What other fish can I put in with my betta in a 3 gallon bowl?

Question

I just got this 3 gallon bowl (the biggest "fish bowl" you can get, and I really want to add a little fish buddy in with my betta. Is there any other fish I can add in with my betta in a 3 gall bowl?

Answer 1

another betta!!!!! trust me the kill anything els that goes in......i like bettas by the way

Answer 2

To the people who have suggested putting goldfish with bettas:

Goldfish are COLDWATER fish, and bettas are TROPICAL fish. They have extremely different water temperature needs, and you can't mix a fish that thrives in 65 degrees with one that thrives in 80 degrees.

Bettas don't really need buddies. Some people have successfully integrated a single male betta into their community tank (we're talking big tanks.. not a 3 gallon bowl), but many other people have not done this successfully. Bettas prefer to be alone, and while some can tolerate tankmates, it's not ideal.

In regular aerated, filtered tanks, you might be able to put bettas with docile, short-finned community fish like tetras, but there's not much you can do with 3 gallons.

Your best bet is either a live plant (try a java fern, they're beautiful, very low-maintence, and help keep Mr. Betta's water cleaner), or a snail (but not a snail and a plant... the snail will eat the plant). However, some bettas take great pleasure in nipping at snails.

Answer 3

To all the idiots who suggested goldfish...
GOLDFISH CANNOT LIVE IN BOWLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Baby/juvenile fancy goldfish need 10 gallons PER fish and baby/juvenile long bodied goldfish need 20 gallons PER fish. An adult will need atleast 50-60 gallons PER fish. Goldfish also have lifespans of 30 years an grow to be 12-14 inches in length. Keeping a goldfish in a bowl is equal to keeping a dog locked up in the closet under the bathroom sink or a child in a closet.

Other fish can ONLY go in with bettas if the tank is 5 gallons or larger and FILTERED and HEATED. Even then there is no guarantee, EVERY betta has a different personality. I had a male betta that ate the eyes out of a pepper cory in a 5 gallon tank so i switched him out for one of my other ones and added 4 neon tetras to the tank and they got along fine.
So the answer to your question is NO. There are no fish you can add to that dinky 3 gallon bowl that your betta wont kill or the lack of oxygen wont kill because bettas are the ONLY fish that can live in stagnant water.

Answer 4

I wouldn't put anything else in, that bowl is very small. In a bigger aquarium you could have a gold fish, but a small bowl shouldn't have more than one fish or the ammonia levels will get too high for the fish.

Edited to add: I've had goldfish and bettas live together in harmony for years. Neither fish require a heater or a cooler, just room temperature water. Goldfish are fine in water up to 78 degrees, which is also fine for bettas. However, goldfish require at least 10 gallons of water per fish, so you shouldn't put one in the bowl.

Answer 5

There really aren't many fish that will survive in a bowl. (Most fish will require a filter.) Also betta are territorial and will tend to regard the entire bowl as their territory. You need more than 5 gallons for a betta to coexist with most fish. (Some betta are more mellow than other, but there is no way to tell until you stick a fish in.) Goldfish are horrible tankmate for betta. They pollute the water and really need a strong filter, and 5-10 gallons per goldfish. Also they are slow swimmers, and a aggressive betta will tear them to shreds.

Apple, or mystery snails are about it. I would like to note that one of my betta is name snail slayer. People claim that ghost shrimp work if they have a place to hide when they molt. My male betta call ghost shrimp lunch.

PS- Male bettas can be kept with any betta male and female. Females can only be kept together in large tank with lots of cover.

Answer 6

male bettas (the pretty ones- females are more plain looking) only fight with other male bettas, unless they are put in with another aggressive breed that forces it to defend itself. My brother has 11 aquariums in his house and has worked in the pet industry (specializing in fish) for about 10 yrs- and he has always added a betta to almost every tank just for color. the guy who's male kept chasing the fem probably just had a mating ritual going on.
They can share but really- the only fish that can 'thrive' without really good filtration is a common goldfish and they actually grow really fast and leave a lot of waste so the betta would end up suffering. 1 female betta maybe- or add an aquatic plant- they are pretty easy to take care of and the fish and the plant would benefit eachother, the plant providing oxygen to the fish and the fish fertilizing the plant.

Answer 7

Actually, as long as it is not another Betta, Bettas are peaceful fish and can be kept with other fish. In fact, you have to watch that fin nippers like Tiger Barbs do not pick on the Betta! I have kept male Bettas in community tanks myself. No problem there, However, three gallons is very small. Waste builds up very quickly in such a small volume of water and it is hard to keep such a small tank stable. I'd leave him alone in there and do frequent water changes to reduce the build up of waste. If you really want more fish buy a bigger tank.

Answer 8

A few shrimp, if you don't mind them possibly becoming snacks. The bowl is too small for anything else, and bettas (especially males) should not be kept with other fish. Even if you get lucky and find a relatively peaceful betta, it certainly has no benefits keepnig them with other fish, and is usually detrimental to their overall health.

Answer 9

After goldfish, the Betta is probably the second most popular fish kept. The Betta Splendens is a favorite because of its beauty, its long fins and because they are relatively easy to care for. The males sport deep beautiful colors whereas the females are less colorful.
It is called the Siamese Fighting Fish because of its behavior towards other males of the same species. You cannot keep two or more males in the same tank. If they are placed in the same tank, they will fight until only one of them remains


ive got neon tetras.. sucker fish...shrimp...gouramis


good luck in choosing your fish ..

Answer 10

Most other fish need a stable cycled tank environment to do well and because of this other tankmates are probably not a good idea. If you can incorporate a filter to maintain the beneficial nitrifying bacteria, then you may be able to add something light on the bioload like some ghost shrimp.

Try Googl.... oops... I mean Yahooing "The Nitrogen Cycle" to learn about establishing the bacteria you need.

Answer 11

I wouldn't put any other fish in there, betta fish r 2 aggresive. I have 2 betta fish myself, a male & a female, I wanted 2 put them 2gether, but the male fish kept attacking/chasing the female. . . I have them seperated now, & they're both happy : )