Roommates for Betta

[Beth777]

I'm toying with the idea of setting a 10gal back up in my bedroom, and trying to decide what I want to put in it. If I were to go with a betta what roommates would be good in there?

I can't decide if I want a betta, maybe all male guppies or pea puffers, so that's why I'm asking here instead of the betta forum.

As Always, Thanks!

[ptran]

Red cherry shrimps?

[Beth777]

Great idea, I love shrimp! I think I might actually paint the back and bottom of the tank, something I've never done before.

A betta sorority might be interesting, I've never tried that. When I just had the parrots and a few other fish in the 75 I had 2 female bettas that actually loved eachother. They swam side by side all the time. Never once saw them argue. That 75gal has magic in it. lol

Red cherry shrimps?

[morpheus]

i set up pea puffers and amano shrimp in my 10g planted tank. pea puffers do like a densely planted/decorated tank (keeps aggression down with lots of sight breaks). the amano shrimp get large enough that the puffers dont really bother them at all (but the amanos only breed in brackish water).

the red cherry shrimp will breed a lot, but many fish will prey on the shrimplets.

you said you like celestial pearl danios....could get a nice group of those with plants. or the shrimp colony is a nice idea. maybe some livebearers like endlers too. guppies like you said are well suited to that size tank and colorful.

[Beth777]

I don't ever see the celestial pearls, but I definitely love their look.

I'm hesitant about the puffers because they're such dirty little buggers. I had a boy and a girl during hurricane Ike. I lost the boy and about a year later found my little girl stuck in the intake and puffed. I cried. But gosh they're so cute the way their little eyes move around looking for things. They're like tiny helicopters. lol

i set up pea puffers and amano shrimp in my 10g planted tank. pea puffers do like a densely planted/decorated tank (keeps aggression down with lots of sight breaks). the amano shrimp get large enough that the puffers dont really bother them at all (but the amanos only breed in brackish water).

the red cherry shrimp will breed a lot, but many fish will prey on the shrimplets.

you said you like celestial pearl danios....could get a nice group of those with plants. or the shrimp colony is a nice idea. maybe some livebearers like endlers too. guppies like you said are well suited to that size tank and colorful.

[Beth777]

How many puffers did you put in the 10gal?

[troy tucker]

Years ago, I got my wife 3 figger8 puffers. She loved them. Fed them by hand. They loved her and knew her. They would let her pet them.

[morpheus]

i have 4 in my 10gal. i tried to get one male and three females, but think i ended up with 2 and 2. never have bred but i think they just eat the eggs all the time. they all are happy and healthy. very low maintenance tank with the plants. mine only eat bloodworms, and i feed typically once every other day. they are little piglets. the shrimp clean up the scraps and all is well with the world.

also will never get a pond snail infestation. they seek and destroy :)

mine eat the worms from my fingers like troy mentioned in his experience. every time i come in the room all 4 are right at the glass

[Beth777]

I had a green spotted puffer for years. He hated everyone but my son. lol When he got sick I took him to the LFS and they said he was the biggest spotted they'd ever seen. They felt like he was dying of old age. I still feel awful inside when I think about him, it was awful when he passed. Later on I got 2 F8's. Got up one morning to find what had appeared to be a fat healthy puffer dead. The remaining one was always weak and only survived another year or so. I was still so heart sick over the green spotted one and loosing my pea girl to the intake that I never got any more.

Years ago, I got my wife 3 figger8 puffers. She loved them. Fed them by hand. They loved her and knew her. They would let her pet them.

[EpikMuffin]

+1 for a Puffers or shrimps tank. I have both but the Puffers are so cute and more interesting to watch

[ptran]

i have 4 in my 10gal. i tried to get one male and three females, but think i ended up with 2 and 2. never have bred but i think they just eat the eggs all the time. they all are happy and healthy. very low maintenance tank with the plants. mine only eat bloodworms, and i feed typically once every other day. they are little piglets. the shrimp clean up the scraps and all is well with the world.

also will never get a pond snail infestation. they seek and destroy :)

mine eat the worms from my fingers like troy mentioned in his experience. every time i come in the room all 4 are right at the glass

You can put 4 puffers in a 10 gallon?
How big can they get?

[troy tucker]

Green spotted puffer start as fresh water but need full salt water after they are grown. Figger8's are the same but need brackish water. Puffers are like little water puppy's.

[troy tucker]

My 40g hex planted tank was her puffer tank. So I got her 3 pea puffers. they are so small they are lost in there.

[ptran]

Green spotted puffer start as fresh water but need full salt water after they are grown. Figger8's are the same but need brackish water. Puffers are like little water puppy's.

I thought these puffers can grow to 18-24"?

[Beth777]

No, they stay small. My green spotted was approx 5" but he was real thick bodied. Neale Monks and another great guy named Nick held my hand and made me a successful puffer owner. They insisted that I didn't have to go full marine with my gsp. The guy at the LFS looked at me when he saw my gsp and said, "wow, you know what you're doing." LOLOL Couldn't have done it without Neale and Nick.

I thought these puffers can grow to 18-24"?