6g betta tank, tankmates?

[trashion]

i just got the eclipse 6gallon tank to upgrade my betta out of his 2.5 gallon. any tips on tankmates? i was thinking maybe 5 corydoras pygmaeus, or a small school of ember tetras.

fish only, please, shrimp/frogs/etc aren't really my thing.

thanks in advance!

[Baby_Baby]

IMO, 6 gallon just doesnt seem comfy to 5 cories, but then again I always love to give the little guys room.

Its really hard to recommend tank mates for bettas because their personalities can vary. Some are mellow, some are beat your butt up in a second type, and most fall inbetween.

I'd get a divider or do a DIY one and have two bettas with three gallons each.

OR

sell or return the 6 gallon and buy a ten gallon then do the cory party.

BUT thats just me.

[ikermalli]

I would keep the betta alone because tank mates in a 6 Gallon won't have enough space and neither will the betta

[Obsidian]

Ghost shrimp go well with Betta's from what I understand. In a 6 ga I wouldn't do the cory's. You could go with 3 Oto cats also, those would be fast enough to get away from the Betta if he decided to bother them.

[trashion]

my betta is really mellow, he hardly flares at his own reflection. he's pretty chill.

the pygmy cories stay tiny, and i've read stuff saying that they can be in as small as 5 gallons. they're the tiniest of cory species, and they only get like an inch long, if that.

[Sunaynire]

Just because they can be in something smaller, doesn't mean that they will be happy. Regardless of how small they stay, 5 bottom feeders for a 6 gal tank is too many.

[ikermalli]

Originally Posted by Sunaynire

Just because they can be in something smaller, doesn't mean that they will be happy. Regardless of how small they stay, 5 bottom feeders for a 6 gal tank is too many.

Very True

[JustOneMore20]

I don't recommend even dwarf cories for tanks under 10g. They are usually pretty active, if you give them enough room and a good size shoal.

For a 6g, you could try the ghost shrimp. If the Betta leaves them alone, you could progress to some Red Cherry Shrimp. Otherwise, a 6g just isn't enough room for tankmates.

With a larger tank, like a 10g, you could add some Harlequin rasboras possibly. A 6g just doesn't give them enough room to swim around IMO.

[Sunaynire]

If you want to do some more fish, get a bigger tank. You can stick more fish in the tank you have now, but you aren't going to get the full experience of how much fun the fish actually are. Unhappy fish in an overcrowded tank are dull and boring. Not only that, but wouldn't you feel bad for the fish?

[trashion]

i can't get a bigger tank, my space is severely limited... [the 6gallon is in my dormitory suite common room, on the corner coffee table]

[Chrispy]

I would get a couple guppies. I have a female in with a few guppies and some newts in a ten gallon. And i know what you mean about space. my dorm is pretty small. I think a couple fancy males and a cheap feeder female would give you some fun.

[Willow]

Putting fancy male guppies in with a male Betta is probably going to get you more "fun" than you wanted. Most male Bettas will consider any fish with flowing fins to be another male Betta and will attack.

[trashion]

so i've heard, and i won't be doing that. though i know that several people have done this successfully.

[fishbguy]

Feeder guppies are always an option. I have 2 males an a female in my 5.5 with my betta. You'de be amazed at the colors they come in. And their fins aren't really that long enough to pose a threat to the betta. My betta chases the guppies occaisonally, but is never fast enough to catch them.