Just starting and would appreciate ideas! 10 & 20 gallon

Hello everyone,
Well to start off I have a 10 gallon that is housing my beautiful red male betta, I made the mistake of adding 3 (1m/2f) cherry barbs, the next morning poor bettas tail was shredded, so needless to say, the cherries got moved to the 'big' house!
I'm wondering what would be a good tank mate(s) for my betta, he is not very aggresive (unless you put up the mirror or pictures of plants!)
In the 20 gallon I have a 4 inch pleco, a large yoyo loach (he my not last long, he's not exactly what I expected) and the 3 cherry barbs.
So I'm wondering what else would be a suitable tankmate for them as well, I would like something that is a top dweller and about a medium/large size, but not something that the cherry barbs are going to destroy again and I know that it's getting close to the inch/gal limit!
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks!

 

You could put some Otos in with the Betta. They can't really have any tank mates but otos usually (except in rare instances). You could put a snail, or an African dwarf frog maybe. You could put in some livebearers in your 20 gal tank?

 

How long ago did your Betta get the tail damage? How is his tail healing up? Watch it for signs of rot and have some Fungus Clear on hand if he needs it. If you can post a pic of his tail in the betta forum, the members here could advise you on the best course to take to promote healing and/or treat any problems.

 

My male betta never bothered the platys or the mollies. He did however bother the male dwarf gouarmi, but left the female alone. Not to say that the betta wouldnt begin to bother her as well if given a second chance in that tank.

 

My male betta never bothered the platys or the mollies. He did however bother the male dwarf gouarmi, but left the female alone. Not to say that the betta wouldnt begin to bother her as well if given a second chance in that tank.

Yea, Bettas are all different - sometimes it makes us frustrated, but it really is what we love about them too.

 

Well,
I haven't figured out how to load pictures, they didn't get too far down on the fin, I'm using melafix on him right now, and the healing is slow, but I think I'm starting to see the begining of the healing process.
Today he seems very spunky, or mad at me, he's been flaring for no reason, at me and the sides of his tank!

 

If you want to have other fish in the tank with him you need to know how he reacts to other fish. I would start with an oto or a cory and see how he deals with them. If he is not aggressive at all you could add maybe some tetra or something of the sort. I have friends that have their betta with tetra and an angel.

 

You're using melafix on your betta? that med is harmful to fish with air labyrinths. Some survive it but very often will kill them.