Beano Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 Sorry if this topic has been done before, but I did a search and can't find anything exactly what I'm looking for, and I only persist with searching for so long because I can never get these forum searches to work! Anyway, I'm going to get a 2 foot tank soon, so that means my pretty 20L bowfront tank will be back up for grabs by one lucky male betta! I wanted to know, what dithers can be kept with males? I've been told on many occasions that neons are fin nippers, then told that they aren't. What is the truth about neons? Are there any other small species that can go with a male betta that won't detract from him as the main focal point? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I have never seen neons nip .. but maybe mine were strange. white clouds are nice and easy as a schooling fish, but are really a cold water fish. Glass catfish, cories, bristlenose, kuhlii loaches, clown loaches, all come to mind. Avoid gouramis and other anabantoids. No guppies either. Um... the catfish aren't exactly dither fish, but you don't need dither fish with a betta - it's not like they'll hide without them . You could also try rams or other apistos, but I'd steer clear of cacautoides as their fins could confuse a male betta. That's a;; I can think of for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 thanks! I'll check them all out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I'd put kuhlis in with the male, but kuhlis like a group and filteration and 20L is pushing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 I'm not a giant khuli fan either... LOL! Creepy little things... I'm starting to dream about a really nice planted tank with real proper plants and small driftwood, tiny filter (maybe) a bunch of tetras and a bunch of those little glass shrimps that Lady was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady0421 Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Hi Beano, I used to keep neons in with my betta, they worked rather well for me. I don't have them anymore, at first, I just thought they were disappearing but later I found them inside the filter (I now use the hang-on filter). I confess I used to keep a betta with guppy but it worked out, probably because there were only 2 or 3 or 4 male guppies in a 40L tank with 1 betta. Those glass shrimps are adorable - it makes the tank a lot more fun to look at!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 problem with guppies is that they can look like bettas, making male bettas attack them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leela Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 My sister keeps a lone minnow with her male betta... Betta - warm water fish Minnow - cold water fish But, she's had them together for over a year now, and no problems with either! So, um, I guess the point I am trying to make is..... ah.... I'm not sure....... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 warmer temps shorten the life span of cold water fish, is all. You can keep goldfish at 28C - but they won't live as long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady0421 Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 problem with guppies is that they can look like bettas, making male bettas attack them. Well, I have had a rather strange betta (Named: Mazda), rare temperament - I bought a new betta home and to keep the story short, the new betta (Named: Toyota) was temporarily put in the same tank as Mazda (in a hang-on-the-side-mini-tank for some sort of treatment). Toyota saw Mazda and was flarring crazy but my good old Mazda took one look at Toyota and couldn't care less and acted as if Toyota weren't there at all. Mazda just did his own thing like any other day. Mazda's tank is a 40L tank with 3 or 4 guppies in it. They all got on really well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VickiPS Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 Neon tetras and corydoras both seem to co-exist happily with bettas, in my experience. (Wimpy bettas can be a bit sooky about tankmates, though ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted April 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 I've decided now, that none of my males will be this lucky, and I'll probably use this tank for my select females... so no tankmates anymore - but thank you all for your responses, I'll keep those tankmates in mind if I get out of breeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooshoo Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 i love it when people already ask the questions i was just about to ask, saves me alot of time you could alwasy get some 13L tanks, you know those random ones they have at the little petshops in set-ups? and get just a few little neons, or one cory or a bristlenose? my bristlenose have just grown like little demons so almost too big to keep in my little tanks anymore :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Di Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 please don't do 1 cory - he'll stress they prefer at least groups of 4 but I've had 2 in a small tank with a betta and good filtration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooshoo Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 really? i didn't know that but i've never kept them before... do guppies and bristlenose get on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VickiPS Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 I've had 3 albino cories, half a dozen neons (and a male betta from time to time) in a 22L tank for 2 1/2 years. It's been my most trouble-free setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canary Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 Sterbai Cory's are getting cheaper these days. I would have more of them if I could. I also have some sparkling gouramis in with a fighter and they all seem happy to ignore each other. I have to agree on the glass shrimp. They are small, useful and add some more interest to a tank. They don't stand out but they are always moving around a keeping busy :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsul Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 Definately do not put an axolotyl in!! I had one in with 2 female bettas in an 80L tank and they got along fine then I picked up 2 more girls and put them in next morning could only find 1 of the new ones I thought the other was hiding somewhere and didnt think much of it next morning no more new ones and a fat axolotyl. The new fish were probally hiding out on the bottom of the tank from the other girls and was probally unaware of a lurking axolotyl. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooshoo Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 okay i saw these really cute looking fish at my LFS and asked the guy there what he knew about them (don't worry, this guy does actually know what he's talking about lol) but i can't for the life of me remember what they're called! began with bumble bee, don't know if they were gobys or corys or what-not but they were super small, he said MAX of 1 inch, balck and white verticle strips with a tint of yellow. i looked up bumblebee goby's online but they don't look like them, similar but not that big or yellow.... are they gobys or something else, any idea? and what other fish can they be kept with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beano Posted April 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 Sounds like a bumble-bee goby to me, maybe they were babies? I was told bumble bee gobies would be a good companion to my dwarf gourami (now deceased) but then I read somewhere that they are a brackish water fish. They are cute though, but I'm not doing brackish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 bumble bees are brackish. They'd live ok with bettas .. briefly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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