Tank mate for Betta

iamntbatman

You wouldn't want only 2-3 females. Female bettas can be thought of in much the same way as the African rift lake cichlids; they don't like one another much but kept in fairly crowded conditions you can prevent particular fish from being bullied, thus allowing everyone to live together in relative harmony. I would say six or so females is a good minimum number. They're generally compatible with a lot of other fish so you could probably do six or eight in a 20g along with some bottom-dwellers like corydoras catfish and possibly a small school of some of the smaller tetras (although not super tiny, as you don't want them to get eaten by the bettas).

LisaC144

I do not want a 20 gallon. I already have a 55 gallon and just want something small and entertaining for my living room.
Angel: My parameters are ph 7.2, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, and nitrate around 15-20ppm. I do think perhaps I added the cories too soon after my cyclewas complete since they're pretty fragile. I also think maybe my gravel is slightly too large for them. Some were losing their barbels.

LisaC144

Batman: What can I put in the tank to feed the snails that the betta won't gobble up? Would algae wafers work for snails?

iamntbatman

Yep, snails love those. They'll also appreciate any green veggies you have laying around (they make excellent disposal units for lettuce that has gone past its prime, for example).

LisaC144

Would I need to boil/blanch it first or just use a veggie clip to sink it?

Angel079

They love blanched spinach & lettuce. Cucumber slices also rock.
I always put it all on a fork (so it sinks), so then whatever was left over next day I could pull back out easily.
Oh and squished peas, just some extra pea's you've left over from dinner, squished a lil with a spoon, wonderful (thou in my case the Boeseman's Rainbows quickly started using them as treats so the snails didn't have no dinner any more then).

LisaC144

Thanks Angel. I really need to try that in my 55 as well. I have 3 small Silver Dollars (which I plan on upgrading the tank when they get bigger) and keep hearing to feed them veggies. I put lettuce in the tank once but all it did was float around and they didn't touch it so I took it out after an hour. I'll have to try the fork idea. What does blanching the spinach or lettuce do for them?

iamntbatman

Not much for the fish in a nutritional sense, but it does help it sink so that it doesn't just float around the top of the tank. What sort of lettuce did you feed them? I've found that most fish aren't fans of the crunchier types of lettuce (iceberg, etc.) and that they prefer the darker types like romaine.

LisaC144

Yup, I tried romaine but only floated it at the top and they sort of ignored it. I think I will try again with a nice piece and put it under a rock to keep it on the bottom and see how that goes

Angel079

I always stick any veggie to a fork to help it stay on the bottom (and to easily take left overs back out)