Planning a betta tank, a little help with tank size and compatibility.

[Loller]

I have an unused fluval spec aquarium, dimensions are 10.8"length by 8.7"width by 11.8"height. First is is this big enough for a betta? I know people commonly keep these in 1 gallon tanks and less, but I want to take proper care.

Second, is this a good stocking?
1 betta
2-6 Amano shrimp
1-3 nerite snails

And last, what's a beautiful type of betta that you reccomend? I've heard of "Blue Dragon" bettas, but I doubt they would be easy to obtain.

That's it, and thank you.
Loller

[genocidex]

Not sure about what betta type, but i think dragon varieties are meaner than the others( so i read), if you want to do shrimp and bettas i would try red cherry shrimp, even if the betta snaps one day and kills off most of the shrimp, there should be some survivors and will repopulate the tank. Give them some moss and that would be even more true

[Loller]

Well, the whole reason for Amano shrimp is because they are bigger and take care of algea better than other shrimp.

[bethyMT]

There is no guarantee that a betta of any type won't snap and make meals of tankmates. I have had good luck with nerites and bettas personally, but my females will kill even them...my boys were fine with them.

I am not sure on the volume of that tank...it seems small and small tanks are hard to cycle. Also, the more fish you cram in there with a betta the more likely you are to have carnage. This is just an example (so understand I'm a betta psycho and overdo the care): In a 10 gallon tank, I have one giant betta and one nerite. The nerite does a fine job of cleaning up algae and the betta loves his space. I wonder if all those algae cleaners in a smaller tank would have enough to eat.

In an ideal world, bettas should be housed in at least two gallons, some people say five is the minimum. They really do need space. And unfortunately you can't predict what they are going to do with tankmates. Your tank sounds good for a shrimp tank, if not for a single betta.

[sheamurai]

Those measurements work out to a say 3.5 gal tank (see calculators on the sidebar) so its big enough for a betta. I personally wouldn't keep a betta in less than a ten - sure they are ok with less, but once you've seen a betta poking its nose around in every nook and cranny all over the tank, you realise they are more active than people give them credit for, if given the chance.
For species you will have to stick with smaller varieties for that size tank. But its not hard to pick, just stroll thu a lfs and you will fall in love with half the bettas there. I'm a C.T. fan, myself.
You should be able to keep a couple shrimp and a couple snails...but in that size tank, I wouldn't go more than that. Amanos can get quite large, I think more than 2 would be overkill.

[Loller]

Yes, it's about 3.5 gallons. Would this do?
1 betta
2 Amano
1 nerite
(or 2 nerite 1 Amano)

I dont think the betta will get too aggressive if I put some java moss and a small cave at the bottom just in case the shrimp need to hide. For shrimp feeding, I have plenty of Hikari shrimp food.

Any plants you reccomend for a betta? Java fern or... Something that a betta will appreciate.

[Gogi]

It might work. I keep a betta with a colony of cherry shrimp and rams horn snails in a 4 gallon planted nano. He is good with them but i also have other bettas that love to fight anything in their tanks. So just keep a close eye on them and dont get to attached to the shrimp or snails just in case

[sheamurai]

Sorry, I'm a plant dunce. All I can say is that bettas like to rest on things...so they would likely appreciate anything they can wiggle into and set themselves down.

I think two nerites would be ok...but I would wait to add them til some algae shows up for them to eat.

[Ms. Namazu]

Expectation for happy fish is 1 gallon per 1 inch of fish and I say if you have some bottom dwellers and side crawlers its almost like having upstairs and downstairs space. Sounds like you have 5 gallons and you want to put a 2"-3" beta (top swimmer), a small colony of shrimp, and a couple snails (all bottom dwellers) with your remaining 2-3 gallons. You should be good. Be careful of some types of snails as they can get enormous.

Guppies and corys are dainty fish you can put more of in one tank at 5 gallons. I think it would be nicer to look at.
I love the Shrimp. I have a small colony of Ghost Shrimp myself. They're so fun. They look like they're knitting sometimes lol. They help keep your tank cleaner.

[Ms. Namazu]

I have always heard that about betas as well. I have two female halfmoon in a tank with a fancy goldfish, a dojo loach, a panda cory, a chinese catfish, and a small colony of Ghost shrimp. For some reason the betas dont harass any of the other fish much, though they do give each other a good romp across the tank sometimes.

[Flyby Stardancer]

Bettas in with a goldfish? I admit I'm new to fishkeeping, but that's sending up so many red flags for me, as is "chinese catfish". Bettas and goldfish have very different temperature needs, ones that don't overlap. And by "chinese catfish" do you happen to mean a chinese algae eater? As they get older they switch to preferring to eat the slime coats off their tank mates, which leaves said tank mates vulnerable to illness.

