25 gallon tank stocking and set up?

Personally, I don't like keeping bettas in community tanks. It's harder to control their feeding. It's much easier for them to become overweight and unhealthy. Any bettas that I have kept in community aquariums I've had to separate because they were eating so much to the point where their stomach was so full and heavy they would leave a trail in the sand as they tried to swim. No joke.

Anyway, your question; Pretty much everything in there would work fine, depending on what kind of tetra you're getting. Black skirts would not work, they can get nippy. I don't know why the guy above me said neon tetras won't work.. I've successfully kept them in a tank with bettas. In fact, if you Google search 'Betta Tank Mates' neon tetras are one of the top suggestions.. A group of 8-10 neon or cardinal tetras would look great. A few other fish that would work would be harlequin tetras and rummynose tetras, both are suitable tank mates for bettas.

With bettas, it is important to keep the aquarium water current as soft as possible especially since most bettas in the aquarium hobby are the long tailed variety. The long tail of the male bettas will make it harder for them to swim, let alone endure a fast flowing water. In their natural habitat (rice fields) there is virtually no water current. Even the wild bettas (short fin plakat variety) prefer very soft water currents. To make your betta feel more secure in a 25 gallon aquarium, make sure that it is heavily planted. There should also be floating plants and plants that reach to the surface of the water this is because bettas are not accustomed to living in open water as rice fields are shallow pool of water with many vegetation. However, it is not true that betta is happier in say a small glass bowl less than 5 gallons of water. Bettas can be mixed with certain fish, though in their natural habitat they are usually solitary. Platys are okay to mix with a betta but dont mix bettas with male guppies since the male guppies also have beautiful tail fin which makes it a target for the betta's aggression. You can also add tetras in the tank. A school of tetras (not neon tetras as these tetras are too colorful and small) would swim in the middle of the aquarium. You should also get a school of cory catfish for the bottom feeder. To sum it up, I think you should get about 6 tetras and 5 cory catfish along with your betta.

As for plants, you should look into java moss and java ferns which can be attached to a driftwood. The java moss will give your fish a sort of a "grass" field in which they can graze for bits of food and microscopic organisms. The java fern is a broad leaf plant that will diffuse the lighting in the aquarium. The broad leaf of the java fern should also reach to the surface and make your betta more comfortable. Another plant that you can add is fanwort. These plants appear bushy and are perfect for any stress fish to hide in between. Crypts are another great choice for a plant but these plants may appear hard because they are sensitive to sudden large changes in water chemistry (for example: constant moving of these plants from aquarium to another aquarium). Crypts are hardy though if they are left alone in one aquarium.

I would recommend not having bettas in a large tank, or with any other fish. They are better off in smaller containers where they will feel safer and will not be tempted to fight any other fish.

I'm not sure if Bettas can mix with Platys but I wouldn't do it myself. :)

Good luck,

Zach