Home » Community » I plan to inventory this 5 gallon tank with a betta and 10 Bloody Mary shrimp. Would I’ve house so as to add as much as 3 freshwater…
I plan to inventory this 5 gallon tank with a betta and 10 Bloody Mary shrimp. Would I’ve house so as to add as much as 3 freshwater…
My personal opinion is that a 5 gallon is minimum for 1 betta fish alone. There are places that say 2.5 gallons will be ok but you want your pet to thrive not survive. Adding more fish or shrimp beyond that will increase the bioload of your tank. This can cause your water parameters to fall into dangerous levels at any point. Look into the nitrogen cycle in an aquarium as this is essential in your success as a fish owner.
This is all my opinion here: I would say get a beautiful betta and a lot more plants and you will have a beautiful tank. Also I would look into sand substrate as this will help root growth for your plants and some secondary filtration. I just use play sand rinsed until the water is clear, and then a couple more times to be safe. It’s a super cheap option. Black diamond blasting sand works as well if you prefer the black look of your substrate.
I’d do just the betta to start off with. I agree with other comment that 5 gallons is too small for any other fish. Bloody Mary shrimp are one of the most expensive reds and there’s always a chance the betta will destroy the shrimp. So unless you want the betta to shred the shrimp, I’d get the betta first, see what its personality is like, start with something cheap like ghost shrimp or culls, then if the betta doesn’t murder those get Bloody Mary
Creative-Pack-7121 
My personal opinion is that a 5 gallon is minimum for 1 betta fish alone. There are places that say 2.5 gallons will be ok but you want your pet to thrive not survive. Adding more fish or shrimp beyond that will increase the bioload of your tank. This can cause your water parameters to fall into dangerous levels at any point. Look into the nitrogen cycle in an aquarium as this is essential in your success as a fish owner.
This is all my opinion here: I would say get a beautiful betta and a lot more plants and you will have a beautiful tank. Also I would look into sand substrate as this will help root growth for your plants and some secondary filtration. I just use play sand rinsed until the water is clear, and then a couple more times to be safe. It’s a super cheap option. Black diamond blasting sand works as well if you prefer the black look of your substrate.
I’d do just the betta to start off with. I agree with other comment that 5 gallons is too small for any other fish. Bloody Mary shrimp are one of the most expensive reds and there’s always a chance the betta will destroy the shrimp. So unless you want the betta to shred the shrimp, I’d get the betta first, see what its personality is like, start with something cheap like ghost shrimp or culls, then if the betta doesn’t murder those get Bloody Mary