Setting up a 56L/15g community tank

HI everyone!

I'm currently cycling my 15 gallon tank and to make the process less boring I'm starting to think of fish I can add to it when its done. I have a male betta in a temporary 2 gallon tank which I will eventually transfer into the larger tank so I was just wondering what tank mates would be best with him. My tank has 10 live plants and 5 of them are on the large side so they provide shelter (the rest still have to grow). I will also add in suitable decor to provide more hiding places for the fish.

At the moment I am torn between Ember Tetras and Harlequin Rasboras. Have any off you had any experience of a betta with either of these fish?

Also are their any other fish you'd recommend? Would a fish that spends more time at the bottom (such as glass catfish or shrimp) be better for him? I think my tank is too small for cories and plecos so they are off the list.

Thank you in advance

 

Following, I'm I'm in the same exact position you are right now... lately I've been leaning towards harlequins. I've read that their natural habitats are very much the same.

Pygmy cory cats might be an option. I don't know how available they are(I haven't been able to find any in my area).

Personally I'm saving up for a 29 or 37 gallon I'm going to do blackwater, heavily planted with my koi betta, 8 harlequin , 10 pigmy Cory's, and a clown pleco.

 

Following, I'm I'm in the same exact position you are right now... lately I've been leaning towards harlequins. I've read that their natural habitats are very much the same.

Pygmy cory cats might be an option. I don't know how available they are(I haven't been able to find any in my area).

Personally I'm saving up for a 29 or 37 gallon I'm going to do blackwater, heavily planted with my koi betta, 8 harlequin , 10 pigmy Cory's, and a clown pleco.

I'm leaning towards harlequins too they seem like a safer option since they live together in the wild. I will have to see if my pet stores and aquarium stores have pygmy cory cats and look into those, thanks for the suggestion!

 

A 15 gallon tank is way too small for a community tank with a male betta. The betta will probably just eat those fish you mentioned, as bettas are carnivorous fish.

 

what are the dimensions of the tank?

 

what are the dimensions of the tank?

I'm pretty sure its 62cm length x 32 width x 32 height - I build a custom stand for it and off the top of my head these were the measurements I went by

A 15 gallon tank is way too small for a community tank with a male betta. The betta will probably just eat those fish you mentioned, as bettas are carnivorous fish.

Would you recommend any fish or snails for that size tank? Or is it best to leave him by himself?

Would it be safer to divide my tank into two parts and have two betta fish rather than one betta with another species?

 

Flowingfins.

 

I would recommend mystery snails. They would be perfect as they aren't pests, they have a shell to protect themselves, and you don't have to feed them any other kind of food (unless you are keeping them be themselves). For your tank, I would suggest 8-12 at maximum (8 for low filtration, 12 for maximum).

I don't know any other invertebrates compatible with a betta so... yeah

 

I would recommend mystery snails. They would be perfect as they aren't pests, they have a shell to protect themselves, and you don't have to feed them any other kind of food (unless you are keeping them be themselves). For your tank, I would suggest 8-12 at maximum (8 for low filtration, 12 for maximum).

I don't know any other invertebrates compatible with a betta so... yeah

Can these type of snails escape from the tank if there's a small gap uncovered by the lid?
Thank you for your suggestion

 

I would definitely not recommend that many mystery's, they get very large. They do actually need to be fed, and produce more waste than you would think. I would say 2 would be the max for the tank.

I have 2 right now in a 55 gallon and their poop is all over the bottom I hardly see poop from the fish.

As for feeding, if they are introduced to a very established tank they will probably have some algae to eat so they will last longer than in a new tank but they still can't survive on only that. Mine love zucchini, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, their favorite is watermelon. And they munch on algae wafers. They are scavengers and need a varied diet. One of mine will go to the waterline and reach out for flakes at feeding time and will wait for me to hand feed her blooodworms.

The only time they leave the water is to lay eggs. They technically could escape but it wouldn't be on Purpose, it would be a female only trying to find a place to lay her eggs. That's the only time mine have ever been out of the water.

Size wise nerite' s would be better, they don't grow as fast and don't get as big, they do lay little eggs sometimes but they don't hatch in freshwater. The downside is they do leave the water very Frequently. With them it's best to have some space at the top. Mine have managed to be on the underside of my hood, and I'm pretty sure in my filter as well. They can survive out of water for a little bit.

Here's a pic of my (I think) female mystery

Size comparison with a tiget nerite catching a ride


Hogging the watermelon

 

I would definitely not recommend that many mystery's, they get very large. They do actually need to be fed, and produce more waste than you would think. I would say 2 would be the max for the tank.

I have 2 right now in a 55 gallon and their poop is all over the bottom I hardly see poop from the fish.

