siamese fighter
- Thread starter kool_sk8a
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Hi & Welcome to the tank!
Bettas really don't like company. You can get away with some african dwarf frogs, maybe something like 2-3 cory cats (bottom feeders) and perhaps a small school of neon tetras. No guppies = betta food
Some tetras will nip betta's fins.
As you might already know, bettas are tempermental, sometimes aggressive, solitary and yes, extraordinary fish.
I bet you that betta feels like a king in a 12gal planted. Bettas are slow current swimmers, so sometimes other fish need different environments. Why not invest in another 'community' tank if you want to try some other kinds of fish? Its really nice having a couple tanks vs. one. You can share things like airpumps, nets, siphons, ect so they cost of a 2nd tank is a lot less than the first setup.
Bettas really don't like company. You can get away with some african dwarf frogs, maybe something like 2-3 cory cats (bottom feeders) and perhaps a small school of neon tetras. No guppies = betta food
Some tetras will nip betta's fins. As you might already know, bettas are tempermental, sometimes aggressive, solitary and yes, extraordinary fish.
I bet you that betta feels like a king in a 12gal planted. Bettas are slow current swimmers, so sometimes other fish need different environments. Why not invest in another 'community' tank if you want to try some other kinds of fish? Its really nice having a couple tanks vs. one. You can share things like airpumps, nets, siphons, ect so they cost of a 2nd tank is a lot less than the first setup.
What Iggy says I have always found my bettas did better on their own. But I understand the need to have more bods in there as you are thinking thats really a lot of water for 1 fish. It isnt. But theres no reason you cant try the corys, but get at least 4, corys do better in company and 4 I have found to be a good number to keep them happy. you need to make provisions for the cory though they need caves, plants (not an issue in a planted tank) and a soft substrate so they dont damage or erode their barbels. I find 2mm pea gravel works well with Cory. Another sugggestion of you fancy something unusal would be amano shrimp, they will help keep yuor plants free from algae and are exceptionally pretty and in planted tanks will thrive. The only proviso for them is to provide them a small cave they can retreat to, as once a month or so they shed their outer skin and then they are vulnerable to a hungry confident betta, but if you provide them places to hide form the betta when the groiw their new shell/skin they will do fine. Always keep the water lower with shrimp they are amazing escape artists, I know, I keep losing them
Oh meant to say, dont add the corys until the tank is at least 2 months old, they are really sensitive to new tanks and they require mega clean tanks and special feeding, contrary to common misconception they arent algae eaters and they cant survive on scraps left over from the betta, so they need their own sinking wafers or cory food. They like the betta love worms, daphnia, shrimp (remember the amano, thats why the need a place to hide when they shed their shell), plankton, krill.
Good luck and Hope this helps.
I have always found my bettas did better on their own. But I understand the need to have more bods in there as you are thinking thats really a lot of water for 1 fish. It isnt. But theres no reason you cant try the corys, but get at least 4, corys do better in company and 4 I have found to be a good number to keep them happy. you need to make provisions for the cory though they need caves, plants (not an issue in a planted tank) and a soft substrate so they dont damage or erode their barbels. I find 2mm pea gravel works well with Cory. Another sugggestion of you fancy something unusal would be amano shrimp, they will help keep yuor plants free from algae and are exceptionally pretty and in planted tanks will thrive. The only proviso for them is to provide them a small cave they can retreat to, as once a month or so they shed their outer skin and then they are vulnerable to a hungry confident betta, but if you provide them places to hide form the betta when the groiw their new shell/skin they will do fine. Always keep the water lower with shrimp they are amazing escape artists, I know, I keep losing themOh meant to say, dont add the corys until the tank is at least 2 months old, they are really sensitive to new tanks and they require mega clean tanks and special feeding, contrary to common misconception they arent algae eaters and they cant survive on scraps left over from the betta, so they need their own sinking wafers or cory food. They like the betta love worms, daphnia, shrimp (remember the amano, thats why the need a place to hide when they shed their shell), plankton, krill.
Good luck and Hope this helps.
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I had a community tank with one of my ct's, he was housed with about 7 neon tetra's 4 black and 6 glowlite. a pleco and 2 dwarf frogs (not the fish eating clawed ones ) He did rather well it was a 55 gallon planted tank. Lots of cave like drift wood and plants. He was very happy. I ended up moving him into a divded 10 gallon tank with another male and they coldn't be happier. It's heavily planted, with clay pot caves and 2 cups for them to bubble nest. Soon as they went into that set up they blew bubbles like crazy
) He did rather well it was a 55 gallon planted tank. Lots of cave like drift wood and plants. He was very happy. I ended up moving him into a divded 10 gallon tank with another male and they coldn't be happier. It's heavily planted, with clay pot caves and 2 cups for them to bubble nest. Soon as they went into that set up they blew bubbles like crazy