Stupid move... - Aquarium Advice

SilverDragon · 03-24-2006, 11:44 AM

Well after my gourami died, I decided to get a different kind of fish for my community tank. Well stupid me, I got a Tiger Barb from Walmart. The sign said he may nip at longer finned fish and I didnt consider my catfish "longer finned". A friend of mine told me they will nip at slower fish as well.

So my tiger barb nipped and chewed at my catfish so bad that I had to seperate the barb. So now the barb is in a one gallon tank , set INSIDE my 5.5 gallon in order to share the heated water. What a pain it is to clean the tank and get it set up so he cant get out over the top of his "jail tank". And now I cant find anyone who will take him off my hands. I guess im stuck with him till I can get to the LFS.

Can anyone suggest a suitable tank mate for a female betta and cory catfish? They are in a 5.5 gal. tank so **** have to be no bigger than 2-3 inches.

Skyrmir · 03-24-2006, 11:49 AM

Personaly I'd suggest 1 or 2 more cories. They like having freinds.

severum mama · 03-24-2006, 11:54 AM

You're right, tiger barbs are notorious nippers. They are more likely to nip when not kept in schools, and they are much too active IMO to live in anything less than a 2 foot tank (and even that would be pushing it). I hope the LFS will take him off your hands.

Corys are also schooling fish, but again you don't really have the option of keeping a school since you are limited by the size of your tank. With just the female betta, the tank is almost stocked. You could add a snail or maybe a couple of otos (minus the cory) but 5.5 gallons is really too small to add much else. I'm not sure what to tell you. Do you have a larger tank that you could move the cory into, and then build up numbers for a school?

LydiaGreen · 03-24-2006, 12:52 PM

I keep my male betas in a 10 gallon tank. A lot of people believe that betas aren't very active, just kind of lie there, etc. This isn't so. When we first got our betas they would stay in one tiny corner of the tank because they were used to small spaces (those @#$% cups). It was hilarious to see how they behaved once they figured out that they had lots of room to move. I keep schools of cories in each of the beta tanks (8-10) and cories with a school are very active and even comical. My 5.5 is quite tall with limited square footage on the bottom and cories like a lot of room to move on the bottom of the tank.

Severum mama is right, you are really limited with a 5.5. I have a 5.5 with three ADF's but, with my betas so active and happy in 10 gallons, I would never put one in a smaller thank than 10 again. And from experience, I can tell you NOT to keep ADF's with betas (the ADF's think the betas long fins are blood worms and grab onto them).

nikipike · 03-24-2006, 09:53 PM

I agree with either a couple of otos (i'd cross out snail though, the ones i've had were just poop machines!) or upgrade to a 10gal & go with a few cories.

Lydia, 7 of my 10 were Walmart/Petsmart rescues. The boys are in a small tank each w/ a heater. Am currently setting up a tank to hopefully house all of my females in a community setting.
"A lot of people" should see my kiddos! They'd probably think their on crack if they think bettas are supposed to be listless

The two young DTs that came in today exploring their tank (well...it's *his* tank really) remind me of little kids on an easter egg hunt

03-24-2006, 11:44 AM	#1
SilverDragon Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 69 Images: 5	Stupid move... Well after my gourami died, I decided to get a different kind of fish for my community tank. Well stupid me, I got a Tiger Barb from Walmart. The sign said he may nip at longer finned fish and I didnt consider my catfish "longer finned". A friend of mine told me they will nip at slower fish as well. So my tiger barb nipped and chewed at my catfish so bad that I had to seperate the barb. So now the barb is in a one gallon tank , set INSIDE my 5.5 gallon in order to share the heated water. What a pain it is to clean the tank and get it set up so he cant get out over the top of his "jail tank". And now I cant find anyone who will take him off my hands. I guess im stuck with him till I can get to the LFS. Can anyone suggest a suitable tank mate for a female betta and cory catfish? They are in a 5.5 gal. tank so **** have to be no bigger than 2-3 inches. __________________ 2 gallon with 1 male betta 29 gallon with 2 paradise fish, 3 black tetras(pink and blue variety), 1 sailfin molly, 1 pearl molly, 2 corycats, 1 oto, 2 female guppies. Faery_SilverDragon

03-24-2006, 11:54 AM	#3
severum mama Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 2,771 Images: 22	You're right, tiger barbs are notorious nippers. They are more likely to nip when not kept in schools, and they are much too active IMO to live in anything less than a 2 foot tank (and even that would be pushing it). I hope the LFS will take him off your hands. Corys are also schooling fish, but again you don't really have the option of keeping a school since you are limited by the size of your tank. With just the female betta, the tank is almost stocked. You could add a snail or maybe a couple of otos (minus the cory) but 5.5 gallons is really too small to add much else. I'm not sure what to tell you. Do you have a larger tank that you could move the cory into, and then build up numbers for a school? __________________ WE CAN STAGE A RUNAWAY GOLF CART MARATHON 5 gallon, 45 gallon, and 55 gallon planted 75 gallon SA/CA cichlids 8 gallon Oceanic BioCube nano reef

03-24-2006, 12:52 PM	#4
LydiaGreen Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 91 Images: 6	I keep my male betas in a 10 gallon tank. A lot of people believe that betas aren't very active, just kind of lie there, etc. This isn't so. When we first got our betas they would stay in one tiny corner of the tank because they were used to small spaces (those @#$% cups). It was hilarious to see how they behaved once they figured out that they had lots of room to move. I keep schools of cories in each of the beta tanks (8-10) and cories with a school are very active and even comical. My 5.5 is quite tall with limited square footage on the bottom and cories like a lot of room to move on the bottom of the tank. Severum mama is right, you are really limited with a 5.5. I have a 5.5 with three ADF's but, with my betas so active and happy in 10 gallons, I would never put one in a smaller thank than 10 again. And from experience, I can tell you NOT to keep ADF's with betas (the ADF's think the betas long fins are blood worms and grab onto them). __________________ "Fish are friends - not food" Bruce in A Shark's Tale (except for pickerel of course!) 375 cutsom - on hold indefinitely 55 [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - cycling 44 bowfront [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - 3 red cap orandas, 3 fantails, 3 golden dojo loachesone sailfin pleco 40L #1 [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - empty 40L #2 [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - empty 20 tall [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - adopted from my mother - 3 golden dojo loaches, 1 sailfin pleco, 4 assorted tetras and one mystery fish 10 long #1 [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - male betta, 4 peppered cories, 4 bronze cories, sailfin pleco, and some snails 10 long #2 [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - male betta, 1 praecox rainbow, 7 albino cories, sailfin pleco, and some snails 5.5 bowfront [acronym="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym] - 3 [acronym="African Dwarf Frog"]ADF[/acronym]'s 8 year old flat-coated retriever, 3 year old mutt (looks like a small brindle lab) and a 6 month old miniature poodle (they're pets too, right?)

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03-24-2006, 11:49 AM	#2
Skyrmir Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 510 Images: 9	Personaly I'd suggest 1 or 2 more cories. They like having freinds.

03-24-2006, 09:53 PM	#5
nikipike Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Bern, NC Posts: 72 Images: 1	I agree with either a couple of otos (i'd cross out snail though, the ones i've had were just poop machines!) or upgrade to a 10gal & go with a few cories. Lydia, 7 of my 10 were Walmart/Petsmart rescues. The boys are in a small tank each w/ a heater. Am currently setting up a tank to hopefully house all of my females in a community setting. "A lot of people" should see my kiddos! They'd probably think their on crack if they think bettas are supposed to be listless The two young DTs that came in today exploring their tank (well...it's his tank really) remind me of little kids on an easter egg hunt