Today’s topic is Tank Mates for Betta Fish. Before we begin, I would first like to thank you for checking out my channel. We post interesting blogs about aquarium fish every week! It’s time to get started…
Snails
Snails are easily the best option on this list. They come pre-equipped with body armor that keeps them safe from betta fish mood swings. Bettas are often curious about everything in and surrounding their tank. When betta fish get curious about something, they often act like toddlers and put whatever they discover into their mouths. And yes, they have teeth. Generally, you can find a wide variety of aquatic snails for sale in a well-stocked pet store. Apple and Nerite snails are popular snail types. If you are considering getting a snail for your betta tank, keep in mind that all snails are highly sensitive to copper
While this may not seem like a big concern to you at first, take note that there are medications for your betta that have copper as an ingredient. You do not want to heal your betta and harm your snail by proxy. The easy workaround to this is to medicate your betta in a separate hospital tank while leaving your snails in the main aquarium. Remembering that is the hardest part though
Shrimp
Shrimp might seem like an intriguing choice as tank companions for bettas, despite often being seen as potential snacks. However, certain shrimp species can coexist successfully with bettas. Red Cherry shrimp, reaching about an inch in length, are too large to be easily consumed by your betta. Although curiosity might tempt your fish to try. Ghost shrimp, with their translucent bodies, also thrive alongside bettas, as their near-invisibility makes them challenging targets.
Shrimp produce minimal waste, aiding in tank maintenance and allowing for multiple shrimp in one tank. Keep in mind that shrimp tend to breed prolifically, potentially leading to overcrowding. This can be an advantage if you can sell the surplus. Additionally, shrimp help control algae growth in the aquarium. If you must choose between the two, Red Cherry shrimp are recommended. Regardless of the type, ensure your betta is well-fed and that the tank provides adequate cover, as an attachment to named shrimp may be premature if hunger strikes.
African Dwarf Frogs
African Dwarf Frogs can make fine friends with betta fish. It’s not so much that they become friends as it is they just ignore each other. These amphibious tank mates don’t tend to produce much waste. Because of this, your concern over elevating water parameters caused by the breakdown of excess waste is minimal. Feeding time is the main area of concern when you have African Dwarf Frogs and a betta in the same tank
It is either that betta fish are really fast swimmers, or that these frogs are really on the slow side of the kiddie pool, but either way, the betta will be more likely to finish its food before the frog even finds its own. Betta fish don’t care about whose food is whose and will tend to eat anything and everything presently edible. Just try to keep an eye out for your frog and make sure that it is getting fed as well.
Cories
Corydoras Catfish are yet another fine tank-mate possibility. There are quite a few different types of Cories that you can choose from, but they all share something in common. They are bottom-feeding fish. Betta fish tend to swim closer to the surface more often than not, and cories are always at the bottom. Because of this, fighting due to territorial disputes rarely happens.
Cories are a particularly peaceful species of fish in general. These mini catfish tend to do better in groups though. A 10-gallon betta aquarium could do fine with 3-4 Corycats. Anything less than ten gallons would be too small. So far, Cories are the only type of fish species on this tank mate guide. However, they are at the top of the list of fish species that can share a tank with your betta. They are very easy keepers and quite peaceful as well
Otocinclus Catfish
Also in the catfish family, and likewise do well in a tank shared with a betta, are the Otocinclus Catfish. Otos share many similar characteristics with copycats. Otos, however, are sometimes quite difficult to acclimate to the aquarium. This tends to be the case more often than not because they are not commonly bred and raised in an aquarium setting. Believe it or not, otos are often caught straight from the wild. Changes to the aquarium environment such as overall water condition or temperature may cause the otocinclus catfish to have a problem. A general rule of thumb with these fish is that if you can keep your otos alive for a week or two, they should see many more days to come.