[sheamurai]

The "one inch of fish per gallon" theory is not a good rule of thumb to follow. Following that logic, you would keep a 10" oscar in a 10gal tank, which would certainly not give you a happy or healthy fish.

[Loller]

1 inch per gallon doesn't really apply to shrimps or snails. A 8 gallon nano tank can successfully home around 30 cherry shrimp or more if planted. But, this does work with neon tetras in a 10 gallon. You can home from 10-15 1" fish in a 10 gallon tank with proper filtration.

Anyways, I'm gonna start this up in maybe 2-3 weeks as soon as I get a new light, another pearl gourami, and a few more rainbowfish for my 55 gallon. I'm hoping to find a pretty betta for somewhere around the lines of $30. Thanks for the help everyone.

[fishmommie]

I got a gorgeous crown tail betta (dark blue body, red fins with blue tips) at Petco for less than $10. I'm really impressed with this guy. He's really a show stopper. You may be surprised what you can find locally for a lot less than $30.

[sheamurai]

Crowntails are my personal favourite, and they are way less than $30.
If you are looking to pay $30, you must be looking at the half moons or rosetails.
Veiltails you should be able to get for less than $10.

[Loller]

Ok. Thanks for the help everyone.

[vafa]

i don't think a 3.5 gallon tank is enough for a betta.
with gravel and plants it will be like a 2.5, what filtration do you have?

[koaladarshana]

Guppies and corys are dainty fish you can put more of in one tank at 5 gallons. I think it would be nicer to look at.
I love the Shrimp. I have a small colony of Ghost Shrimp myself. They're so fun. They look like they're knitting sometimes lol. They help keep your tank cleaner.

I respectfully disagree. Guppies and corys need much more space than a 5 gallon.

[koaladarshana]

I have an unused fluval spec aquarium, dimensions are 10.8"length by 8.7"width by 11.8"height. First is is this big enough for a betta? I know people commonly keep these in 1 gallon tanks and less, but I want to take proper care.

Second, is this a good stocking?
1 betta
2-6 Amano shrimp
1-3 nerite snails

And last, what's a beautiful type of betta that you reccomend? I've heard of "Blue Dragon" bettas, but I doubt they would be easy to obtain.

That's it, and thank you.
Loller

If the tank you have is the Spec V, your betta will be more than happy in there. If it's the Spec II or III... well, that's not exactly ideal but it's much better than a fish bowl and provided you keep on top of your water quality the betta should be alright. Just make sure to remember to install a heater and cycle it before adding your new buddy.

Must admit, I've never seen a blue dragon betta. Sounds beautiful! If they are anything like red dragons, I can only imagine how cool they look. Since you have a Spec (speaking from experience) keep in mind that the filter flow is quite intense for a betta even at its lowest setting, so you will probably want to consider a plakat as opposed to a more fancy-finned variety such as halfmoon so that it does not get pushed around by the current too much. My spade-tail plakat fairs much better in his Spec V than a fancy veiltail I fostered a while back in a Aqueon Evolve 4 (which has a very similar filter setup). However, I have heard of people modifying the flow by punching holes in the pump hose so that's an option if you are dead-set on a large-finned betta.

Personally, I would try ghost shrimp at first and take it from there since they are a lot cheaper than cherries and amanos which might just end up as expensive snacks for a betta.

Be sure to share some pics of your new buddy when he arrives!

[Loller]

If the tank you have is the Spec V, your betta will be more than happy in there. If it's the Spec II or III... well, that's not exactly ideal but it's much better than a fish bowl and provided you keep on top of your water quality the betta should be alright. Just make sure to remember to install a heater and cycle it before adding your new buddy.

Must admit, I've never seen a blue dragon betta. Sounds beautiful! If they are anything like red dragons, I can only imagine how cool they look. Since you have a Spec (speaking from experience) keep in mind that the filter flow is quite intense for a betta even at its lowest setting, so you will probably want to consider a plakat as opposed to a more fancy-finned variety such as halfmoon so that it does not get pushed around by the current too much. My spade-tail plakat fairs much better in his Spec V than a fancy veiltail I fostered a while back in a Aqueon Evolve 4 (which has a very similar filter setup). However, I have heard of people modifying the flow by punching holes in the pump hose so that's an option if you are dead-set on a large-finned betta.

Personally, I would try ghost shrimp at first and take it from there since they are a lot cheaper than cherries and amanos which might just end up as expensive snacks for a betta.

Be sure to share some pics of your new buddy when he arrives!

I'm going to stick to Amano shrimp, I'm only getting 2 of them. If they don't work, ill use 2 nerites and that will be it. Though, I hear adding the shrimp first helps so that the betta will less likely take them as food. Once I wrap up my 55 gallon, this will be started.