New Tankmates?

Question
QUESTION: Dear Jaymie,
I recently wrote to you to ask about my little Betta fish, Dorothy. To my great sorrow, she died a few days ago, but her tankmate, Rosie is still doing just fine. Rosie is now all by herself in a 10 gallon aquarium. Do you think I should purchase a few new tankmates for her? Would it stress her out? Her favorite pastime is swimming along the wall of her tank, back and forth, all day. Is that a sign of boredom? Sorry, I know that I've asked more than one question. I hope that's okay.  Thanks again for your advice! We're very grateful.
Megan and Rosie

ANSWER: Megan,

Sorry to hear about Dorothy. Rosie will be fine alone, but if you add tankmates one at a time there shouldn't be any problems. As far as the swimming along the wall, she isn't bored, she's just being a fish. Good tankmates include, white cloud minnows, danios. tetras, angelfish, rasboras . Any live bearers, except mollies, they like brackish water. Don't add guppies, because the Betta might think its another Betta.

Remember not to over populate the tank to maintain a healthy community.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Jaymie,
It turns out, today my mother bought me another female betta, who is a little bit bigger than Rosie. Would they work together in the 10 gallon aquarium? I remember reading somewhere that one must have at least four female bettas in a tank for a proper pecking order to be established. Is this true?  I also have a tank divider for my 10 gallon. So I could separate them if I had to, though I would like them to be able to coexist peacefully.  Any thoughts?
Thanks again!
Megan, Rosie and the New Unnamed Female Betta

Answer
Megan,

Congratulations on the new female Betta. There are going to be a few obstacles  but I think that in time they will be just fine. I would use the tank divider for a couple of weeks so that both girls can see each other, but they can't attack. If the females were together from birth, they tend to do just fine, but just like anything else, we have to do it slowly. The other problem you might have is the size of the fish. The tank belongs to Rosie and adding a bigger fish might stress her out, so that is why i suggest the divider. You can put a few females in the tank, but I would do it the same way, and in time they will all be just fine.

Good luck with the new fish and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.