How Many Betta Fish in a 10-Gallon Tank?

Bettas may become a bit of a fixation. It’s challenging to limit yourself to just one. But do we need a separate tank for each of them, or can we dump a couple of them into the old 10-gallon tank? In a 10 gallon tank, you can keep 4-5 female bettas as a general rule.

You may maintain up to three male bettas, but only if you separate them with dividers. For example, in a 10-gallon tank, you may keep a single male betta with other fish such as pygmy corydoras, ember tetras, or harlequin rasboras.

Read our guide to know more about Guppies for the 10-gallon tank, click here.

Keeping a Male Betta In a 10 Gallon Tank

In a 10 gallon tank, there are three basic techniques to maintain a male betta alive. Let’s take a look at each one separately.

Male Betta With Another Male Betta:

Male bettas cannot be housed in the same tank unless separated by a divider. This will stress them out and lead them to fight, something we do not want in our aquariums. If you place dividers between them, you may keep up to three in the same tank. This has the upside of using less space and lowering the money spent on aquariums. The disadvantage is that if one of your bettas becomes ill, sickness can spread to all of your others.

Male Betta With Another Female Betta:

Even though you’d expect that a male and female of the same species should get along, keeping male and female bettas might be problematic. However, a male betta will not tolerate any danger in its territory, including a female.

Male Betta With Other Fish:

Male betta fish may be kept in a 10-gallon communal aquarium with other fish. However, you must exercise considerable caution when choosing a fish to accompany your male betta. This isn’t merely for the sake of the other fish’s safety. However, if the other fish is a fin nipper, it may harm your male betta’s gorgeous fins.

How To Keep A Sorority of Female Bettas?

A group of Female Bettas is referred to as a sorority. Female bettas are comparatively less aggressive than males, but they are not relaxed and happy. If they believe they are the superior female in the tank, they might become territorial. It is not a good idea to maintain more than six female bettas in a 10-gallon tank since it will get too crowded. It is alright to have more female bettas if you have chosen a larger tank. Even yet, keeping more than ten female bettas is not advised.

How to Calculate the Number of Betta Fish for a Fish Tank?

If there is a divider between the two male betta fish, they can be kept in a 10-gallon tank. You may maintain two female bettas in a sorority tank without a separator. However, we advise you to have at least 4-5 female bettas in a betta sorority tank, a tank full of female bettas. Putting a male betta fish in a sorority with a variety of female betta fish may also be problematic. A male betta will attempt to mate with the dominant female betta in most cases. As a result, additional female bettas in the sorority may begin to compete for this position.

As a result, you must exercise extreme caution and always have a backup plan in place when keeping a male betta with one or more female bettas. Ideally, the male should be kept in his own tank.

Hiding Spaces

It’s critical to have good hiding spots if you have numerous female bettas in a sorority (particularly a 10 gallon one). This will make your bettas feel less stressed and more secure. 

Plants, decorations, and other hiding places will help reduce the line of sight and give your bettas more privacy. In addition, you may have fewer concerns with fighting or bullying because they will see the other girls less frequently.

Tank Conditions In 10-Gallon Tank For Betta Fish

Filter

Although bettas are native to quiet waters, they need a filter. A filter will aid in keeping your tank clean by reducing the number of hazardous germs that cause diseases. Unfortunately, Betta’s large, streaming fins make swimming in strong currents challenging. As a result, you’ll need to invest in a ‘mild’ filter.

Heater

Bettas are native to Thailand’s tropical seas, so you may need to invest in a heater. Be sure to look for a fully submersible heater capable of maintaining a 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. Always remember to monitor the temperature of the tank. When the temperature goes too low, the Betta fish can catch illnesses like Ich. The Betta fish will age a lot faster if it is set too high. Find a suitable heater with a thermostat to make it easier to keep track of the temperature. Also, use a separate thermometer because heater readings aren’t always precise.

Gravel

Bettas like swimming at all levels, and it’s not uncommon to see them strolling around the bottom. To prevent your betta from injuring itself, you’ll need to purchase little or smooth stones. Gravel will also play a vital function in the environment of your tank. Beneficial bacteria will bloom on the surface, assisting in trash decomposition. Food and trash may end up lodged between the big pieces of rock in gravel produced with large bits of the same stone. This can cause your tank’s health to suffer even further.

Plants and décor

Betta is native to Thailand, where you can find them in rice fields, slow-moving streams, and enormous puddles. These places are gloomy areas with plenty of hiding spots. Betta enjoys swimming in a tank with tunnels for hiding and plants with plenty of shady spots. 

Bettas love reclining on leaves and have a variety of hiding and sleeping spots. Therefore, it’s critical to inspect decorations for any potential snags or tears that might harm the Betta’s sensitive fins. If you’re going to use artificial plants, go with silk plants rather than plastic ones. Live plants are an excellent idea since they help clean the water and give a natural habitat for your Betta.

Tank Mates

Snail species that might make suitable tank mates are listed below.

These snails will grow large enough not to be eaten by fish. They come in various colors and will consume any leftover fish food or algae in the aquarium.

• Nerite snail: These snails live in the same region as mystery snails, but they need brackish water to reproduce so that they won’t overrun the aquarium.
• Malaysian trumpet snail: This snail is a good choice since it is active at night when the betta sleeps and will clean the tank. They will burrow beneath the sediment throughout the day.

Wrapping up

If you choose the proper species, you may keep a male betta in a 10-gallon tank with other fish. In any size tank, two male bettas cannot be housed together without the use of a divider.

Keeping a male betta alongside another female betta or numerous female bettas is not recommended for a beginner aquarist. However, multiple bettas can be kept in a 10-gallon tank to form a betta sorority as long as they are female bettas and there are at least 4-5 of them. Read more guides like this to find out more about keeping Glofish in a 10-gallon tank. Or, if you wish to find out more about the Cory Catfish.