Endler colony with a betta in a 10 gallon? Can it be done?

[Tory]

Hey y'all. I'm itching to get a new betta since my last one passed several months ago. I've gotten into endlers and guppies since then and I just started a new 10 gallon tank with a few endlers with the intention of starting a colony. Could I keep a betta (one with a good temperament of course) with them? Or would it eat too many babies for the colony to take off? Some baby eating is fine - maybe even a good thing so I don't end up with too many too quickly, but I don't want the betta to over eat and get sick / I don't want the colony to be too thin. It is a heavily planted tank with lots of hiding, but in my experience of having endlers and guppies breed over the past few months, the babies are kinda dumb and don't use the hiding places lol. 

[KaitieG]

Seems like it'd be worth a try to me!  If you don't get the balance you want, you can always switch things around. In a 10 gallon you probably don't want a HUGE fry explosion, so it might be a good combo to keep numbers in check.

[CalmedByFish]

I've considered doing the same in a 20. Just my brainstorming here, but I wonder if a male might be less capable of catching fry than a female, just because his longer fins might slow him down. 

[SWilson]

I have been considering the same since my endlers quickly overloaded my 16 gallon tank. I just started with 3 last December, now I have too many to count and my LFS's don't seem to be very keen on buying them, saying they don't sell very well here. (the stores have been really nice and offered to take them anyway, but I feel bad giving them something that they'll be stuck with, I wanna keep the relations better than that).  Plus I also really miss having a betta.  

For what it's worth, I've noticed that the babies are very bold and don't hide when in the tank withe their parents because their parents don't eat them, but if placed in a tank with a predator, they will hide.  I put a few endler fry of various sizes in my 55 gallon with 6 amazon puffers.  To be honest I wanted to test if the puffers were really "peaceful" -- hearing conflicting reports.  Not seeing them for days I was convinced they were all goners, but I was cleaning the tank and moved around a bunch of the subwassertang and suddenly there they were.  

[Tory]

1 hour ago, SWilson said:

I have been considering the same since my endlers quickly overloaded my 16 gallon tank. I just started with 3 last December, now I have too many to count and my LFS's don't seem to be very keen on buying them, saying they don't sell very well here. (the stores have been really nice and offered to take them anyway, but I feel bad giving them something that they'll be stuck with, I wanna keep the relations better than that).  Plus I also really miss having a betta.  

For what it's worth, I've noticed that the babies are very bold and don't hide when in the tank withe their parents because their parents don't eat them, but if placed in a tank with a predator, they will hide.  I put a few endler fry of various sizes in my 55 gallon with 6 amazon puffers.  To be honest I wanted to test if the puffers were really "peaceful" -- hearing conflicting reports.  Not seeing them for days I was convinced they were all goners, but I was cleaning the tank and moved around a bunch of the subwassertang and suddenly there they were.  

This is helpful, thank you! That makes sense that they only hide when they need to - my community tank with guppies and endlers doesn't have anything predatory (just them, CPDs, shrimp, and kuhlis) so I guess they feel safe enough to hang out with the other fish when they're small. 

[Jayci]

I have a betta with Endlers and the fry absolutely thrive. (20G with plants). Granted, my betta is very laid back; I've seen newborn fry swim right up to his face and he does nothing. Ironically, I bought the betta to keep the guppy population in check, and honestly, I don't think he's even thought of eating one!

I would think that even the most aggressive betta wouldn't be able to hunt all fry, even in a 10. Just have a few spots where they can hide.

[CalmedByFish]

I wonder if some re-thinking of the plants could be done so the fry wouldn't be *as* able to hide. Or maybe there's a more predatory fish, similar to a betta, that you would enjoy every bit as much. Or perhaps 3 female bettas? I hear tale that can work.