Loaches
These fish are also bottom-feeding fish. They look like the bigger siblings of copycats. Because of their larger size, you would want to make sure that you have an adequately sized aquarium for them to stay and live healthily. Loaches are, in temperament, very peaceful fish in general and can survive well in a tank shared with a betta fish. If you are considering adding a loach to your betta’s aquarium, I’d look into: Hillstream loaches, Khuli loaches, Zebra loaches, and Dwarf loaches
White Cloud Mountain Minnows
These guys are pretty similar to the common neon tetra in terms of appearance and their overall size, but not quite as brightly colored and flashy. A convenient “feature” of the White Cloud Mountain Minnow is that they share similar tastes for the temperature of the aquarium as a betta fish does. Well, they like the temperature to be anywhere between 68°f-78°f. That’s pretty close to the 78°-80° target for betta fish.
Hardy would be a great word to describe these minnows. They are great eaters and acclimate well to their new environment. They are fairly easy keepers overall and, because of this, are a fine choice for a beginner looking to house more than a betta in a tank. These minnows tend to be fast breeders, so you need to keep an eye on the population. These fish are not known to eat their young, but that just means more for your betta to indulge in. Having your betta overeat and suffer complications all due to his “guests” would make for an experience you probably do not want to have.
Good tankmates overall, just keep an eye on them. You are keeping an eye on your betta anyway I am sure so this probably won’t be an added burden.
Runner ups- Decent betta tank mates
These species just missed the blue ribbon list above by a small margin. Consider these species as decent tank buddies for your betta, but slightly less co-habitable than the ones listed above.
Neon Tetras
Neon Tetras share almost all of the same characteristics as the White Cloud Mountain Minnow that was written about just above. The major difference, and the reason why they didn’t make the top list, is that Neon Tetras can be very brightly colored. Betta fish are attracted to brightly colored and flashy things. In the case of betta fish, being “attracted to” means more of an “I will attack and eat you” kind of thing. Lucky for the neon tetra, they are surprisingly speedy little fish. They can, and do, outpace a hungry or threatened betta fish, but don’t always win that race.
If you don’t mind losing the occasional neon tetra or two by way of angry betta fish, then these fish are otherwise fine in the same aquarium. Neon Tetras like swimming in schools. Having a group of 5 or so in a ten-gallon tank is necessary for the tetras to stay healthy (and un-eaten). It would be in the Tetra’s best interest if you were to provide plenty of places to escape and hide in as well.
Guppies – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
There are a lot of people who like the idea of their betta fish swimming alongside guppies. If you find yourself one of these people, I’d suggest that you go with typical feeder guppies as opposed to wild guppies. These feeder guppies tend to be quite dull in color and therefore not subject to a betta fish’s more aggressive side. Fancy guppies will most likely not last very long sharing a tank with a betta. This is due to fancy guppies having fancy colors.
One thing you have to watch out for is diseased guppies. Guppies are typically sold as feeder fish and often come pre-equipped with various transmittable diseases/conditions. I’m not trying to pick on the humble guppy. All fish can carry something that is transmittable to your betta. Guppies, you just have to be a bit more careful. That being said, if you are sure that the guppies are “clean”, they should make for acceptable tank mates for your betta fish.
Rasboras – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
Yet another fish that shares characteristics with the Tetra, Rasboras can do well sharing an aquarium with a betta fish. Rasboras are typically a more gentle fish in terms of peaceful living with a betta. A bit more peaceful than even the zippy little neon tetra. It’s not that the neon tetra written above is not peaceful as much as it is that tetras don’t seem to obey personal space very well.
Rasboras tend to respect other fish’s personal “bubbles” and are less invasive overall. The coloring of the Rasbora is fairly dull, and that makes for fewer possible confrontations with your “king of the aquarium” betta fish.
