Smaller betta community tank thread < 20 gal - Aquarium Advice

logicwins · 07-24-2005, 04:27 PM

About 4 months ago, I bought a red beta at Petco and keep in a big vase with some bamboo in it. I kept him in a bathroom with very little light and he really did not seem that happy at all. After a close encounter with death (some wierd oily gunk got in the water) I removed the bamboo and moved him into the bedroom next to a window that was bright, but no direct sunlight. His conditions improved quickly and I decided to move him into the kitchen where he could watch people (which he loves doing). He really started doing well, big bubble nests, really friendly, etc. All in a big vase! I cleaned the water every few days of course, but he really liked it. Since he seemed so happy, I bought him a 5 [acronym:bdc8ce543b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:bdc8ce543b] Marineland Corner tank and he really took to it.. However, it has a little bit of water current and he doesn't blow nests anymore. I then added 2 tetra's (they are round like a quarter and have 2 black strips) and he chased them around a bit at first, then backed off. Dispite what I have read, he really seemed to like swimming into the current.

About 2 weeks ago, I bought a 12 [acronym:bdc8ce543b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:bdc8ce543b] Marineland tank and moved most of the water and gravel over and put my three fish in the new tank. At first, I really thought my beta did not like it, it almost seemed that he thought it was too open (but I don't speak fish so that is a guess on my part). The current is significantly more powerful than the other tank, but the beta still chooses to constantly swim into the current instead of going to a more still area in the tank. When he is resting, he hides behind the filter housing, but immediatly comes out if anyone is walking near the tank - but still no bubble nests. I assume that this is related to the amount of current in the tank.

My beta and 2 tetras all seem very happy and I have since added a dwarf guarami to my tank and he has integrated perfectly. I don't plan on adding many more fish because I want the smaller living quarters of my 12 [acronym:bdc8ce543b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:bdc8ce543b] tank to be a great place for my fish to live but I am planning on another tetra or two to facilitate schooling and maybe a lone bottom feeder.

Point of my story - my beta started out in a Petco cup and ended up with a few friends and a home many times larger than that and he appears very happy, despite the current and no bubble nests.

Anyone else have smaller community beta tank stories?

jrp1588 · 07-24-2005, 05:36 PM

I had my betta in a community tank for a long time without any problems. Then I woke up one morning to find that his fins were ripped to pieces to I took him out of the tank. He has since recovered, and his fins totally grew back, but he won't be going back to the community tank.

**An t-iasg** · 07-24-2005, 08:01 PM

Welcome to Aquarium Advice, logicwins!

I'm glad that you decided to give your betta a bigger tank! Their personality and beauty comes out much better in a tank. I have two 5 gallon tanks on my kitchen counter, each with a male betta. There are pics in my gallery of the tanks. The tank decor and the bettas have changed since the picture, but the setup is the same. I sit beside the tanks and work on my laptop, and watch the bettas!

My bettas don't build bubble nests either. I think the sponge filter makes the top of the water ripple just enough to disintegrate any attempt at a nest. I have seen a few bubbles in a row, along the top edge of the tank, but that's all. Bettas can build huge nests in still water, like in a small bowl or vase, but I don't recommend putting the betta back in there just to see a nest!

I do miss seeing a nest also, but I know my bettas are very happy in their tanks. One of my bettas plays in the bubble stream from the sponge filter occasionally. As long as you have an area in the tank where the flow isn't as strong, the betta can go there to rest if he wants to.

Do you have the betta, the gourami, and two tetras in the 12 gallon tank now? This is a nice setup if everyone gets along. I hope it will continue to be a nice tank for you! However, the betta and gourami may have territorial issues as they mature. Some people have kept bettas and gouramis together but I think it was in a much larger tank.

I would not any more tetras to the tank. I'm not sure how to advise you here, since I would usually say that tetras are schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of about 6 or more. However, I have seen a group of tetras gang up on, and nip, a betta. If you add any more tetras to this tank, you may end up with a very harrassed betta, plus I think you would be overstocked if you added any more fish.

