Betta tank size?

[Joshuakahan]

I asked this on one of my other threads but figured I’d try as a stand alone.
I have a male alien Betta in a 3g cube. There’s a tangled mass( intentionally )of plants and a single Amano shrimp. He’s been making bubble nests the last week, is the 3g big enough to add a female?

 

[RedRaven]

It's not a great idea to house splendens/hybrids together except for the short time needed to breed them. Neither would thank you for housing them together and you will likely end up with a dead female. On another note the act of spawning is usually rough on them as aggression is part of the process and damage is to be expected. Raising the fry until they can become independent is very hard on the male with him going without food and having to place the fry back in the nest for days until they are free swimming. There are steps required to make the spawning smoother, easier on the male and more successful. Placing s female with a male is more often than not just bad for all involved if you aren't prepared for what comes next. Do you have everything in place to provide for the fry and other quiet aquariums for both parents to move to and recover after their parts are completed? Do you have an updated picture of the male as it was very ropey and rough looking so not a good prospect for using to spawn?

 

[Joshuakahan]

It's not a great idea to house splendens/hybrids together except for the short time needed to breed them. Neither would thank you for housing them together and you will likely end up with a dead female. On another note the act of spawning is usually rough on them as aggression is part of the process and damage is to be expected. Raising the fry until they can become independent is very hard on the male with him going without food and having to place the fry back in the nest for days until they are free swimming. There are steps required to make the spawning smoother, easier on the male and more successful. Placing s female with a male is more often than not just bad for all involved if you aren't prepared for what comes next. Do you have everything in place to provide for the fry and other quiet aquariums for both parents to move to and recover after their parts are completed? Do you have an updated picture of the male as it was very ropey and rough looking so not a good prospect for using to spawn?

Thanks for the detailed info!

 

[RedRaven]

He has made a lot of progress but isn't conditioned enough to spawn. Are you just looking to add a female to the aquarium as a companion or to breed? If it's the latter feel free to message me or continue here, there's quite a bit of work you need to have done in preparation. While easy enough to breed there are a few extra factors with this complex.

 

[Joshuakahan]

He has made a lot of progress but isn't conditioned enough to spawn. Are you just looking to add a female to the aquarium as a companion or to breed? If it's the latter feel free to message me or continue here, there's quite a bit of work you need to have done in preparation. While easy enough to breed there are a few extra factors with this complex.

I wasn’t looking to breed this guy, I just wanted to add a female to make the tank more interesting

 

[RedRaven]

With it being such a small aquarium the options are rather slim, adding a couple more amano shrimp and perhaps the odd ramshorn snail along with a nice scape would go a long way. You could try adding a few Neocaridina instead of the amano though it can be hit or miss with betta some will hunt them where as others ignore all but the small shrimplets. Providing them with some dense plant and hardscape would help to a certain extent. Do you have a full tank shot?

 

[Joshuakahan]

With it being such a small aquarium the options are rather slim, adding a couple more amano shrimp and perhaps the odd ramshorn snail along with a nice scape would go a long way. You could try adding a few Neocaridina instead of the amano though it can be hit or miss with betta some will hunt them where as others ignore all but the small shrimplets. Providing them with some dense plant and hardscape would help to a certain extent. Do you have a full tank shot?

I can take a pic when I get home but it has a ton of plants, I purposely put jungle Val knowing they would overgrow and some frogbit. It looks like the frog bit is fighting the Val and winning, so I may pull the Val and add some rocks and wood

 

[Joshuakahan]

With it being such a small aquarium the options are rather slim, adding a couple more amano shrimp and perhaps the odd ramshorn snail along with a nice scape would go a long way. You could try adding a few Neocaridina instead of the amano though it can be hit or miss with betta some will hunt them where as others ignore all but the small shrimplets. Providing them with some dense plant and hardscape would help to a certain extent. Do you have a full tank shot?

I removed the frogbit

 

[RedRaven]

The val will get there eventually but you could do with a little more height in hardscape, until then. Sloping the substrate so the back is higher also helps make small aquariums appear bigger. I would have put the Val in the back corner with the rocks in front and the branch set on top of one but looking like it's coming out from behind. Looks a good size light for the aquarium, what brand is it?

 

[Joshuakahan]

The val will get there eventually but you could do with a little more height in hardscape, until then. Sloping the substrate so the back is higher also helps make small aquariums appear bigger. I would have put the Val in the back corner with the rocks in front and the branch set on top of one but looking like it's coming out from behind. Looks a good size light for the aquarium, what brand is it?

This is a topfin all in one shrimp and plant tank