Betta w/ ghost shrimp? Good or bad idea

[Falkor]

I have a beautiful male betta named Falkor, right now he's living in a 1 gallon bowl, and I wanted to put a ghost shrimp with him.
Falkor is still very small, and when he gets bigger I'm planning on breeding him. I don't want anything to happen to him, but his bowl looks kinda empty and I've always been fond of ghost shrimp. But I don't want them hurting him. I don't know how aggressive he is because I've never let him near other fish, but he'll rub up against my hand if I put it in his water(After washing it of course). So he's friendly to me. But I have no idea how he'd behave around another fish. Would the bowl be able to support the fish and the shrimp? I have a 2.5 gallon tank that would fit nicely too, it just wouldn't look as pretty.

[bethyMT]

Well, there are some bettas who will tolerate shrimp, but many just eat them as snacks. You can try it and see how it goes.

BUT, a gallon bowl is not large enough for a betta just by himself, let alone with tankmates. Bettas are real fish who need space...is there any way you could get him into a 5 gallon tank of his own? The 2.5 gallon would be better than nothing, but it's really not ideal. You will also need a heater and filter for the larger tank.

There is a whole lot of misinformation about how bettas can be kept. They aren't happy or healthy in small bowls...they need a reasonably-sized space with warm (80F or so) clean water. They can take more abuse than many types of fish, but that doesn't mean they should suffer.

Please, for the love of your fish, and because you want him to grow and be happy and healthy, upgrade your tank, cycle it, and provide good food and consistent maintenance.
Also, betta breeding is an involved process. I myself have not attempted it although I have a whole houseful of bettas. Perhaps just focusing on getting your current betta in good shape would be a good start. Then you can think about the future. Please ask if you have questions - there are quite a few betta keepers on here and we will be happy to help you get on the right track.

[Falkor]

I know breeding is difficult, I've done it before. He's still a baby, and I couldn't bare to see him in that tiny container at the pet store. When he gets bigger he's going to live in my ten gallon tank with a few guppies. I just want to know if I can put a shrimp in there for now. I'm just now getting back into fish keeping, so the ten gallon is not set up right yet. As soon as it is set up he's moving in there. I know he needs somewhere bigger, but I don't have that ready yet. I've kept them in bowls before and they seemed fairly happy.

[koaladarshana]

Just because your betta is barely surviving in that tiny bowl does not mean he is "happy." That poor thing is living in its own sewage. You say you know he needs "somewhere bigger"... well if you could not provide him with the bare minimum he needs to be comfortable then you should not have purchased him. You certainly would not adopt a cat if you only had a guinea pig cage to keep him or her in, yet you feel it's acceptable to make a fish endure the same conditions? He needs a spacious, heated environment free of waste. If you cannot provide that for him please give him up on craigslist or hand him over to your local fish store. Finding him an adequate home is certainly a better scenario than putting him in a small tank with several guppies...

[Stlouisfish]

Agreeing with all comments regarding the size of the tank - all fish stores keep bettas in awful conditions (containers or tiny bowls). However, if someone wants to "rescue" a fish, research should be done 1st to see what is the minimum tank size recommended - if you can't afford that tank size or don't have space for it, it's best to not buy the fish.

Personally, I wouldn't be "saving" the fish for your 10gal because some bettas don't tolerate other fish. Some don't care and others will become aggressive towards anything in a tank.

I wouldn't put ghost shrimp in the tank - 1st of all because I wouldn't add anything else to such a tiny tank and 2nd because the betta is likely to see shrimp as a snack.

It shouldn't matter whether your 2.5gal wouldn't look as "pretty" - 1 gal of water really isn't sufficient long term for a betta - they aren't tiny fish and need room to swim - just my 2 cents.

[bethyMT]

It is so so hard to learn that what you've been doing with a fish is not the best way...so I understand your reluctance to change the situation right now. But really, I can only speak for myself here, but your fish really does need more space. Right now. Like, he'd be better off in that 10 gallon tank even if it isn't set up properly. Just fill it up with treated water, make sure the temps match, and dump him in, and worry about the rest as you're able. This is not me being a "fish snob," it really is the truth. Breeders will keep fish in small jars, but that's when they are bigger and the filtration system on those setups is usually very involved.

Please forgive me if you already know this, but baby bettas secrete a hormone that actually stunts their growth...this is meant to give it an advantage in the wild (it will stunt the growth of all the other babies), but it does nothing in captivity but stunt its own growth. In a gallon bowl, this hormone will build up very fast, as well waste products such as ammonia. Essentially, the longer your keep your betta in that bowl, the more you are setting him up to be small, sickly, and not a good breeding candidate.
If you keep your betta properly, with all the things I talked about in my first post, you will have a healthy fish that you can breed in the future. If you can't or don't give the fish a better home, the outcome may be disappointing, and you will be responsible for it. Please think about it...we should never take a life for granted, even if it is just a small fish. Good luck to you.

[lmabada86]

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