Any aquarium experts ?

Question

I have just bought a cold water aquarium (small 34 Ltrs) & introduced my first fish a ( betta splended (saimese fighting fish)) please can anyone advise which other fish are suitable to live with him ? - preferably coldwater fish.

Thanks

Answer 1

I'm honestly not sure why you were being told to house your Male betta with other Betta's because that is a recipe for death. Betta's cannot be housed with other Betta's from a male's prespective. You could house more then one female togeather, but male Betta's cannot be housed with other Betta's period.

There are other fish you could add that would not cause over crowding as well. White clouds are a good solid option. Some Tetra's could work, just research them for being fin nippers. Cory catfish, 2-3 will stay on the bottom and not disturb your Betta much. You have alot of options here really, and what you want to focus your attention on are two things really. Avoid fish that have long flowing fins or tails, a Male Betta may mistake that as another male and become aggressive towards it. And two, consider the adult size of fish you want to add. If they go over 3 to 4 inches, they would not do well in your tank.

If you need further help you can get better answers at fishless cycling.com or just use the link on my profile.

And yes, the others are correct that your Betta is a tropical fish, which means you need to keep him in a heated filtered tank.

JV

Answer 2

First of all you NEED a heater, because bettas are NOT coldwaterfish, they can be kept without a heater if the roomtemperature stays always the same, like around 76-82 degrees
You have a 8us gallon tank and need a heater before you buy the following fish
6 rasboaras (schooling fish)
2-3 cory cats like a pepper cory (bottom feeder)
6 zebra danios (schooling fish)
But don't add all these fish at once, only 4-6 at a time

And If your betta is a female, you could actually get 2-3 more of them, they will be fine with each other when they have chosen their so called peckingorder


Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 3

Well, first, a betta is NOT a coldwater fish, despite what some posters have said. They will be stressed if the water is below 74 degrees, and they are easier to keep healthy in water between 78 and 82 degrees, so you should get a heater. Good on you, though, for getting an actual tank with at least 5 gallons of water. It will be much easier to keep your betta healthy in that size tank.

Good tankmates for a betta in a tank the size you mention would be maybe a SMALL school of cory cats - maybe 2-3 of the smaller kinds. Don't stock any heavier than that, as smaller tanks can be a bear to keep stable. And I suggest you hold off on adding new fish for at least a month or so, to let the tank cycle.

Bettas sometimes do OK in communities with other fish, particularly schooling fish, but I suggested cory cats because they seem most able to cope with bottom feeders. Bettas tend to like keeping the higher strata of the tank (near the surface) to themselves.

Enjoy your tank!

Answer 4

You do need the heater. And no the electric bill will not really change, because the tank is going to be on all the time. I would try to get fish that are in the same "environment". Like don't mix tropical fish with aggressive fish. Because they will most likely kill each other, or they will not live as long as you would like them to. Oh and if you do have tropical fish, avoid bettas, unless you have two separate tanks. I don't know if I did something wrong but I had tropical fish and a betta together and they all died except the betta. And yes bettas are aggressive fish so maybe that was why. Good Luck :)

Answer 5

I have a male betta in my tropical (heated) community tank and he shows no aggression whatsoever to the other fish...

In with my Betta are 4 wagtail platys and 4 cardinals.

But these are all tropical fish which need a heater - maybe you should just spend a few pounds and purchase a heater, your tank is small so it won't cost a lot, and you will have a much healthier, happier Betta - they are a wonderful fish to watch..!!

Answer 6

I have a male and 2 female fighters in my community tank and they get along fine with all, i have with them corys, tetras, a red finned shark (although he is very bossy), shrimp, underwater frogs,an elephant nose and a few others.
I also had tiger barbs but took those out as they are known to nip longer tailed fish as are some others.
In a smaller tank a male fighter would probably do well with females for company but be careful if you don't want baby fighters- keep the water moving as there will be less chance of the male being able to build his bubble nest sucessfully.
most of all enjoy your fish and good luck with choosing tank mates.

Answer 7

I don't know where you live but Betta splendens is not a cold water fish in the UK. It's a tropical fish.

Cold water fish are basically limited to goldfish-including fancy goldfish-shubunkins, carp some catfish etc although, if you acclimatise them fairly slowly White Cloud Mountain Minnows and Guppies will also live quite happily in a cold water tank.

Answer 8

Compatible Fish of Other Species: Before co-housing bettas with other species, their compatibility should be carefully researched, and the owner should prepare a back-up plan. Common tankmates include mollies, catfish, or loaches. Amano Shrimp also provide good tankmates, and provided with sufficient natural plant cover will keep the tank clean without causing the betta any stress.

Answer 9

You can only put cold water fish in a coldwater tank and you can put tropical fish in a tropical heated tank but you cannot expect both species of fish to live in the same enviroment. You can sleep in your nice warm bed but you cannot sleep with a cat on the rooftop.

Answer 10

Whoa, you have been missold your fighter! they are tropical fishes and need a temp of around 80 degrees F. you can only mix them with peaceful fish and those not inclined to nibble fins(no angels/kissing gouramis etc) but I would go out and buy a heater asap! they are quite sensitive little chaps and he won't like the cold.