Betta tank mates 15g Fluval Flex

[PithyUserName]

I want to add some fish to go with “Jaws”, and it’s challenging to find a good match with this tank style. i have removed the Fluval pump, filter, and shroud out of the back to make more swimming area, and replaces with he ACo sponge filter and air stone. Works great. I have hard water and high ph here in Michigan. 
 

Current Residents:

1 koi betta named Jaws

2 Amano Shrimp

2 Horned Nerite snails

Any suggestions for mid column fish? 

[Lennie]

Hello there, That’s a good looking tiny jungle. I like it

 

I have to sadly say no to any fish additions. Why? Because the whole tank is Jaws’ now. It’s their territory.

if you started with other fish and added Jaws last, it would be much more likely for things to go right. Adding a betta last to a tank changed the direction for me many times meanwhile it wouldnt work to add any to an establed betta only tank for a while

 

Other option is removing the betta for a while or changing the tank design so you kinda try to reset the territory claim here. But I never tried this myself. So I can’t share personal experience on this one

If you have a second plan, like, if you have an answer to “what if it doesn’t work?”, you can still try

[Tony s]

I wouldn’t worry about the betta being too aggressive to other fish. Bettas are mostly aggressive to bettas. But you do have the other tank just in case. I don’t think it’s an issue though. Fish we have kept bettas with. Harlequin and espei Rasbora s, platys (we have one currently who thinks she’s a platy) neons, otos, all kinds of Corys, snails (did have 1 out of 20 go for them, but only in a small tank with just those 2 by themselves). kuhli loaches and other bottom dwellers.

there are fish I wouldn’t keep with them. Skirt tetras, lemon tetras, zebra danios. These are by far too nippy for bettas. 
 

we currently keep 6 bettas in community tank. Really don’t see aggression from them. Them in tank first or last. Not an issue from what we see.

Edited April 7 by Tony s

[Tony s]

The other thing I would do to avoid aggression, I wouldn’t add individual fish at this point. Curiosity by itself could lead to higher, let’s call it, attention from the betta. A small school would be better. 

[PithyUserName]

Interesting feedback. I almost feel like another tank might be in order (10 gallon for Jaws) after reading the feedback. Shame to waste the real estate in the 15. Darn another tank! 🙂

Once the family room is done, I'll be adding a 55 too. 

 

[Lennie]

On 4/7/2024 at 10:40 AM, Tony s said:

I wouldn’t worry about the betta being too aggressive to other fish. Bettas are mostly aggressive to bettas. But you do have the other tank just in case. I don’t think it’s an issue though. Fish we have kept bettas with. Harlequin and espei Rasbora s, platys (we have one currently who thinks she’s a platy) neons, otos, all kinds of Corys, snails (did have 1 out of 20 go for them, but only in a small tank with just those 2 by themselves). kuhli loaches and other bottom dwellers.

there are fish I wouldn’t keep with them. Skirt tetras, lemon tetras, zebra danios. These are by far too nippy for bettas. 
 

we currently keep 6 bettas in community tank. Really don’t see aggression from them. Them in tank first or last. Not an issue from what we see.

Ive seen many occasions of bettas bullying or even reaching to killing phase for guppies, pygmy cories, honey gourami, endlers, apistogramma triple red male (and it was the late addition to the peaceful tank after betta and she hated him for life in a 160 liter tank) and more. I had 11 until this day, and currently have 2 females and 1m in 3 different community setups

How long has it been since you have 6 bettas? I would suggest to wait and see. I wish the best of luck, but my long time betta sorority failed too hard once I lost a few and number dropped to three to four. Chaos. 

On 4/7/2024 at 4:14 PM, PithyUserName said:

Interesting feedback. I almost feel like another tank might be in order (10 gallon for Jaws) after reading the feedback. Shame to waste the real estate in the 15. Darn another tank! 🙂

Once the family room is done, I'll be adding a 55 too. 

 

If you wanna try Jaws in a community tank, I would do this:

Get a small second sponge filter in the Jaws’ 15g tank and start running it as soon as possible. In the following weeks, setup the new 10g tank and directly move the old sponge in and stock with a small school of fish you want

Once you make sure there is no ammonia and nitrite issues in the new tank with established filter, you can get other fish you want, or try moving in Jaws there. 
 