Plecos
There are smaller species of plecos that work quite well sharing an aquarium with a betta fish. The mini-me versions of the common pleco that generally get along fine sharing a betta tank are often the: Pit Bull Pleco, Clown Pleco, Rubber Pleco, and Bristlenosed Pleco
These plecos generally grow no larger than 5 inches. Even though that is considerably smaller than the 2-foot pleco mentioned above, you really wouldn’t want more than just one pleco in a 10-gallon betta tank. Plecos can help keep the betta tank clean as they love to eat algae. They tend to keep their distance from the betta fish in the tank with them and are relatively non-invasive overall. I have seen aggressive behavior out of plecos before, but not often enough to write off the species as a whole. Plecos come conveniently equipped with some really tough armor too. Angry betta fish can’t do too much damage to an accidentally intruding pleco.
The Maybes- Doable but not recommended
This next group of possibilities consists of species that can, in some cases, live alongside betta fish but are generally not recommended. As you will see coming up soon, in pretty much every case you will end up not wanting to even try keeping these as tank-mates with a betta.
Mollies – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
These live-baring fish are similar to platies in that they enjoy, or rather need, water that is relatively hard and keeps a high pH level. If you have done your homework on betta fish, you will instantly see why this poses a problem. Betta fish need pretty much just the opposite of this.
On top of this, mollies are known to be quite aggressive at times. Generally, aggression from mollies occurs when there is not adequate space in the tank to divvy up the territory between a betta and itself. Mollies can reach a good 3 inches if raised in a five-gallon aquarium. If you find yourself desperately needing to try and keep a mollie in the same tank as a betta, the lesser of two evils is the type with shorter tails. Mollies with Long, flashy tails are just begging a betta fish to fight.
Platies
If you read the description above about mollies, you will know that Platies like their water on the harder side with a high pH level. Platies are also notorious nippers of fins. Betta fish have really pretty long fins. Betta fish might not have pretty and long fins for long if you decide to go with Platies as companions.
Swordtails
Building upon the same needs as the other fish listed above, Swordtails have one other contrasting need from betta fish. Swordtails live in the wild within fast-moving waters. Betta fish like their environment relatively motionless as far as currents are concerned. Swordtails like their water world moving. Aside from environmental need differences between bettas and swordtails, betta fish would likely try to attack the swordtail’s very attractive fins.
Fancy Guppies – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
Trying to hose fancy guppies in the same aquarium as your betta fish is a risky business. Overall, it is not recommended. But, that would be why these glamorous guppies are this far down on the list. If you have your heart set on making this happen anyway and don’t mind disregarding all of the hard work that has gone into trying to dissuade you from this idea, there are a few things you need to make sure of. Each betta fish has a different personality. There are ingrained instincts of course that you simply can’t get change in a betta, but their personalities do vary. If your betta is particularly docile and your guppies aren’t flashy enough to resemble other betta fish, then you’ll have better chances of cohabitation.
Also, making sure your tank has plenty of room and hides also helps smooth things along. However, many good pet keepers don’t find the potential stress placed on the guppies and bettas to be worth having a more colorful tank. Yes, fancy guppies can be housed in the same aquarium as a betta fish. Many people have done it before and many will continue to do it. However, it is not going to work for everyone and may not create an ideal environment for either fish.
Common Pleco
Do you have a big aquarium? Big as in, you charge people $30 a ticket to come and look at your live sea life and have to put on scuba gear to clean your tank? If so, then maybe a common pleco will work for you. In all seriousness, common plecos get huge. You’d need an aquarium over 30 gallons to be able to house one properly.
If you were set on getting a common pleco to live your betta fish, you are doing this research backward. I’d say that you need to be researching the possible tank mates for a common pleco. I’d bet betta fish wouldn’t be on that suggestion sheet.
The NOPE list – Don’t even try
Unless you are truly sadistic, don’t think about choosing any of the following as tank mates for your betta fishy. Okay, maybe sadistic was too strong of a word. But you get the idea.
Goldfish – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
I debated putting the possibility of goldfish living with bettas at the top of this entire article seeing as it’s one of the most common questions I get about betta tank mate possibilities. It will have to live at the top of this section instead. Don’t do it. Don’t house betta fish and goldfish in the same aquarium. It’s honestly a terrible bad idea. And for quite a few reasons to boot. Right off the bat, goldfish like living in cold water environments.
