Advice needed re adding Betta to Tropical Tank

[Windhavyn]

Hello there! I wonder if anyone here would be willing to give some guidance/help with my tropical tank. I’ve been keeping fish for about 4 years now but still feel a bit uncertain if I’m on the right track. I’d like to check first before I make a huge mistake. 
This is my first attempt at a community tank. My set up is as follows: a 60 litre Star Fire tank (about 15 gallons) with a 15watt light and an internal corner filter. I am using pool filter sand as a substrate  and have live plants. Plants include Anubius, Java Ferns, Frogbit, Water Sprite (planted and floating), Water Wisteria and some crypts. Heater is set at 24 degrees centigrade. Current livestock include: a trio of Honey Gouramis, 11 Neon Tetras, 9 Pygmy Corydoras and 1 Hillstream Loach. 

So far everything is going well. All my plants are growing, my water tests are spot on (Ammonia is at 0, Nitrites at 0, and Nitrates are <20), and all the fish are eating well and enjoying life.

My question is this: would I be able to add a single Betta to this tank? I don’t mind if it is a male (which I’ve had before) or a female. I also have no particular preference for fin style, though I do not particularly like the overly larged finned male Bettas as I find they tear their fins way too easily. Should I try ot out (with a backup tank ready, just in case), or should I leave everything as it is?

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

[Guppy Guy]

I have kept a betta with guppies before, though it was temporary as its tank wasn’t ready. No problems though. 

I would watch out with the tetras, as they might go for the bettas fins, but if they don’t bother the gouramis, then they’ll probably be fine. Make sure you get a different color betta from the gourami, or they could think that they are the same species, and because they are labyrinth fish, that means fighting.

I would try it, but at the first sign of trouble, move the betta into a tank with some smaller fish. Good luck!

[Windhavyn]

Thank you, that is encouraging! Interesting tip about the colour choice, I’ll definitely keep that in mind when buying the Betta. 

[PineSong]

My first male betta got along well when added to my community tank. My other male betta, though older and theoretically "too old" to care about other fish ignored all the guppies, platies, and mollies but would not stop bothering the otocinclus catfish as they hung on the glass. He would bump them every time he swam past one. So, he had to go back to his original setup.

When I added my bettas to the existing the community tank, I had them spend a few hours in the tank in a transparent breeder box so they had a chance to see everyone and get the lay of the land before they were turned loose.