Fighter Fish Tank Mates

Hi,

The problem with male bettas is that they have very variable temperaments. Some are very laid back to the point of being easily bullied by other fish, and at the other extreme there are bettas that will attack anything that moves. And of course everything in between.

In general terms, the tank mates to look at are plain coloured fish that don't have long tails. Bettas aren't that bright and often think that a brightly coloured fish or one with a long tail is another male betta and attack. I'm afraid that means that guppies are not suitable as they fit in both categories. In one shop I once saw a betta in with the guppies and every guppy had bits missing. He was herding one guppy at a time into a corner then pouncing. It was like watching a sheepdog separate one sheep from the flock! When I told the shop owner she said he'd only been there since that morning, and moved him.

Good tank mates are bristlenoses as you suggest, corydoras, otocinclus or even female endlers as they are plain coloured. My bettas have been fine with snails, though there are horror stories of them biting snails' antennae off. I've even heard a tale of a betta being killed by shrimp - he ate so many of them in one night that he died.



But.........



Sorry, but there is a 'but' in your case. You have a 23 litre Fluval Edge and it's not big enough for a bristle nose (they grow too big) or cories/otocinclus (which need to be in a shoal). In a tank that size, the most you could add is a snail - an apple snail or nerite snail - or perhaps three or four amano (aka japonica) or ghost shrimps provided they were fully grown. These shrimps are plain colored and get bigger than the brightly coloured ones. Or maybe 3 or 4 male endlers - they are coloured but with short fins - provided you have a back-up plan if the betta objects to them.
My bettas have always been in plain 25 litre tanks with only a snail for company. Until recently, I had a male plakat in a 50 litre tank with pygmy cories and female endlers, but he's now in a 25 litre tank after a tank reshuffle, nothing to do with him not getting on with his tankmates. This one did have a male endler in with him for a few weeks (for breeding with the females!) and he ignored it.

The other thing to watch with having a betta in an Edge is that these fish need to breathe air, and some of them have problems finding that small square of water that is exposed to air. One option is to put slightly less water in the tank so there is half an inch of air under the top glass, though that spoils the looks of the Edge which is deigned to have water right up the top glass. I'm not saying don't get a betta, I mean keep a close eye on him at first till you are sure he knows where the air is. I've never had an Edge but if it is possible, put a broad leaf plant (real or silk, but not plastic) right under the hole. He might find it easier - they like to rest on leaves just under the surface as it makes it easier for them to get to the surface, saves lugging those big fins around.