As for feeding, if they are introduced to a very established tank they will probably have some algae to eat so they will last longer than in a new tank but they still can't survive on only that. Mine love zucchini, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, their favorite is watermelon. And they munch on algae wafers. They are scavengers and need a varied diet. One of mine will go to the waterline and reach out for flakes at feeding time and will wait for me to hand feed her blooodworms.

The only time they leave the water is to lay eggs. They technically could escape but it wouldn't be on Purpose, it would be a female only trying to find a place to lay her eggs. That's the only time mine have ever been out of the water.

Size wise nerite' s would be better, they don't grow as fast and don't get as big, they do lay little eggs sometimes but they don't hatch in freshwater. The downside is they do leave the water very Frequently. With them it's best to have some space at the top. Mine have managed to be on the underside of my hood, and I'm pretty sure in my filter as well. They can survive out of water for a little bit.

Here's a pic of my (I think) female mystery

Size comparison with a tiget nerite catching a ride


Hogging the watermelon

Yeah I researched that you also feed them veggies and by the time my tank cycles I don't think I would have a lot of algae in it for them to survive on at all. I didn't know the nerite was so much smaller than the mystery snail!! Google s always throws me off haha

I think I will go with snails as they seem like the safest option. If I were to split my 15 gallon in half to house two bettas could I still keep a snail in each half? Do they need to have a pair or are they ok on their own?

 

If your splitting the tank for bettas you still need to make sure the bettas both are ok with the snail/s, some will nip at them, so just watch for excessive bothering or nipping, if that happens the snails will need to be moved. If you do go with nerites they more than likely won't stay in the half you start them off in, they will probably go back and forth.(They they have a "I do/go where I want" attitude) Nerites also love to eat zucchinI and algae wafers.
Snails are completely fine alone or with others.

If your planning on live plants you might consider assassin snails, they don't usually leave the water, they don't breed like crazy and they will kill any pest snails that the plants bring into your tank. Just a thought tho.

 

If your splitting the tank for bettas you still need to make sure the bettas both are ok with the snail/s, some will nip at them, so just watch for excessive bothering or nipping, if that happens the snails will need to be moved. If you do go with nerites they more than likely won't stay in the half you start them off in, they will probably go back and forth.(They they have a "I do/go where I want" attitude) Nerites also love to eat zucchinI and algae wafers.
Snails are completely fine alone or with others.

If your planning on live plants you might consider assassin snails, they don't usually leave the water, they don't breed like crazy and they will kill any pest snails that the plants bring into your tank. Just a thought tho.

I'm most likely splitting the tank because I don't want to risk putting my betta with other fish that will hurt him or he will hurt.

I'll leave a gap for the snails to be able to climb over to either side if they please, thank you for letting me know about that. I do have live plants so I'll havs to look into assasin snails

Thank you for your help!!

 

If your splitting the tank for bettas you still need to make sure the bettas both are ok with the snail/s, some will nip at them, so just watch for excessive bothering or nipping, if that happens the snails will need to be moved. If you do go with nerites they more than likely won't stay in the half you start them off in, they will probably go back and forth.(They they have a "I do/go where I want" attitude) Nerites also love to eat zucchinI and algae wafers.
Snails are completely fine alone or with others.

If your planning on live plants you might consider assassin snails, they don't usually leave the water, they don't breed like crazy and they will kill any pest snails that the plants bring into your tank. Just a thought tho.

Oh yeah! I completely forgot about assassin snails! Those would be perfect in your tank.

 

I will see if any stores around me stock those! Thank you

My betta is very calm and shy. He loves hiding in the plants and keeping to himself, I've never even seen him flare! Do you think I'd be able to try him out with some other fish in his tank since he isn't aggressive at all? I like the look of glass catfish but is this an ideal pairing??

 

My betta is very calm and shy. He loves hiding in the plants and keeping to himself, I've never even seen him flare! Do you think I'd be able to try him out with some other fish in his tank since he isn't aggressive at all? I like the look of glass catfish but is this an ideal pairing??

Possibly, but I wouldn't risk it, especially in that small of a tank.

 

Possibly, but I wouldn't risk it, especially in that small of a tank.

I've decided to divide the tank in two instead

 

Don't leave a gap at the top, bettas are expert jumpers and IMO I wouldn't risk losing one of my bettas

 

Don't leave a gap at the top, bettas are expert jumpers and IMO I wouldn't risk losing one of my bettas

I won't be, the divider goes all the way up to the lid so there's no way they can sneak to one another I'm also heavily planting along the divider so they shouldn't really notice each other

 

Oh good hope it works out then, good luck!

 

Oh good hope it works out then, good luck!

Thank you! I've already noticed they both have completely different personalities! One loves to eat and the other is shy and keeps to itself. Hopefully they work out being neighbours