherry barb would occasionally nip my White Tip (Bentos) Tetras' fins (& managed to tear off a bit of the tail fin on one .

My suggestion would be 3 male Endler Livebearers (gorgeous colors, stay small, no flowing fins like guppies) and a school of 6 dwarf corydoras (probably c. pygmaeus/pygmy corys as they're hardier than c. Hastatus & c. Habrosus) for bottom/middle layer.

Good luck!

-P

Cherry barbs are not schooling fish. They are actually somewhat antisocial and don't like to hang out in a big group. Just like there are the occasional tetra species that don't school. For schooling fish you're best off getting at least a 20g because there are very few fish small enough and those that are tend to be more delicate and would be better off in a larger tank anyway.
Normally I would suggest looking for the smallest of labyrinth fish since they are very entertaining, moderately to highly colorful, and quite happy in a small tank but generally male bettas do not mix with other labyrinth fish. Labyrinth fish include all gouramis, bettas, and paradise fish.
I'd also suggest a few livebearers but male bettas may go after guppies if they have large fins. Platies might work but swordtails are too active and mollies are too big. Some of the smaller less common livebearers would also work and the betta would eat just about all the fry so no worry about that.
The only other thing I can think of is killifish which I haven't kept so I don't know their compatibility with bettas.

Cherry barbs can actually be kept in pairs. I once kept a group of four, two males and two females. They paired off and each pair had nothing to do with the other except when something frightened them. They do just fine in small numbers, just so long as they aren't alone.

If you're going to go with the small Corydoras, just keep in mind that these do have a need to be kept in groups. The pygmy species (mentioned above- C. habrosus, C. hastatus, and C. pygmaeus) are more social than most other cories, and prefer even greater numbers.

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I would'nt get only a pair of Cherry barbs, as they are schooling fish, and need to be kept as at least 4-6.

Since the Betta stays mostly on the top level, I would add a few of the smaller corrys to the bottom- at least 3- remember to use sinking foods especially for them. They will still keep your bottom clean.

http://www.fishprofiles.com/site/aquarank.aspx

I picked up one male beta today. he's by him self for a few days until I decide what else to get.

With the betta you could add a pair of cherry barbs.

I like that idea.

Just a few thoughts...

Ghost shrimp might work, some bettas ignore them, others treat them as snacks

An ADF would work with a betta in a 10g.

As far as bottom feeders, I'd stay away from otos if this is a new tank. They tend to be a bit sensitive; for more info read [link=this article]http://www.fishprofiles.com/articles/freshwater/oto.asp" style="COLOR: #99FF33[/link].

Corydoras habrosus or pygmaeus would be fine in a 10g. All cories like to be in groups.

Instead of a betta you could have a few sparkling gouramis.

With the betta you could add a pair of cherry barbs.

As far as schoolers there are a number of quite small rasboras occasionally seen in lfs. You might be lucky enough to find some or perhaps they could be ordered for you.

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Personally id go for bettas if your a first timer, a number of labyrinth fish will be tolerant of water conditions and possible sudden deoxygenation while you hone your skills. Sometimes guppies and platy's can be a bad choice cos a lot of em are starting to get more fragile as a result of being overbred over successive generations. Most rainbows need high flow rates and decent oxygenation so i would omit them until youve got going.

Some danios can be tolerant, but again i would be tempted to try and find someone with an established tank to help with cycling rather than risking the fish.

I have a cycled ten gallon, with six glow light tetras (much healthier than neons), two head and tail lights (recently lost one to old age), one otto and one blue dwarf gourami. It is a bit crowded, but it has been this way for nearly a year with no problems. The gourami would be better off with more space, however, but does not seem to mind.
I orignially cycled this tank with danios, now in my 29 gallon tank. They are really active and fast swimmers and are better in the 29 gallon. They can be an aggravation to slower fish, and those who like to get a good nights sleep - gouranis, bettas, some of the smaller tetras, etc.
I hope you enjoy your new tank.

You could try platys,or swordtails. Those would be nice.

How about any of these fish:

Threadfin Rainbowfish

Three lined Pencilfish

Silvertip Tetras

Lemon Tetras

Cochus Blue Tetras

Corydoras Hasbrosus or Hastatus

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Ethan, are these the neons you were mentioning?

http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/tetras/tetras.htm#top2

I need a few suggestions on some hardy fish. We will be using tropical community fish. It is a 10 gallon hex tank so I think 2 fish will be good to start and maybe add 2 more later on.

if you find yourself a peaceful male betta u could put him in with 5 or 6 neons... if you had a planted tank which i highly reccomend. Another choice would be to put a female betta with them or another centerpiece fish of some kind and maybe a few otos to keep the algae down.

neons add almost nothing onto the bioload.

what about White Clouds ??

I personally would go for one male Betta 'cause I like the shooshey tails. But guppies also have swishy tails, oh wait 10g. Is that poss?

What about a couple of rams? V colourful, good bang for your buck.

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anyone else ? Still not sure. Leaning towards 2 female betas at the moment. I would really like to get some type of small fish so I can get atleast 4-5 fish.

Be sure you dont use the tetras to cycle the tank with as they're generally not the hardiest of fish. Also check the store you get them from carefully. Neon Tetra Disease (NTD) is lethal to all fish not just neon tetras. If you get some with NTD all the fish would have to be euthanized.
If your tank is planted (highly recomended) you may be able to add even more .

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