What I usually recommend to anyone with a betta in a community tank is to have a backup plan for the betta. Is the 5 gallon corner tank empty? I would keep it as a home for the betta if he needs to be removed from the 12 gallon community tank. This doesn't mean that you can't try to keep a betta in a community tank, but have another tank for him in case he and the gourami become aggressive, or the tetras do become aggressive toward him. Or you may decide to move the betta in favor of a larger school of tetras in the 12 gallon -- that can be pretty too. Be prepared, just in case. I have read success stories of bettas in community tanks, and also stories like jrp1588 shares.

jrp1588 · 07-24-2005, 09:17 PM

Yeah, I'd love to put him back into the community tank, but I don't know for sure which fish it was that bullied him. I think it was a small catfish I used to have. (he died of ich) But I'd hate to reintroduce him just to have him attacked again. I don't think my mollies would bother him, but my clown loach worries me. He's a little mouthy.

logicwins · 07-24-2005, 09:30 PM

Thanks for the welcome, seems like a great community..!

So far the interactions between the guarami and the beta have been very interesting. The guarami completly ignores the beta and just swims back and forth across the glass constantly, while the beta seems to just like to be around the guarami. Today I decided to add 4 little ghost shrimps to the tank instead of bottom feeders to keep the tank uncrowded.. I do like the advice about not adding anymore fish - I just think less fish means more healthy and full grown fish. The ghost shrimp are great, I can't believe more people don't talk about them.

The other 5 [acronym:f585a34c71="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:f585a34c71] tank has been setup with another beta. If things ever get bad for my beta, I will just get another tank for him and move him to the vase for the real short term (that he loved as long as he could be around people).

As far as the schooling issue with the tetra's.. that is why I wanted to add one or two more slowly over the next few months. That way, I could carefully monitor what happens to my beta and make the tetras feel more at home. I have not seen them nip at my beta. The only aggressive fish is the beta, and he just chases the tetras every now and then if they get near his sleeping spot.

My beta actually seems to enjoy the company of other fish, especially the guarami. Has anyone else seen this? I truly can't believe how curious and friendly this fish is.

jrp1588 · 07-24-2005, 09:48 PM

Betta are definitly curious fish. Your post inspired me to reintroduce my betta to the community tank. I love how is is slowly swimming around, seemingly checking everything out in an intelligent way. He even peeked into one of the holes in a large rock, and upon not finding anything interesting, simply backed out. Any other fish just seems to swim around randomly. The other fish seem very curious about him, swiming up really close to investigate, but they don't seem aggressive.

megladonsharky · 07-24-2005, 09:55 PM

Only one of my bettas is not in a community setting I just dont have a tank with room for more than him... but the other two are good in community ( my female as long as she is with fast fish that wont become lucnh..

vTEC · 07-24-2005, 09:59 PM

I have two female bettas, two golden swords, a hi-fin platy, redtail black shark, and a golden algae eater in my 10 gallon...

my one female had no idea what the shark was so she would constantly flare at him. But now they co-exist really well...

They do enjoy the company of others... and same with the males.. I had my male VT betta in with them but he died (R.I.P)

logicwins · 07-24-2005, 10:33 PM

Yea, when I first got my 5 [acronym:8e0228efa4="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:8e0228efa4] tank and put my two tetras in it, my beta flared up and chased them around for about a week. After that, the beta just calmed down. He rarely, if ever, flares up. If anyone puts betas in a tank and they show aggression toward other fish, just try giving them a week or two to adjust.. it worked for me and now I have a really interesting communitiy going on. What is the shark like? Will it grow only until it gets to a reasonable size or will it outgrow that tank?

jrp1588 · 07-24-2005, 10:47 PM

I think my betta is now the official "boss" of the tank. He booted my poor clown loach out of his favorite spot, and he's not afraid to show the mollies who's boss. All it takes is a little gill flare and they back off.

