Tankmates for Female Bettas

[bassbonediva]

I currently have nine very laid-back female bettas. All of them are full-grown, except one (I just barely bought her the other day and she's TINY compared to the other girls! LOL!). Anywho, for my birthday (which is in nine days), I bought myself a used 45gal bowfront set up. Up to now, the females had been in an 18gal Eclipse 1 system. I definitely want more fish in the new tank than just the nine females. I do have three otocinclus cats that were in the 18gal that will be going into the 45gal as well. So, does anyone have any suggestions for tankmates for my girls? I was thinking about penguin tetras, black mollies and a few Glofish (hook up a blacklight to the regular light strip and turn the blacklight on at night...thought that would look freakin' cool *thumbsups ). So, do those sound good, or does anyone have any other suggestions? I love tiger barbs, but I think they might be a bit too aggressive to go in with the girls. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Oh, and the tank came with a Penguin 170 filter (although it's missing the BIO-Wheel assembly...working on getting that replaced), a heater and some miscellaneous stuffs.

In addition to the nine females, I also have six male bettas (five veiltails and one crowntail) in various set ups. I have pics, but not many of them are very good.

 

[ValRasbora]

penguin tetras should be good, nothing nippy or agressive (tiger barbs are a no, unfortunately.) and nothing with really long fins (male guppy, angelfish, gourami, etc.) or anything territorial. Just research anything you want **before** purchasing it. And no male bettas!
And happy belated birthday!

 

[ValRasbora]

oh, also otos are great, very peaceful. They'd be good in your setup! and I found this on penguin tetras-- make sure to read the comments: http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile36.html

 

[sheamurai]

I'm a fan of rasboras! I have a small school of Harlequins with a male betta, and no issues after almost a year together.

 

[ValRasbora]

I'm a fan of rasboras as well just make sure to have a school of at least 3, when I had a single harlequin rasbora, he was kinda agressive. But since I got more, he became waaaaaaaay more laid back!

 

[bassbonediva]

I'm kinda confused now...I went to the link that everyone recommends in the newbie section for determining your tank capacity and it says I'm right at my limit with what I have now, but most people think I could way more fish in there. Which is correct? I kind of want to get some more fish for my son (since the 18gal I sold to get the 46gal was supposed to be his tank and I kind of took it over with my female bettas ), but if I'm at my limit in the big tank with what I have, then I can't get anything else.

 

[sheamurai]

seems to me that 9 female bettas and 3 otos are not topping out your tank. I wouldn't put any more bigger fish in it, but a small school of rasboras/cards/smaller fish wouldn't put you over the top, IMO. I tend to count otos at half their "inches" due to being surface huggers.
Opinions will differ on this, stocking a tank is a wildly debateable topic.
The website is meant as a tool, not as a rule.

 

[bassbonediva]

Well, the verdict is in. I showed my son pictures of the fish I'm considering for the tank (since they'll technically be "his" fish...long story), and he fell in love with the black mollies. Boring, I know, but he's five. Thanks for all the great suggestions, though!

 

[Newman]

make sure the black molly to oto ratio isnt too much. they will try to out-compete eachother for algae.

 

[bassbonediva]

Really? Didn't know that mollies liked algae. Huh. What would be a good ratio then? I was planning on only about five mollies...and maybe about eight otos or so (depending on how many I can find at Petsmart at one time...they tend to sell fast ).

 

[Newman]

buy w/e you feel like, and then be ready to feed greens once the algae is gone. that way everything will be safe, and the tank should not have algae...

 

[beckyd]

I'm laughing at how you have to consult your son because they're 'his' fish. Same thing happens in my house. He's 7. I know black mollies seem boring, but you watch, they'll grow on you. Mollies are so active and the really velvety black ones will look great in the tank with all those betta colors. I also agree that your tank is not maxed out. Of course, add a few mollies and it soon will be Oh and baby black mollies are supercute!

 

[bassbonediva]

Hehe! Well, the 18gal was supposed to be his originally (bought it for his birthday back in February). We were gonna put some black mollies and a few female bettas in it, but then I got kind of obsessed with the bettas and, well, there didn't end up being any room for the mollies. When I got the 45gal, I swore I wasn't going to get any more bettas (females, at least) and that he'd finally get his mollies. I've held true to my word and haven't gotten any more bettas (except to replace one that died), so he gets his mollies...finally.
I was thinking about the whole breeding thing with the mollies. Would the fry be okay in the tank with the bettas? I don't have any extra tanks and since I don't have a job ATM, I can't afford to buy a nursery tank. I have several plants of varying sizes, plus a rock cave with tons of nooks and crannies, and a sunken ship decoration, so the fry would have plenty of places to hide.

 

[beckyd]

I have read that female bettas are good for a livebearer tank because they 'keep the fry population down'. That said, molly fry are really fast after about 24hrs of being born. I have fish a whole lot faster than a betta that cannot catch them. In my experience, as long as you do not have sand, they fry will lay in the rocks to hide. They will wiggle down. You'll see them on the sides, don't panic, they will get out again. Moderate plants and you're good to go. They might get some the day they are born, and some fish will learn to stalk a birthing female. However, my females tend to deliver at night and when I wake up there are plenty of babies that made it. I love baby fish and will never tire of watching them, but black molly babies are really special. So, imagine my delight when I woke to black molly babies this morning! I'm like a little kid. I took their first photos just for you. Unlike other molly colors and other livebearers in general that come out boring brown and develop their colors as they grow, black molly babies are born pitch black. Adorable. Enjoy

 

[bassbonediva]

Okay, I will admit. They're adorable! The gravel in my tank should be great for them because it's bigger, so it'll give them more nooks to hide in. Sweet, then! I won't worry about having babies. If I have too many, I can always sell them on CL. ;-) Thanks, guys!!