Any tankmates with Betta Channoides pair in a 22g?

[Forgetfullfishy]

I want to get a pair of betta channoides for my 22g and I’m wondering if I could get any other fish with them. Could some harlequin rasboras or some honey gouramis work? Or is the tank too small for tank mates are it’s just better to keep them alone?

 

[pkr210]

I want to get a pair of betta channoides for my 22g and I’m wondering if I could get any other fish with them. Could some harlequin rasboras or some honey gouramis work? Or is the tank too small for tank mates are it’s just better to keep them alone?

Rasboras will definitely work, against gouramis as its either a betta tank or a gourami tank.

 

[BigManAquatics]

If you are getting a pair of bettas, i would wait to see how they do with each other before deciding on other tankmates though. I know a lot of them can be kept in pairs once outside of splendens, always good to be safe than sorry, though

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

If you are getting a pair of bettas, i would wait to see how they do with each other before deciding on other tankmates though. I know a lot of them can be kept in pairs once outside of splendens, always good to be safe than sorry, though

It should be fine, the pair that I’m looking at currently is actually trying to spawn according to the store owner, so should be fine. But I’ll observe a bit first after I get them. How long will roughly be long enough? Like how long should I wait.

 

[BigManAquatics]

I usually give a month or two.

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

Rasboras will definitely work, against gouramis as its either a betta tank or a gourami tank.

I’m just curious, but why? I thought honeys are quite peaceful. I have searched online about keeping betta Channoides with them and I saw that someone on another forum had kept them with licorice, honey and sparkling gouramis and it worked out fine. One an article about betta Channoides also suggested the chocolate gouramis could be tankmates with them.

Will they like still fight or something even tho both species are relatively peaceful?

 

[Hellfishguy]

Honey gouramis can be quite aggressive when guarding their bubble nests. I learned this the hard way when I introduced some Betta smaragdina to a tank with a breeding pair of honeys. They’d ram the bettas like little missiles.

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

Honey gouramis can be quite aggressive when guarding their bubble nests. I learned this the hard way when I introduced some Betta smaragdina to a tank with a breeding pair of honeys. They’d ram the bettas like little missiles.

Wow, never new that honeys also had an aggressive side! That’s surprising! Does this make them unsuitable in community tanks too?


Assuming that the pair does well together and does not fight, would a small school of 6 harlequin rasboras and another 6 of a peaceful schooling fish be fine with them? Do I have to avoid getting colourful ones like I have to do with normal bettas to prevent them from fighting?

 

[chromedome52]

This is the pair of Betta channoides that I had several years ago as they were spawning. Female picks up the eggs, then spits them to the male, who carries the brood. Unfortunately I could not get him to carry them to term.

They require very soft, slightly acid conditions. The vid was shot in a 10 gallon tank. They had been in a 5.5 gallon tank and spawned there twice with no success.

 

[pkr210]

I’m just curious, but why? I thought honeys are quite peaceful. I have searched online about keeping betta Channoides with them and I saw that someone on another forum had kept them with licorice, honey and sparkling gouramis and it worked out fine. One an article about betta Channoides also suggested the chocolate gouramis could be tankmates with them.

Will they like still fight or something even tho both species are relatively peaceful?

Both species are territorial and will fight if put in the same tank. Honey gouramis are peaceful but like any other gourami, there is always micro aggression.

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

This is the pair of Betta channoides that I had several years ago as they were spawning. Female picks up the eggs, then spits them to the male, who carries the brood. Unfortunately I could not get him to carry them to term.

They require very soft, slightly acid conditions. The vid was shot in a 10 gallon tank. They had been in a 5.5 gallon tank and spawned there twice with no success.

In your experience with them, are they very active or do they not like to move much?

My water is quite hard even after adding the black water mix that lowers the PH, but is the ph a very large problem? According to the seller of the pair, they have even spawned successfully in waters of a similar ph once so does that mean that the ph doesn’t matter that much?


My tank is done cycling, if ph isn’t much of a problem I’ll probably get them soon.

 

[chromedome52]

I would say pH is not critical, but hardness is very important. Black water extracts do not soften the water, they only serve to help lower the pH. My well water is liquid rock, hardness only readable by electronic meters. I had to mix 90% R/O water with a little regular water to get the hardness down where the black water mix could affect the pH. I did this in a lot of my tanks.

Mine moved around, not shy and hiding, but not a darting/manic type. Just a careful investigative activity.

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

I would say pH is not critical, but hardness is very important. Black water extracts do not soften the water, they only serve to help lower the pH. My well water is liquid rock, hardness only readable by electronic meters. I had to mix 90% R/O water with a little regular water to get the hardness down where the black water mix could affect the pH. I did this in a lot of my tanks.

My place’s water hardness is 64ppm according to the government. Is that fine?



Also, I was wondering if it’s possible to get like maybe the channoides and another wild betta pairs for the tank instead of the channoides and some harlequin rasboras?

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

Ok so I searched it up and my water hardness was fine, so I bought the pair! They are currently hiding at the back of the tank, not really active. I don’t have any live plants yet as shops closed for Chinese new year and the pair didn’t sell plants, so I’ll probably gonna get some for them this Saturday when I’m free. They are not eating yet even though I dropped food like in front of their faces, hopefully they eat soon. According to the sales assistant the male is holding eggs, but I’m not sure how true that is. Anyways is there any way to tell whether the male is actually holding eggs or not? Can’t get a properly photo yet as they are mostly hiding at the back and very scared of any movements.

 

[chromedome52]

This is a non-brooding male.


This is a male with eggs in his mouth. It's hard to see in this photo, but the color pattern is different, especially on the analfin. The chin is extended and round. With more eggs, it is more obvious. brooding males will not eat.


I would not buy a brooding male, it is likely he will eat the eggs. However, it doesn't take long before they spawn again.

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

This is a non-brooding male.
View attachment 871748

This is a male with eggs in his mouth. It's hard to see in this photo, but the color pattern is different, especially on the analfin. The chin is extended and round. With more eggs, it is more obvious. brooding males will not eat.
View attachment 871750

I would not buy a brooding male, it is likely he will eat the eggs. However, it doesn't take long before they spawn again.

I already bought the pair though… They only sold that one pair so I had no other paired to choose from. The males chin does look kinda like the one in the photo, so I think he hasn’t swallowed the eggs. Hopefully the fry can maybe survive.

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

I managed to get some photos of the male. Any idea if he is brooding?

 

[chromedome52]

Certainly looks like he is brooding. Good Luck!

 

[Forgetfullfishy]

Ok so I stripped the male after 14 days cause I was scared he was going to starve to death. Got 25 fry. Had some problem with BBS kinda but not really solved now. Male still refusing pellet food so I’m just putting in some BBS in every day and hoping that he eats it. The fry I’m feeding mostly BBS but sometimes the Hikari first bites so that they will eat pellet food in the future. Fry for now in 3g tank as I don’t have a bigger one… 30% wc daily. A fry just died

Oh yeah and the female jumped out and died when I first couldn’t find it I thought it was just hiding. But after not seeing it for another day I panicked and found it dry on the floor… It nearly blended in perfectly with the floor and was in a corner so I didn’t see it… Completely dry and no response after being in water for 2days.

 

[chromedome52]

Sorry you lost your female. Congrats on getting such a large batch of fry! Keep up the water changes and live food for the fry and for the male. I never tried to give them prepared foods, but I had large daily bbs hatches for the many tanks of different species of fry and small fish. Also gave them Daphnia and mosquito larvae when available.