stocking tank (w/bettas)

[collegian]

Hey, I'm new. I'm a college student, have 2 tanks up here with me and 3 tanks back home. My two tanks with me are a 20 gal with a breeding pair of convicts and tons of little babies and a 5 gal with a betta, 3 white clouds, and a dwarf froggy. I also have a bowl with a betta, but he's be getting some sort of bigger habitat soon.But this really isn't a post about me, lol.

My friend really wants to get a tank for his betta, as well as his roommate's.
They want something around 20 gals (we can't have one larger than 25 in the dorms), and they want to divide it in the middle so the bettas won't be together. They want other fish too. I'm not sure how to help them as although I've had bettas in with other fish, I've never built tanks around my bettas.

I think we want to make it a tropical enviroment since they'd like to have a couple plecos (maybe bristlenose...they really want a zebra, but we ARE poor college students). I'm figuring we're going to have to go with otos though since it's a split tank. What do you guys think? Can we even have bettas in a tropical tank? I had one in one of my tropical tanks back home and he seemed fine, but is it suggested?

What other fish could we have? We'd like a variety, but I know we can't get much of one with only 10 gal per side. I was thinking cories and/or some sort of tetras. Would that be okay? What sort of tetras could work? Could we maybe even have platies?

Has anyone else here ever done this before?

We were thinking of doing this with a 20 long as opposed to a regular 20, do you think we're better off that way? Mind you this is a dorm so we have barely any space, so we'd like as tall a tank as reasonable.

Thank you!
Brii

[Fishboy93]

Zebra Plecos are really expensive.

1 Oto Per 10 Gallons. Put cucumber or zuchunni

Be sure not to buy fin nippers like barbs. Tetras might work not sure.

The 20 gals. in the big boxes are long i think not sure.

Welcome to the forums!

[DUSTIN323]

I have a 10g with a betta and 5 platies and all the fish are doing great. But basically any peacful community fish can go with a betta as long as they aren't fin nippers.

[Lara]

I would suggest making sure the divider in the tank isn't transparent. Although some find it entertaining to watch the Beta's flare up at each other it is highly stressful for the fish. Also, Beta's are tropical fish, they should always be kept in a heated tank, Beta's kept in unheated tanks generally don't do much as they are too cold. A Bristlenose pleco would be fine in a 10g with Beta's, also a few corie catfish would be ok, maybe some shrimp?

I would hesitate myself about putting other fish in with a Beta that would share the same water layer (that's just my opinion), they don't like company in general, definately no fin-nippers like tiger barbs! Also, add some plants if you can, Beta's ideally like a densely planted tank with lots of hiding places, Bristlenose pleco's will need some driftwood in the tank also. I wouldn't get Oto's as they're a schooling fish and there won't be room for 4 - 6 of the guys. I would go a 20 long for your plans myself. Good luck with it all.

[Hamm35924]

i tried to have my male betta in with my 10 gallon community, which at the time only had a molly in it, and he was very aggressive towards my molly. my molly would try and hide but then my betta would chase him. he never hurt the molly, but i had to remove him because he was stressing the molly out to much.

[Chazwick]

Bettas go well with neon tetras, or any type of small type tetra. Tetras are generally peaceful and should be kept in groups of no less than 6.. as they like to stay together, they will leave your Betta be and are great additions. I advise NEVER to get zebra danios or ANY TYPE OF DANIO with a Betta because they are fin nippers and will harrass your Betta... Also, if the bettas are males, don't put any fish with long flowing fish as they see them as competition, this, of course - means NO GUPPIES. lol

[AprilRain]

It really depends on the temperment of the individual betta. I've had bettas that were so lazy and laid back that I could keep them with guppies with NO problem whatsoever. And I've had bettas that would attack any living thing that was in the tank. You really just have to keep a sharp eye on them for a while and be prepared to have a backup plan if it doesn't work out.

-April