Help Me Decide!

[Scottyhorse]

Okay. So here is the situation. I have a 2 gallon tank right now with an Amano shrimp that I got for 89 cents because the petstore lady thought he/she was a ghost shrimp

Anyways for Christmas I am going to get a 29 gal tank and make it a fresh water community tank.

This hobby is really addicting!!! So now I am also wanting a high-tech nano aquarium... Once I save up enough allowance, I am going to get one. I'm thinking one kinda like this

Amazon.com: Fluval EBI Nano Shrimp Habitat, 7.9-gallon: Pet Supplies

or like this

Amazon.com: EHEIM Aquastyle 6-Gallon Nano Aquarium: Pet Supplies

You get the idea.

So here is the problem.... I know what kind of fish I want, but none of them can live together. What I think would be cool to have is a Dwarf Puffer, a Betta, or a Dwarf Shrimp colony. Like with cherry, and some others. Any tank would have lots of live plants.

So which one do you think I should do? I am newer so I am not sure about the puffer... I could always put the betta in the 2 gal... But I would feel bad putting him/her in there. It would be considered a "Tall" two gall, not a big foot print.
I was thinking of getting a baby Betta and raising it with the shrimp so it would think of them less of food but more of company, and they breed so fast. But I am not sure

So please help!

By the way I will have a Co2 diffuser in there too.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Bump Please help!

 

[shellieca]

Bettas are hit & miss as to whether or not they'll get along with anything. My males are in individual 10g tanks by themselves & I have 3 females sharing a 46g tank. I can't comment on the other fish you want to put together as I don't have experience with them but as for the Betta, it all depends on its temperament. If your tank is planted well & has plenty of hiding spots then I think your chances of a Betta working in a community tank are better. My females share their tank with 2 CAE's & a mystery snail & they show no aggression a towards them, the snails antenna were nipped in the beginning, but do on occasion flare at each other. If you choose to have a Betta in a community tank, have a back up plan.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Okay, so I have broken down and decided that I will get two nano tanks....

For a Betta, should I get 5 or 8 gallons? When I was really little I kept a Betta in a bowl... So, this time I want to do it right!

What kind of live plants do they like?
Could I put a snail in there to help with algae?
Any other tips?

Now for shrimp, I am thinking a 3 gal nano? Would this work for some cherry shrimp or something?
I'll have a small sponge filter, and live plants. Any suggestions? Thanks!

One more thing: Could I put my Amano shrimp in with the cherries, or the Betta? Or should I put him in the community tank?

Another thing. Where should I get the Betta? We live in the country, and there isn't any Betta clubs around here. The nearest place is petco, but I would rather not buy one from there. Should I go on aquabid? I'm 13 and get $30 a month for allowance so I don't have a fortune to spend.

Thanks again!!!

 

[Laser]

Either tank should be OK for a betta, so get the one that you like the most. Also, whether the betta is sold by Petco, Walmart, or a home breeder doesn't make the betta you choose any less of a living being that deserves a good home. Just my two cents.

 

[absolutangel04]

I have a suggestion that you did not list. Have you considered a sparkling gourami in the 2g? You could a single sparkler plus a dwarf shrimp colony. Yes, the sparkler ill likely eat a few shrimplets, but not all of them, especially if the tank is planted. A sparkler is not going to eat adult dwarf shrimp though like a betta is likely to do.
Either a 5 or 8g makes a fine betta tank IMO. With an 8g tank, you could look at a few tankmates. With a 5g, I would not do any fish tankmates with a betta.
I would put the amano in the community. They are speedy and can do fine in community tanks IMO. But, nano tanks are a bit on the small side for them.

 

[Morgie]

What kind of plants would you like? Hardy low-medium light plants or something a little more difficult? I'd be happy to suggest some good options.
Dwarf puffers are really great for a beginner puffer if you are still interested in them. They are true fresh water puffers, so no need to worry about salt. I've fed them mostly live blackworms when I've worked with them, but any frozen crustacean is a good choice. (mini bloodworms, mysis shrimp, baby brine shrimp) They love to eat pond and bladder snails as well.
And petco actually has some really nice bettas, IME. I bought my roundtail giant from them and he is doing great in my 20 gallon community. It all depends on what you want. If you want a "designer" betta, go with aquabid.

 

[Scottyhorse]

What kind of plants would you like? Hardy low-medium light plants or something a little more difficult? I'd be happy to suggest some good options.
Dwarf puffers are really great for a beginner puffer if you are still interested in them. They are true fresh water puffers, so no need to worry about salt. I've fed them mostly live blackworms when I've worked with them, but any frozen crustacean is a good choice. (mini bloodworms, mysis shrimp, baby brine shrimp) They love to eat pond and bladder snails as well.
And petco actually has some really nice bettas, IME. I bought my roundtail giant from them and he is doing great in my 20 gallon community. It all depends on what you want. If you want a "designer" betta, go with aquabid.

