finding suitable tank mates

[SoundWise]

I recently converted my 10-gallon tank into a betta community tank and I'm excited to explore new possibilities. I was thinking of adding 2 neptunes to it, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Would it be safe to keep them with my betta, or should I consider other options? If so, what other fish would be compatible, and how many can I add to the tank?

[flamberg]

Honestly, I gotta advise against housing other fish with your betta, especially neptunes. When you've got a happy betta, adding another fish just seems to send everything into a downward spiral. The thing is, bettas aren't community fish, so they get stressed when they're around others, and that stress can be contagious to your other fish. This stress can lead to all sorts of problems, like ick - and let's be real, ick is basically a ticking time bomb in every home aquarium, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike when your fish are stressed. If your betta's happy and content, why risk adding more fish just for our own enjoyment, only to watch them all succumb to disease? I do think adding some invertebrates could be a good idea, though. I've had great luck with shrimp and nerite snails. For shrimp, I'd recommend Zorchno or Ghost shrimp - their eggs don't hatch into miniature versions like cherry shrimp do, which can be a plus.

[goldminer]

What's the water like in your tank, hard or soft. Do you have a specific substrate in mind or one that's already in there. Would love to see a pic of your setup, if you can share one.

[SoundWise]

What's the water like in your tank, hard or soft. Do you have a specific substrate in mind or one that's already in there. Would love to see a pic of your setup, if you can share one.

I've got hard water. My substrate is currently blue gravel, but I'm planning to switch it to white sand soon. No tank photo, sorry. It's a basic rectangular setup with the essentials: power filter, heater, aerator, and thermometer.

[goldminer]

What's the water like in your tank, hard or soft. Do you have a specific substrate in mind or one that's already in there. Would love to see a pic of your setup, if you can share one.

Hard water's gonna narrow down your options for tank mates, most suitable fish prefer soft water.

I'm not sure I agree about cherry shrimp, where I'm from they're actually pretty valuable, $5 a pop, and they can be a great snack for your betta if he's quick enough to catch 'em.

Mystery snails might be a better choice than nerites, they're less messy, don't leave eggs all over the place.

[boomer]

I'd consider ditching the Betta idea and focusing on hard water species instead. Male Neptunes or male Endlers could work well in your tank. As someone already mentioned, Bettas aren't exactly community fish, so having one solo in the 10-gallon is fine, but adding more or mixing with other species is a no-go.