As a result, based on the scenario, I would either

move Jaws to the 10g and keep her alone (if she is a confirmed aggressive one in the first scenario) and move the schooling fish to 15g tank (as 15 is bigger and would provide a better peaceful community)

or,

If things go well, I would keep jaws with small schooling fish in the 10g, and stock the 15 the way you want. 

Edited April 7 by Lennie

[macdaddy36]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:39 AM, Lennie said:

How long has it been since you have 6 bettas? I would suggest to wait and see. I wish the best of luck, but my long time betta sorority failed too hard once I lost a few and number dropped to three to four. Chaos. 

 @Tony s correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you meant you had 6 in different tank.

I think you would have the best chance with small (but not tiny) schooling fish. I find that semi-aggressive "centerpiece" fish don't like other fish of a similar size and shape but will leave schooling fish alone.

[Tony s]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:48 AM, macdaddy36 said:

correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you meant you had 6 in different tank

Correct. Although I did try the sorority, it lasted a day. 

they do just fine with my platys. You have to look hard to find the betta in there. And the bigger rasbora hets. I have had one with a honey gourami. Supposed to not work. They just ignore each other. As for aggression, I’ve found more things that pick on bettas, than are picked on by bettas

[Tony s]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:39 AM, Lennie said:

bettas bullying or even reaching to killing phase for guppies, pygmy cories, honey gourami, endlers, apistogramma triple red male

Yeah. Don’t have any of those. Except the gourami. My betta ignores it. 

 

On 4/7/2024 at 9:39 AM, Lennie said:

How long has it been since you have 6 bettas? I would suggest to wait and see. I wish the best of luck, but my long time betta sorority failed too hard once I lost a few and number dropped to three to four

Currently have 5, lost one two days ago to a tumor. Yeah, tried the sorority thing. It’s where most of my bettas came from. Lasted 2 days and separated them. Was winding down the bettas. But,  restock. I tend to rescue bettas when I have room. They don’t last a horribly long time due to where they’re from. Anywhere from 6 months to a couple years. Keeping them by themselves won’t change that, due to the source. But have had 6 in different tanks, only had 1 bully. To a mystery snail. He was fine with the platys. 

[Whitecloud09]

Agree with everyone else, adding fish too a tank that has a betta already can be a recipe for disaster, but I also like what @Lennie and @Tony s said about trying too make it work as well, I would go for another tank if you can and maybe eventually add tank mates for jaws to that one, @PithyUserName, what is his aggression level? Like how aggressive is he? Is he aggressive to the snails or shrimp?

[Gideyon]

Not from experience, but I've learned that a ember tetras work well with bettas. Not sure of water parameters. 

[Whitecloud09]

On 4/9/2024 at 7:49 AM, Gideyon said:

Not from experience, but I've learned that a ember tetras work well with bettas. Not sure of water parameters. 

Really? Wow, i did not know that, will have to look it up @Gideyon, interesting..

[Gideyon]

On 4/9/2024 at 7:54 AM, Whitecloud09 said:

Really? Wow, i did not know that, will have to look it up @Gideyon, interesting..

I saw it from one of my favorite/trusted fish tubers who shall remain nameless.   I wanted to try it with my former betta in a 10g, but then my betta became the former. 

It's on my list of possibilities if I decide to resurrect my 10g. 

[PithyUserName]

On 4/8/2024 at 8:30 AM, Whitecloud09 said:

Agree with everyone else, adding fish too a tank that has a betta already can be a recipe for disaster, but I also like what @Lennie and @Tony s said about trying too make it work as well, I would go for another tank if you can and maybe eventually add tank mates for jaws to that one, @PithyUserName, what is his aggression level? Like how aggressive is he? Is he aggressive to the snails or shrimp?

Doesn’t bother the shrimp or snails at all. Lots of room in there, lots of plants and caves too. 
 

[Cinnebuns]

I'll be honest, my ADHD is bad right now so I didn't read all of the responses. 

I do agree with changing the setup if you introduce fish AFTER the betta. I also suggest ember tetras. They not only are small but very inactive thus making them require less space. 

[PithyUserName]

Flex 9 en route for surgery to swap jaws to. 🙂

Seeding some media and a sponge filter in the big tank to have ready for the set up, and shopping for the new scape.