Paprika

Hello!

I am new to fish, and have fallen in love with bettas. After learning more about them, I decided I would really love to build a 20 gallon tank with a betta as the "centerpiece," but with a few other additions.

I really love cory catfish, so I was thinking maybe 3 of those.

I don't particularly want livebearers, but I'm open to all suggestions and combinations that would be compatible with my betta.

(I am buying my tank tonight and starting the fishless cycle right away!)

Lucy

Bettas are beautiful fish and congratulations for cycling with out fish.

Bettas don't normally make good community fish. Your plan for a betta and the cories may work, but it wouldn't be a good idea to add other tank mates.
Sometimes they'll tolerate ottos or snails and a lot depends on the bettas personality.

Beeker

Hi! Welcome to FishLore!

A 20 gallon tank might be a bit stressful for a Betta. They are very territorial and with that much space to guard, it might be too much for them. I would not recommend going over 10 gallons with a Betta.

Lucy

Here's some information that will help you along with your new betta:

Welcome and Betta Care Guide - Please Read First!!!

sirdarksol

Removed three extraneous posts from the thread. Please, folks, if all you have to say is "I agree," or post a bunch of smileys, think about whether or not your post is necessary.

Also, nobody on this forum is always right, and I'm sure Lucy will agree with me. That's the biggest difference between this forum and many other aquarium forums: We all agree that we have much more to learn, no matter how knowledgeable we are.

Matt

Yes sirdarksol i didnt mean it like that i just wanted to tell him to take Lucy's advice.

I am sorry if i insulted anyone

From Matt

Lucy

I fully agree, thank you.

pepetj

There are some interesting ideas on Betta tankmates in a 20gal tank.

Please read this interesting pinned post at ultimatebettas.com
http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=14389

I can tell you that if you do a good aquascaping work the stress due to tank size is likely to disappear.

There are reports of huge intra-species temperamental variations among Bettas. Not all male bettas are bull-fighters.

I can tell you that I rescued a fighting-breeded specimen from a LFS -kept out of sight from regular clients; somehow I found this guy along with a few dozen more in tiny glass jars.

I took him home, and he shares his 5.5gal tank with three Ghost Shrimps and a Wild-caught Nerite Snail.

I have kept Neon juveniles in there with him with no problems.

My dearest Edda, who passed away seven weeks ago, shared her tank with a school of Zebra Danios and even Fancy Guppies (I don't recommend Fancy Guppies as tank-mates for Bettas: when I tried to relocate them in much bigger tank, she turned really mean with the male Fancy Guppy).

Take your time, your idea might work well. Just have a plan B in case it doesn't. Situations like this one are a hit-or-miss.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

Paprika

Thank you so much for all the useful info, I am still trying to figure out how I am gonna do this for sure. I really want my fish to be as happy and active as possible, and to have the least stress possible for them. While my heart was content on a betta, I was more interested in having a full, happy 20 gal aquarium.

Hm, so what would be a good option for a semi-big, beautiful fish? I want something colorful and with pretty fins like the betta, if possible, to have as a "centerpiece" fish, as well as other fish in the tank.

I'm also open to Snail/shrimp combos. I saw a really awesome Bamboo shrimp at the LPS and fell in love with him lol.

Still open to lots of ideas!

Lucy

Have you checked out the Dwarf Gouramis? They're very pretty and you could build the rest of your community around it.