Since I have never kept live plants before, I think I will do low light ones. But any tank I get will have LEDs BTW. What to you suggest? Right now I have been thinking about marimo moss balls and x-mas moss.

I have still been pondering the idea of getting a Dwarf Puffer, but I am only 13 and we live on a farm, so I have lots of animals to take care of. So I want to limit my tanks......

Has anyone ever successfully kept cherry shrimp with bettas? I really want all three nano tanks, but like I said, I will be having a 29 gal tank, so I don't think my parents would want me to have 4 tanks... Would it be possible if I get enough for them to breed and some hiding places? I don't mind if he has a few snacks, I just don't want him to eat them all!

I was just wondering where to buy the betta because I don't want to end up with a sick one. I could care less if it was designer..

Also, for the puffer, where is the best/cheapest place to buy their food?

So, the fish have officially broken me.........


Thanks!!

 

[azmodan]

If you're gonna do lowlight stuff I'd say skip the co2 for now and its added cost -- you won't need it. But of course that depends on what plants you ultimately choose... For now I might just recommend starting out easy, and then later as you have more experience (and money) you can do co2. You can have a beautiful low tech planted tank with just easy stuff like anubias, crypts, java fern, java moss, water sprite and marimo balls. Java moss is just lovely once you give it time to anchor itself onto the branches of driftwood and it begins to brighten. Just a thought.

 

[azmodan]

I particularly like anubias because they come in so many different varieties. I recently picked up some anubias nana petite for one of my nano tanks -- beautiful stuff.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Thanks for the plant suggestions. I will get those for sure

I was wondering if anyone has kept bettas with Cherries, because then I could also have a dwarf puffer

 

[bud29]

Thanks for the plant suggestions. I will get those for sure

I was wondering if anyone has kept bettas with Cherries, because then I could also have a dwarf puffer

many people have tried keeping bettas with RCS, but there has been very little success. Larger shrimp like ghost shrimp would be a better option with them.

 

[Jess1ca]

Thanks for the plant suggestions. I will get those for sure

I was wondering if anyone has kept bettas with Cherries, because then I could also have a dwarf puffer

Yes, I do. They do well together. It was a gamble getting him. I knew there was a 50/50 chance he would snack all the shrimplets but he doesn't and I'm thrilled that he doesn't eat them lol!

 

[bud29]

Yes, I do. They do well together. It was a gamble getting him. I knew there was a 50/50 chance he would snack all the shrimplets but he doesn't and I'm thrilled that he doesn't eat them lol!

some people have been able to keep them together short-term, but very few people have had success keeping them together for life.

 

[AMICH14]

go with the first tank

 

[bud29]

The sparkling gourami idea is a great one. They are very cool fish.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Hmm... This is a hard decision.... I know I want to have a shrimp colony. If you guys were me, would you have a dwarf puffer or a betta? I know bettas are better for beginners like me, so should I go with a betta?

Those Gouramis are pretty cool looking... So many decisions!

So you are saying I could have the SG with the Cherry Shrimp? Maybe I'll do that and a betta tank. I don't want to get too many challenging things at once. The 29 gal will be a very new experience for me, so maybe I should stick with the easier things... What do you guys think?

 

[Jess1ca]

Hmm... This is a hard decision.... I know I want to have a shrimp colony. If you guys were me, would you have a dwarf puffer or a betta? I know bettas are better for beginners like me, so should I go with a betta?

Those Gouramis are pretty cool looking... So many decisions!

So you are saying I could have the SG with the Cherry Shrimp? Maybe I'll do that and a betta tank. I don't want to get too many challenging things at once. The 29 gal will be a very new experience for me, so maybe I should stick with the easier things... What do you guys think?

Betta, shrimp, mystery snails and even fry. This is the 2nd batch of fry I've raised in this tank with my Betta. I think it depends on the fish... Mine just doesn't mind tank mates.

 

[Scottyhorse]

Betta, shrimp, mystery snails and even fry. This is the 2nd batch of fry I've raised in this tank with my Betta. I think it depends on the fish... Mine just doesn't mind tank mates.

So, if I were to get a sparkling gourami and put it in with the cherry shrimp, what size tank would I need? They seem to stay pretty small....

Can Gold Neon Tetras live with bettas? I am probably going to get an 8 gallon tank for him.

 

[Jess1ca]

So, if I were to get a sparkling gourami and put it in with the cherry shrimp, what size tank would I need? They seem to stay pretty small....

Can Gold Neon Tetras live with bettas? I am probably going to get an 8 gallon tank for him.

Idk about gouramis, I don't keep them :/ I thought I read they need 15g.