Friend for betta?

Question
hi, i  have a betta fish named Bella that is about 2 years old.  He lives in a bowl that is aprox. 1 gallon.  Bella is very active when people interact with him but when no one is around (which is alot of the day) he just sits motionless on the bottom.  he seems very lonely and i would very much like to add another fish to the bowl but i know this is difficult with out a filter.  are there any types of fish that could live with him with out a filter (perhaps a goldfish?).  i have a community tank as well that i can put the new fish in if things dont work out and i am willing to get a larger bowl if that would help. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

-thank you.

Answer
Dear Zoe,
You are right about since Bella's enviroment is very small and unfiltered, it makes it difficult to keep anymore aquatic life than just himself. I really wouldn't recommend any other fish with Bella since his bowl is so small. Goldfish would never work out even though goldfish bowls are still advertised greatly, it just isn't a good home for a goldfish because in truth they require a spacious, well filtered, and well maintained aquarium of at least 30gallons to really thrive. And unfortunately there really aren't any other fish out there that could live in a bowl with Bella. So this leaves with one last resort... Getting a small aquarium for him. Inexpensive 10gal aquariums setup with a efficient hang-on-the-back power filter, cover and hood and heater make the best homes for bettas as they thoroughly enjoy having such a privilage to swim about in a tank this size, and with an aquarium of this size, your betta could easily have several other fish to live and interact with. Most all small and peaceful little fish like Tetras, platies, rasboras, and danios make good tankmates for bettas. I currently keep a 10gal planted aquarium with 7 Zebra danios and one very old betta. He is living his "Golden" years in this planted aquarium and never disturbs the lively Zebra danios and they don't take much notice of him either. I know it may have not been what you wanted, but a small heated and filtered aquarium is really your best bet if you want your betta to have a few other fish to keep him company.

Remember most bettas enjoy living by themselves as they are naturally territorial fish. But they can and do get bored without an interesting enviroment. For now, maybe you should try giving him a Java fern plant or other low light and hardy live plant to explore and rest on. Bettas really enjoy resting on plant leaves. There are also "Betta bulbs" found at your local petstore that sprout and grow into slender leaved plants that don't require too much in the way of light. Another option you might like is getting another betta. No not to put in the same bowl but let the other betta have his own 1 gal or larger bowl and let him live next to Bella. Then Bella can have another male (or female) betta to interact with through the glass and most all males enjoy putting on a show when they see another male or female betta next to their own bowl. Sometimes it's good to put a piece of paper or cardboard in between the bowls to keep the two bettas from getting used to each-other so they will always have fun flaring and displaying to each-other anytime you remove the visual barrier.

But I myself would probably go with the small aquarium most of all. But it's entirely your choice.

Well, I really hope this helps!
Best wishes to you and Bella!!!
Karen~