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Recently I set up what will eventually become a Southeast-Asian biotope tank. I'm using peat a soil under standard gravel, about 1.8 wpg, no CO2, no ferts or water changes.

The tank is a 50 breeder (36" long by 18" high by 18" wide).

Plants are predominantly Crypts, some Val, Java fern/moss, Rotala.

I already have 10 Barbus rhomboocellatus (a fairly peaceful schooling barb--about 2 inches tops) 5 siamensis. I am planning on adding 3-5 more of the barbs.

My question is, does anyone think that putting a trio of Bettas in here is a bad idea? The Betta I'd like is Betta sp. 'Mahachai'. The trio available apparently is F1 and has been raised together, which would help minimize any aggression. The tank will be densely planted with plenty of room for any harrassed fish to hide.

Anyone have any experience with a setup like this, or with Bettas in a community tank in general?

 

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Rasboras make good companions, some barbs too. I'd stay away from danios and other active fish though.

The Barbus rhomboocellatus seem to be quite shy (they hide even when I come to feed them). They're fast swimmers, but in general they kind of just flit about in a loose group looking for food on the bottom. They're not Danios, but they're not exactly banjo cats either. Since the Barbs and the Mahachai I assume occupy different strata, I was thinking that it would work out even though the barbs are fairly active. I'm glad someone else has tried something similar!

For anyone who wanted to know, below is a pic of Barbus rhomboocellatus. I'm very surprised this fish isn't more common...it's beautiful, small, and peaceful. It also schools and is relatively active.

 

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Kinda off the subject, do you have any pics? That is one betta I want to breed but cant get any good ones without paying an arm and leg.

 

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Wow! That's a nice one.

Have you considered Sparkling Gouramis instead?

Yes, but I can't get them where I live. They're too small for my taste anyway

 

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I just emailed the source that has these available, she says she's keeping the trio with a trio of Betta imbellis (that's 2 male Bettas in the same tank) with no problems. I think this is going to work, I'll keep this thread updated

 

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Are you ordering them online from somewhere?

From a breeder in New York, she recently posted some stuff on Aquabid but I think the auctions are gone now. I got quite a deal, as I got a trio of F2 Betta imbellis and a pair of F1 Betta. sp. 'Mahachai' for $30 plus shipping.

 

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It seems like it's going well so far; I have the B. imbellis in a 50 gallon and the Mahachai in the 46. The imbellis has a bubble nest built and it looks like he wants to spawn. The Mahachai are in a fairly densely-planted tank and encounter each other rarely, but both look like they are in good health. Time will tell.

Edit: A five gallon would probably be to small for even a pair of one of the species in the splendens complex. The males can get really rowdy with the ladies at times, and the females need to be able to get far away.

 

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Maybe I've just got a particularly nasty male, but I don't think there's any way that a female would survive alongside him in a 5 gallon tank.

The Mahachai are more peaceful.

 

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Just a bit of an update:

I lost an imbellis female with an unfortunate disaster in my tank, but the other is alive and healthy, and evidently spawned with the male a few days ago. He's guarding a bubblenest full of relatively developed fry. I didn't even notice