07-24-2005, 04:27 PM	#1
logicwins Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin Posts: 4	Smaller betta community tank thread < 20 gal About 4 months ago, I bought a red beta at Petco and keep in a big vase with some bamboo in it. I kept him in a bathroom with very little light and he really did not seem that happy at all. After a close encounter with death (some wierd oily gunk got in the water) I removed the bamboo and moved him into the bedroom next to a window that was bright, but no direct sunlight. His conditions improved quickly and I decided to move him into the kitchen where he could watch people (which he loves doing). He really started doing well, big bubble nests, really friendly, etc. All in a big vase! I cleaned the water every few days of course, but he really liked it. Since he seemed so happy, I bought him a 5 [acronym:bdc8ce543b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:bdc8ce543b] Marineland Corner tank and he really took to it.. However, it has a little bit of water current and he doesn't blow nests anymore. I then added 2 tetra's (they are round like a quarter and have 2 black strips) and he chased them around a bit at first, then backed off. Dispite what I have read, he really seemed to like swimming into the current. About 2 weeks ago, I bought a 12 [acronym:bdc8ce543b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:bdc8ce543b] Marineland tank and moved most of the water and gravel over and put my three fish in the new tank. At first, I really thought my beta did not like it, it almost seemed that he thought it was too open (but I don't speak fish so that is a guess on my part). The current is significantly more powerful than the other tank, but the beta still chooses to constantly swim into the current instead of going to a more still area in the tank. When he is resting, he hides behind the filter housing, but immediatly comes out if anyone is walking near the tank - but still no bubble nests. I assume that this is related to the amount of current in the tank. My beta and 2 tetras all seem very happy and I have since added a dwarf guarami to my tank and he has integrated perfectly. I don't plan on adding many more fish because I want the smaller living quarters of my 12 [acronym:bdc8ce543b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:bdc8ce543b] tank to be a great place for my fish to live but I am planning on another tetra or two to facilitate schooling and maybe a lone bottom feeder. Point of my story - my beta started out in a Petco cup and ended up with a few friends and a home many times larger than that and he appears very happy, despite the current and no bubble nests. Anyone else have smaller community beta tank stories?

07-24-2005, 08:01 PM	#3
An t-iasg Aquarium Advice Addict Community Admin Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Criders Corners/Glen Eden (Pittsburgh, PA) Posts: 7,157 Images: 30	Welcome to Aquarium Advice, logicwins! I'm glad that you decided to give your betta a bigger tank! Their personality and beauty comes out much better in a tank. I have two 5 gallon tanks on my kitchen counter, each with a male betta. There are pics in my gallery of the tanks. The tank decor and the bettas have changed since the picture, but the setup is the same. I sit beside the tanks and work on my laptop, and watch the bettas! My bettas don't build bubble nests either. I think the sponge filter makes the top of the water ripple just enough to disintegrate any attempt at a nest. I have seen a few bubbles in a row, along the top edge of the tank, but that's all. Bettas can build huge nests in still water, like in a small bowl or vase, but I don't recommend putting the betta back in there just to see a nest! I do miss seeing a nest also, but I know my bettas are very happy in their tanks. One of my bettas plays in the bubble stream from the sponge filter occasionally. As long as you have an area in the tank where the flow isn't as strong, the betta can go there to rest if he wants to. Do you have the betta, the gourami, and two tetras in the 12 gallon tank now? This is a nice setup if everyone gets along. I hope it will continue to be a nice tank for you! However, the betta and gourami may have territorial issues as they mature. Some people have kept bettas and gouramis together but I think it was in a much larger tank. I would not any more tetras to the tank. I'm not sure how to advise you here, since I would usually say that tetras are schooling fish and need to be kept in groups of about 6 or more. However, I have seen a group of tetras gang up on, and nip, a betta. If you add any more tetras to this tank, you may end up with a very harrassed betta, plus I think you would be overstocked if you added any more fish. What I usually recommend to anyone with a betta in a community tank is to have a backup plan for the betta. Is the 5 gallon corner tank empty? I would keep it as a home for the betta if he needs to be removed from the 12 gallon community tank. This doesn't mean that you can't try to keep a betta in a community tank, but have another tank for him in case he and the gourami become aggressive, or the tetras do become aggressive toward him. Or you may decide to move the betta in favor of a larger school of tetras in the 12 gallon -- that can be pretty too. Be prepared, just in case. I have read success stories of bettas in community tanks, and also stories like jrp1588 shares. __________________

07-24-2005, 09:55 PM	#7
megladonsharky Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: north idaho Posts: 468	Only one of my bettas is not in a community setting I just dont have a tank with room for more than him... but the other two are good in community ( my female as long as she is with fast fish that wont become lucnh.. __________________ two gallon with 16 [acronym:362a9a3f00="Gallons per hour"]gph[/acronym:362a9a3f00] filter with live plants and a female betta named Meloday 3-4 gallon with 80gph ... Planted lightly three white clouds ( Birtha Clara and Delila) and some snails (mainly melodys snacks) 9 gallon with 130gph , heated with male betta (Trafalger RIP)Kaden ( a male betta)has moved in, pygmy cory (MaMa) , pitbull pleco(Metal), three preacox rainbows( Annabel, Glitter and Mondo) and various snails...

