10 Gallon Tank 10 gallon tankmates for betta?

[uzivur]

hi there, newbie here!

i had an old 10 gallon tank from a baby beardie (he's since upgraded to a custom 120g enclosure), and decided to jump into the aquascape hobby. i havent set it up or bought anything for it yet because im doing as much research as possible.

that being said, what could i put in a 10 gallon tank as tankmates for a male betta? i had a general list already but let me know if its overstocked/not suitable for the tank. i also plan to heavily plant the tank as well for coverage/hiding spots. thanks!

- 1 male betta
- 1 nerite snail
- 2-4 cherry shrimp
- i love the look of kuhli loaches but not sure if 2-3 would be pushing it in a 10g

 

[AquaticQueen]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! The nerite snail would work but I think the cherry shrimp would most likely become food for your betta. Kuhli loaches shouldn't be kept in anything with a smaller footprint than a 20g long (30x12x12in.) in my opinion. They also need to be kept in groups of at least 5-6, preferably bigger. How about a school of 5-6 ember tetras or chili rasboras instead? There aren't really any bottom dwelling fish that would work in a 10g. If you still have your heart set on shrimp a few ghost shrimp would probably work. They're bigger than cherry shrimp and look really cool.
Keep in mind, I'm saying all of this with the assumption that the betta you pick is compatible with tankmates. Their temperaments vary a lot and only some bettas will work with tankmates. Go for a more mellow looking one. Make sure you add the betta last too, so he doesn't establish the entire tank as his before the others get added and cause issues. Honestly though, if you want a higher chance of success I'd suggest you do a female betta rather than a male. Don't get me wrong, they can still be aggressive and territorial, but they tend to be less aggressive than males.

 

[PurityNRoses]

I recommend tossing a couple of neon tetras in there instead of the shrimp and loaches. They are friendly and active. You can also put some cories in there to clean up the substrate. My bronzes and my male betta get along very well in my 5g.

 

[otterblue]

I recommend just the shrimp and snail (they might not even work out). I'd stay away from other fish. I've had it work before & I've also had it not work. I don't do it anymore.

The problem with bettas is that you don't know if it'll work out or not. The other problem is that it could seem to be going fine & then suddenly you have dead fish. Many bettas will kill other fish. Also, ten gallons is pretty small for a betta with other fish - they'd constantly be getting in each others' space. I had my last betta in a 55 gallon and he still killed 2 fish.

On the plus side, my betta didn't bother my shrimp, although that's no guarantee.

 

[PurityNRoses]

The betta will have the shrimp for snacks though.

 

[otterblue]

The betta will have the shrimp for snacks though.

I think that's usually true - just didn't happen in my experience.

 

[JuDom]

I think first and foremost you should make sure that the tank holds water. Not all reptile tanks are suitable to switch to aquariums. I’ve made the mistake myself and had a flooded living room to boot!

With that being said, I agree with most of what the other commenters are saying as well.
You do have a better chance of success with a female than a male betta for a community. There’s always a chance it could go south with either though even after months. So have a back up plan in place.
I’ve housed male bettas with ADF, Ghost shrimp and snails and haven’t ever had any issues. Females I’ve housed with all of those as well as harlequin rasboras and even zebra danios(temporarily; but they had a good time playing with each other I think ) Ember tetras are a go to for most people because they’re small for one and not nippy like neons. My only suggestion would be to avoid any and all brightly colored tank mates.
Cherry shrimp are definitely a no go unless you want your betta to have a $5 gourmet dinner. Ghost shrimp or Amano shrimp would be a much better option to avoid that issue.

 

[BigManAquatics]

Also make sure the beardie didnt claw the heck out of the seals!

 

[PurityNRoses]

Also make sure the beardie didnt claw the heck out of the seals!

Floods are no joke. I have many a time forgotten about a bucket that I am pumping nasty fish water into... The floor was not pleased with my inattention, to say the least.

 

[otterblue]

Ghost shrimp or Amano shrimp would be a much better option to avoid that issue.

I should've said "often" rather than "usually" eat cherry shrimp.

I've heard mixed things about cherry shrimp and bettas being together, both here and on other sites. That being said, Amano shrimp would definitely be a safer option. In a 10 gallon, a betta eating cherry shrimp would be even more likely to happen.

 

[JuDom]

I should've said "often" rather than "usually" eat cherry shrimp.

I've heard mixed things about cherry shrimp and bettas being together, both here and on other sites. That being said, Amano shrimp would definitely be a safer option. In a 10 gallon, a betta eating cherry shrimp would be even more likely to happen.

They definitely seem to be more irritated by boldly colored tank mates in my experience. Also, I’ve noticed my males are more aggressive while building a bubble nest. They become hyper territorial especially around that area of the tank.

I mean, they HAVE to be the superstar, right?

Angry, self righteous little things.

 

[NotSoAggressiveAquatics]

A nerite or mystery snail is your best bet. I don’t recommend any tetras in a tank smaller than 20 gallons besides the smaller ones like ember tetras and chili rasboras, but even then no less than 15 for those

 

[TayShrum]

hi there, newbie here!

i had an old 10 gallon tank from a baby beardie (he's since upgraded to a custom 120g enclosure), and decided to jump into the aquascape hobby. i havent set it up or bought anything for it yet because im doing as much research as possible.

that being said, what could i put in a 10 gallon tank as tankmates for a male betta? i had a general list already but let me know if its overstocked/not suitable for the tank. i also plan to heavily plant the tank as well for coverage/hiding spots. thanks!

- 1 male betta
- 1 nerite snail
- 2-4 cherry shrimp
- i love the look of kuhli loaches but not sure if 2-3 would be pushing it in a 10g

I had a community betta tank until recently (betta died of old age) and I reccomend the snail and 3-4 corydoras catfish. You could also have the shimp if you have hiding places but keep in mind the betta might eat them. The corys worked well in my tank because they tend to stay near the bottom and the betta at the top. My betta eventually started to school with them though, going as far as to scavenge with them in addition to eating his own food (he was a strange lil dude)