Aquarium people?

I have a ten gallon tank with just a male betta in it. It's heated (80 degrees F) but not filtered (I do weekly 25% water changes).

Is there anything else I could put in there? I've been thinking about a snail, but I'm not sure exactly what care they need. I'd prefer not to have to put a filter in, as my betta has a hard time swimming with one in, and ends up getting swept all over the tank.

On the topic of filters, are there any filters that DON'T create too strong a current for a betta? Any way that I can make the current stronger? He's doing fine with the water changes (I've had him for about a year and a half and he's never had any sort of disease) but I realize that bettas are pretty much one of the only aquatic critters that can do without filters, and if I add anything else, I'll probably need one.

Thanks!

What I used to do with bettas in community tanks is use a typical HOB (hang on back) filter, and cut a styrofoam cup in half, then tape it to the filter so that the water flow would be buffered.

If you cycle the tank, a small school of a small species of corydora catfish would be neat. I looove them.

I'd put in a sponge filter. They cost <$10, plus you need an air pump. For a 10 gallon, this should provide decent filtration without a current. Walmart, Amazon, etc should have these two items for pretty cheap.



If you want to do things properly, you can put that in and in a few weeks try adding some new critters. In my 10 gallon w/ sponge filter, I have 4 sparkling gouramis and 1 betta, snails, and until recently I had 1 large bristlenose pleco as well. I'm pretty sure you could get away with adding a few snails right now, but it would be betta to wait.

Most fish can be kept without a filter, really, given that you change the water often enough. It's just that bettas tolerate toxicity fairly well and don't produce tons of waste.

I love the sponge filters too, but have also underfiltered with an HOB to create less current.

I love small schools of cardinal tetras, lemon tetras, neons, etc. or small school of cories, a bristlenose pleco, some shrimp (LOVE crystal red shrimp), snails, etc. I would personally stay away from gouramis and barbs as most tend to be fin nippers and you can't get anything with long fins or the betta will attack that.

A 10g is too small for an adult bristlenose, and a lot of bettas get stressed out with fast moving tetras.


A lot of bettas are okay with shrimp, but some will eat them... be prepared for that, if you go that route!

A 10g is not too small for a 4in bristlenose, IME. Many fish forums say the same, as well. Likewise, I've never had a betta get stressed with tetras in the tank and many, MANY people keep small communities like that with no issues.

Bristlenose can get larger than 4", which is why many feel they're not suitable. Not all bettas do well with tetras, and not all species of tetras do well with bettas. Depends very much on the individual betta, I've had some who do well in communities, some who do well with just cories or a small pleco, and some who just do best with no tankmates whatsoever. Just be prepared and have a back up plan should your betta be one of the ones who do best on their own.

I bred bristlenose plecos for years and the biggest any of my males ever got was 5 inches(growing in a 55). Even at a stretch of 6 inches, that would still be fine in a 10 gallon with one betta. Not a packed community, but that's common sense of course. And if they were raised in a 10 gallon, it would take well over a year for them to get close to 4 inches if bought as juvies.

Of course all fish are different so you have to watch tank dynamics because there are exceptions, but as a rule, bettas make great community fish mates.

I bred bettas for years and probably 3/4ths of them (of the hundreds I've had from various show lines, pet stores, etc) didn't work out with tetras. As a rule, most tetra species and bettas don't mix well.

Smaller bristlenose are fine in a ten, but any bigger than five inches, which I've had, really belong in more than a ten, imo.

We'll just have to agree to disagree!

Sounds like we both have a lot of aquarium experience with very different results. Guess that's aquariums for ya. Heck, one of our prized bettas lived happily with a cichlid and catfish for 4 years.

Can be said for any hobby

I obviously agree bristlenose can be kept in a 10g (unless you don't plan on supplementing their diet, then they need more space). They need surfaces to shuffle along more than they need swimming space, so a 10 g with lots of broad-leafed plants, rock, etc. works IMO.

Most of my bettas have been homicidal toward the zebra danios, so just based on my experience I wouldn't try them with tetras. My bettas have all hunted my shrimp, but the gouramis were the killers.

And just to be clear, I wasn't recommending gouramis with bettas! I was just trying to give an idea of the bioload a sponge filter can support. Although mine do get along swimmingly ( HAR HAR HAR). I only moved the betta there because I feared for her in another tank, and they've been completely indifferent to one another. Now, inter-gourami relations aren't as smooth, but there is never any damage to anyone.