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07-24-2005, 05:36 PM	#2
jrp1588 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Evansville, Indiana Posts: 1,248 Images: 13	I had my betta in a community tank for a long time without any problems. Then I woke up one morning to find that his fins were ripped to pieces to I took him out of the tank. He has since recovered, and his fins totally grew back, but he won't be going back to the community tank.

07-24-2005, 09:17 PM	#4
jrp1588 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Evansville, Indiana Posts: 1,248 Images: 13	Yeah, I'd love to put him back into the community tank, but I don't know for sure which fish it was that bullied him. I think it was a small catfish I used to have. (he died of ich) But I'd hate to reintroduce him just to have him attacked again. I don't think my mollies would bother him, but my clown loach worries me. He's a little mouthy.

07-24-2005, 09:30 PM	#5
logicwins Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin Posts: 4	Thanks for the welcome, seems like a great community..! So far the interactions between the guarami and the beta have been very interesting. The guarami completly ignores the beta and just swims back and forth across the glass constantly, while the beta seems to just like to be around the guarami. Today I decided to add 4 little ghost shrimps to the tank instead of bottom feeders to keep the tank uncrowded.. I do like the advice about not adding anymore fish - I just think less fish means more healthy and full grown fish. The ghost shrimp are great, I can't believe more people don't talk about them. The other 5 [acronym:f585a34c71="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:f585a34c71] tank has been setup with another beta. If things ever get bad for my beta, I will just get another tank for him and move him to the vase for the real short term (that he loved as long as he could be around people). As far as the schooling issue with the tetra's.. that is why I wanted to add one or two more slowly over the next few months. That way, I could carefully monitor what happens to my beta and make the tetras feel more at home. I have not seen them nip at my beta. The only aggressive fish is the beta, and he just chases the tetras every now and then if they get near his sleeping spot. My beta actually seems to enjoy the company of other fish, especially the guarami. Has anyone else seen this? I truly can't believe how curious and friendly this fish is.

07-24-2005, 09:48 PM	#6
jrp1588 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Evansville, Indiana Posts: 1,248 Images: 13	Betta are definitly curious fish. Your post inspired me to reintroduce my betta to the community tank. I love how is is slowly swimming around, seemingly checking everything out in an intelligent way. He even peeked into one of the holes in a large rock, and upon not finding anything interesting, simply backed out. Any other fish just seems to swim around randomly. The other fish seem very curious about him, swiming up really close to investigate, but they don't seem aggressive.

07-24-2005, 09:59 PM	#8
vTEC Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 37	I have two female bettas, two golden swords, a hi-fin platy, redtail black shark, and a golden algae eater in my 10 gallon... my one female had no idea what the shark was so she would constantly flare at him. But now they co-exist really well... They do enjoy the company of others... and same with the males.. I had my male VT betta in with them but he died (R.I.P)

07-24-2005, 10:33 PM	#9
logicwins Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin Posts: 4	Yea, when I first got my 5 [acronym:8e0228efa4="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:8e0228efa4] tank and put my two tetras in it, my beta flared up and chased them around for about a week. After that, the beta just calmed down. He rarely, if ever, flares up. If anyone puts betas in a tank and they show aggression toward other fish, just try giving them a week or two to adjust.. it worked for me and now I have a really interesting communitiy going on. What is the shark like? Will it grow only until it gets to a reasonable size or will it outgrow that tank?

07-24-2005, 10:47 PM	#10
jrp1588 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Evansville, Indiana Posts: 1,248 Images: 13	I think my betta is now the official "boss" of the tank. He booted my poor clown loach out of his favorite spot, and he's not afraid to show the mollies who's boss. All it takes is a little gill flare and they back off.