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I wouldn't worry about overstocking. There really isn't such a thing as overstocking. As long as the fish have space to swim and the tank is clean, you can fill it up as much as you want. I wouldn't get the frogs. If the betta is agressive, it will make quick work of the frogs. I'd get small fish like neons. No white clouds because they like cold water and bettas don't. I'd stay clear of ottos. I have absolutely no experience with them, but, from what I've hear, theyre fragile and if your gona have alot of fish in a five gallong tank, you should make sure that they're hardy. Maybe you could add corries too, just don't overdo it.

Just wanted to post back and say I had made a mistake by suggesting Harlies or cories for a tank of that size. I must have misread and thought it said a 15 gal. I would have never suggested those tankmates for a Betta in a 5 gal. Sorry for the confusion. I am not however getting involved in this disagreement, let's keep it civil guys and gals.

<~~~~~backs into his corner



Last edited by Jessnick at 23-Feb-2005 14:26

An extremely aggressive Betta will nip a ADF (not eat it). There is a high possibility he will consume ghost shrimp if added to the tank.

I would stick with neon or glowlight tetras, they're quick enough to avoid a nasty temper the Betta could through out and would suit your tank well enough. I can't give you any information on harliquins as I've never owned any, or seen them with a Betta (but if you're pinching pennies, watch out, they can get somewhat expensive for such a small fish).

Don't go with cories, a 5G doesn't have the floor space for a decent school.



Last edited by Oleta at 23-Feb-2005 22:16

I don't know if the rasboras and the betta will get along. If you are going to get a betta, you might want to stick with the mainstream betta tankmates. These are ADFs, ghost shrimp, and apple snails. However, the last two might wind up as betta food. If you want the rasboras, you could do a tank with just them. However, I don't know if you can mix both.



Last edited by Oleta at 23-Feb-2005 22:17

well sorry guys but u 2 r like, arguein cuz u disagree over 1 subject, wen u r sposed 2 b helpin sum1



smilingpiranha(who at this point isn't smiling)

"Betta splendens(Siamese fighting fish) DO NOT in fact eat ghost shrimp."

Many Betta splendens (yes we are talking about the same fish) WILL, in fact eat shrimp. It's not definite if the fish will or won't, it's a 50/50 chance. But why would you take the chance in the first place?

Betta splendens(Siamese fighting fish) DO NOT in fact eat ghost shrimp.
"also,this goes to show what I said"? What exactly are you implying I mean? The thread is in fact about what would go good with a betta and not what would go in a 5 gallon tank.I for one really don't care what you have in your tank.Are in fact how many fish.

Last edited by Cichlid Keeper at 22-Feb-2005 23:45

Inch per gallon is definitively outdated, yes. I tend to use surface area, as that seems more logical to me. Nothing is perfect, but I do like to use that equation as a guideline. *shrugs*

Otherwise, a "long" tank and a "high" tank of the same volume would supposedly support the same amount of fish when taller tanks with smaller surface area really can't compete. Not sure where inch per gallon comes in, but surface area goes on gas exchange, which at least makes sense to me.

Anyway, in this case, schooling fish really don't have a whole lot of room to move in such a small tank, so I don't think that's the best choice. I've never had harlies, though... do they swim around as frantically as neons seem to?

Edit... but you also have to remember that fish are only in fish stores for a limited amount of time, so they can hopefully handle substandard conditions. Not all bettas eat ghost shrimp, though it IS a possibility. And I know full well the restrictions of money. My pockets are empty and there's far too many bettas out there to save them all!

Last edited by Kitten at 22-Feb-2005 20:40

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

A few ghost shrimp might also be a good addition to add in with your betta.

I didn't mean it like that, obviously you can only bend the rules so much. What I mean is that the 1 inch per gallon and the other rules are untrue.

I just want to add that I think I'm a bit more sympathetic than most people when it comes to space, money issues. Many of the people here have the resources to obsess over fish. For the few of us who aren't as well off, it is annoying to constantly have these rules pushed in our faces. I love fish, but I can not afford anything bigger than a 5 gallon tank. I get annoyed when people tell me that I can use it for a betta or something. If I want a betta, then I'd get a bowl. In any pet store, you see the rules bent. As long as you take good care of the fish, there is no reason why you can not fill the tank up.

Last edited by djtj at 22-Feb-2005 20:33

Uh... no such thing as overstocking? Right. So because a goldfish has "room" to swim in a bowl and it's cleaned it out everyday, that's okay?

Sorry, no, there are such things as reasonable stocking levels and overstocking. Granted, you can get away with overstocking a bit if you keep up a pristine cleaning regiment, but there comes a point when you have to admit that a tank is overstocked.

As for cories, minimum school should ideally be six... and there's simply not enough floor space for a decent school in a five gallon.

Same goes for schooling with the harlies... not the floor space, but that they should have at least six to school. You might be able to make it work if you kept up on water changes, but that's up to you. Especially with a betta in the tank (which they might see as a predator), it would be a good idea to keep them as stress-free as possible by keeping them in a decent size school.

Neons may get chomped on if they're small enough. ADF's, as was mentioned, could be victims of betta snack time, too. However, it all depends on the betta in question, really.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

i have a 5 gallon with one betta in it , what could i put with it? this betta isn't very aggressive. could i put some neons? any other little colourful fish

I've got the exact same setup, heated and filtered. If I get an African Dwarf Frog, should I only get one, or can I get more?

Also, what kind of cories could I get and how many? (If I don't get an ADF)

Last edited by fishnewbie at 11-Feb-2005 14:58

it think i have decied what to get 4 harlequin rasboras to go with the betta

is this ok?

i already have apple snails in other tanks

Just add an Apple Snail.



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Out of those three, I've only had experience with White Clouds. I'd say they would do great with a Betta. They are very peaceful, so they shouldn't bother the Betta. Plus, if the Betta gets a little temper, it won't matter. White Clouds are very fast.

it is both heated and filtered.

i'm thinking either glowlights , neons or white cloud mountain minnows which would be the best?

Is the tank filtered? Or Heated?

If neither, I wouldn't add any thing else. Except maybe some snails.
If it's heated and not filtered, I'd go with 1 or 2 ADFs.
If it's both heated and filtered, you could get away with any of the other suggestions.

Harlies would be nice too, but I'd say go with the cories! There so cute and do an awesome job at cleaning the tank... Not that i'm saying you should slack on WC's
Good luck!