freshwater tank!

Question
hi!!! can i have bettas with other species? if that's possible can you tell me some species? and ... what plants do you recommend? i have light and a 10 gal tank! =) thanks!

Answer
Dear Doina,
You can certainly have other fish with bettas. And a 10-gallon would make a very nice home for a betta and several other tankmates. Most all small tetras such as- (Glowlights ect..), Rasboras, Danios, or Cherry barbs will live peacefully with a betta. As will Ghost shrimp, African dwarf frogs, snails, otocinclus, cories, and hatchetfish.

Just be sure to stock the tank slowly and carefully and  be sure not to overstock. It would be best to add your betta as the last fish to your tank. If your betta is the first one added, he can lay claim over the entire tank and be very aggressive and territorial towards any new additions you add. Sometimes it happens that bettas are too aggressive to live with -any- fish so be sure to have plan B in mind in case the betta decides he doesn't want to live with anybody else. This is usually rare as long as the other fish were already established in the tank but it could always happen. Just depends upon the bettas' individual personality.

Be sure to avoid tankmates that have long flowing fins or are very brightly colored similar to a betta. A male might might see the fish as a rival and attack it. Fancy guppies are one of these kinds of fish. Also be sure to avoid fin-nippers. And be basically be sure to get only small and peaceful fish as tankmates. As you probably know, be sure to keep the little fish like the tetras, danios, or rasboras in groups of 6 at least.
Doing research before you bring any fish home really helps avoid common mistakes made with mixing fish.

As for plants. I'm not sure how many watts you have, but if the light is the one that came with the tank it's probably a low-light situation here. This is where low-light easy to keep plants would be best. Java Fern and Java moss are both great little plants that can be grown on rocks or wood and thrive in low-light conditions. Anubias are another low-light reasonably easy to care for plant. You can also try the "bulb" plants sold in some stores. Anacharis may thrive and you can also try Wisteria and Water sprite also.

I really hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Karen~