Betta fish thrive in tropical conditions, requiring water temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s. Goldfish, on the other hand, prefer much cooler waters, around 60°F. The stark difference in their temperature needs makes it impractical to house them together. Moreover, goldfish are notorious for their messy nature, producing excessive waste that demands a large tank, around 20 gallons, to maintain water quality. Combating the resulting high nitrate levels, harmful to bettas, becomes a losing battle. While filtration seems like a solution, it’s complicated because goldfish require powerful filters with strong currents, which stress bettas, known for their preference for calm waters. In summary, cohabitating goldfish and bettas is ill-advised.
Cichlids
Cichlids are awesome fish to keep! Just not in the same aquarium as a betta fish. These guys suffer from a pretty aggressive mindset. What happens when you put an aggressive fish in with another aggressive fish? The people’s version of this would be like watching a fight in the octagon. If the aggressive nature of the cichlid isn’t enough to dissuade you from housing one in a betta’s tank, learning that they have a hard time living in the same water conditions that betta needs may help you.
Cichlids like living in waters that contain a high pH balance. Betta fish need to live in a low-pH environment. If you haven’t noticed yet, these two needs are different.
Gouramis – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
Betta fish and gouramis don’t get along well living in the same tank. Gouramis are like distant cousins of the betta fish. They share the same general family. Betta fish don’t get along with their relatives at all. Betta fish are just problem children, aren’t they?
In any case, you don’t want to house these two types of fish together. If betta’s tendency to get cranky at their relatives isn’t enough, gouramis are fairly aggressive fish themselves. You don’t want to put two aggressive-natured fish in the same tank together. At least, good-natured people wouldn’t want to put bad-natured fish together
Tiger Barbs
I highly recommend that you get the experience of tiger barb ownership at least once in your life! These guys are highly entertaining fish. Just not in the same tank as a betta fish. I’m convinced that a tiger barbs’ sole purpose in life is to seek out and destroy the fins of a betta fish. And it’s like they try to do so in a time trial setting, getting the job of betta fin shredding over with as quickly as possible.
Tiger barbs and betta fish are not good tankmates. They are both aggressive little creatures that love picking fights with each other and, at least, in this case, the betta fish will be the one that loses. Fast and pathetically.
Chinese Algae Eaters – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
Chinese algae eaters pretty much make for bad tank mates in any group housing situation. These fish suck… on other fish, literally. This is not something you want your betta to experience… being sucked on. Yes, these algae eaters do eat algae but seem to enjoy their off time pretending they are fish soul eaters. These Chinese algae eaters tend to be aggressive fish and their moodiness seems to get worse as they grow in size. Over time, your betta fish will lose its slime coating to these fish.
Bettas that lose their slime coat are then susceptible to disease. Chinese algae eaters and betta fish shouldn’t be kept in the same tank. I know that sucks. But that’s what I’m trying to help you avoid.
Other Betta Fish
The only time you should ever consider keeping more than one betta fish in an aquarium is when you want to start building a sorority tank. Sororities in the betta world are groups of female betta fish. Never do you want to house more than one male betta fish at a time in the same aquarium. They will take after their name and act as Siamese fighting fish. If you are interested in starting a sorority of female betta fish, it’s not as easy as just grouping a bunch together. You need to do a bit of reading on the subject beforehand. But that is a betta guide for a betta time.
Final Word – Tank Mates for Betta Fish
There you have it–our top-to-bottom recommendations on betta fish companions. This tank-mate overview guide is a generalized guide for selecting different species to live with a betta. However, you should remember that each species has unique care needs and you will need to research this before making your final selection.
Also, keep in mind that just because one of the species listed near the top is considered generally accepted in a betta fish community tank it doesn’t mean that your specific betta fish will get along fine with it. You need to be very observant of whatever situation you put your betta fish in. The final call on whether or not tank mates will be a good decision in your given situation remains only your own.
Top tank mates for Betta fish.
