6.6 Gallon fluval Chi Ideas

[barterking85]

i bought and cycled a chi 6.6 gallon and added a betta and two golden snails i was thinking about adding a adf do you think this is ok no problem if its not just kinda like the little guys

 

[alLexX]

imo that wouldnt be a good idea. ADFs need groups of at least 3 to thrive. why dont you get shrimp or something instead?

 

[barterking85]

I figured I just wanted another opinion yeah I like shrimp what do you guys think are some options for other tank mates more gold snails, shrimp, or something else if so what and how many?

And it has a moss ball if that makes any difference lol

 

[alLexX]

I figured I just wanted another opinion yeah I like shrimp what do you guys think are some options for other tank mates more gold snails, shrimp, or something else if so what and how many?

And it has a moss ball if that makes any difference lol

not much,if yuou want to have tank mates other than inverts,youll need a 10 gallon tank

 

[siva]

I'd try a couple ghost shrimp with the betta first and see if they last. If they do you could then try something more colorful. I wouldn't add more apple snails..I would typically only stock those 1 per 10 gals. Just remember they are scavengers and not algae eaters so they will need fed if they are in with just a betta..since bettas don't leave leftovers.

 

[barterking85]

I'd try a couple ghost shrimp with the betta first and see if they last. If they do you could then try something more colorful. I wouldn't add more apple snails..I would typically only stock those 1 per 10 gals. Just remember they are scavengers and not algae eaters so they will need fed if they are in with just a betta..since bettas don't leave leftovers.

My Betta leaves leftovers if something hits the ground he is no longer interested he will not eat pellets just tropical minerals and flakes so something is bound to hit the ground that's why I got the snails but shrimp will probably be my choice can I get some types and how many of them

 

[siva]

Ok what I probably should have said is the leftovers from one fish will not be nearly enough food to support two apple snails..especially once they reach golf ball size. One juvenile apple snail on it's own eats more in a day than a mature betta. I recommend you supplement with blanched zuchinni and some sort of pellet or wafer they will accept as well.

 

[barterking85]

Ok what I probably should have said is the leftovers from one fish will not be nearly enough food to support two apple snails..especially once they reach golf ball size. One juvenile apple snail on it's own eats more in a day than a mature betta. I recommend you supplement with blanched zuchinni and some sort of pellet or wafer they will accept as well.

Ok I do have wafers an I can move him to the 80 gallon when he gets that big so I will just put more food in the tank to make sure he gets his share

 

[barterking85]

That being said how many shrimp can I add and what types are recommended?

 

[siva]

Ok great. You can really have quite a bit there. Typically I'd start with no less than 10 but you'll probably want to pace yourself with that betta to protect your investment. I've had bettas that were fine with ghost shrimp that went right after more colorful shrimp. I would maybe just start with two and make sure they stick around for a while. Then you could easily add 20 more. You probably wouldn't want to get anything too pricey like a CRS. But in addition to RCS, blue pearl shrimp are great, I've had great success with green shrimp (I don't even know the name of the ones I have) because they camo themselves in the plants so well. You could also try something like a sunkist or blackberry.

 

[barterking85]

Very cool thanks for the info

 

[MyameeGirl]

Very cool thanks for the info

I have the 6.6 fluval as well... just got my betta in there about 9 days ago. I have an apple snail and an amano shrimp in there with him. They were in there before the fish came and the shrimp would be out all the time. NOW, however, he stays in his tubes ALL day and only comes out at night. Maybe he's scared of the betta, not sure. He just molted too, so I'm not sure which is the actual reason he doesn't come out.

I was going to get ghost shrimp at first, but the exotic fish place I went to said that they are typically betta snacks.

I'm actually looking at upgrading to a 29 gallon because i want plenty of room for my shrimp to roam around without being scared.

Hope to see some pics of your fluval.

Oh, amano shrimp are escape artists, so be careful with the fluval. I made a lid for mine...lol.

Good luck!

 

[barterking85]

Good info thanks again here are some pics when it was the Betta alone now there is a moss ball and apple snails

 

[siva]

Bettas are jumpers so if it doesn't have a lid I would definitely add one.

 

[barterking85]

Will take that into consideration also I was thinking of doing this tree in the center planter in the chi tell me what you think

 

[eco23]

I've got the 5 gallon Fluval Chi with a single Betta and I did a fair amount of research on the jumping aspect myself before the purchase. Now granted I've only read about and never researched it personally...but my understanding is that Bettas most commonly jump when they simply don't want to be where they are anymore.

From what I've discovered, the jumping trait is an instinct they have due to the fact that the puddles they are in at certain points in the wild will begin to dry out or become overly dirty / polluted, and it is their intention to basically hop over to a new, more suitable location.

The approach I'm taking with my Chi is to provide as happy and suitable location for him as possible where the instinct to change locations would never cross his mind, and he'll be more than happy to stay put. The guy has been building bubble nests repeatedly, so I guess he must think it's a place he's willing to stay for a bit.

I know there are plenty of fish that jump do to being skittish or overly active...but from what I'm seeing so far I'm not overly concerned at this point. Hopefully I won't learn the hard way that my research is wrong.

The Chi's are a bit of a scary design because in order to maintain the aesthetic look it basically has to be filled to the rim. I have floating Water Sprite which he will use as a hammock occasionally and can probably see over the edge of the aquarium, lol.

I'm keeping it hoodless, but I'll definitely update the site if he jumps out of his home for whatever reason.

 

[barterking85]

How do you like the tree idea Eco?

 

[siva]

That very well may be the case for some, but I'm basing this completely on experience. I have 8 females who seem very happy in different tanks in the house and only two of them do not jump. The other 6 make tank maitenance a struggle because I'm constantly worried one will end up on the floor. Two of them in paticular, during feeding, have jumped and gotten stuck for a moment around the rim where no water was before falling back into the water. In all fairness, I have never seen any of my 4 males jump.

I love the tree! Two of my betta tanks are asian themed and I'm working on a third so I just love that look.

 

[eco23]

How do you like the tree idea Eco?

If you pull that off...not only will you win POTM again, but I'll require you to permanently make it your avatar, lol. It looks like an awesome idea.

Yeah, I'm not saying they won't jump (I hope my little guy doesn't), I'm just stating the way I'm going to approach the issue. Since they all have different temperaments and personalities I'm sure that plays a HUGE role in it too. I'm not sure if shrimp or snails can potentially stress a Betta out, but one of the reasons I will probably keep him solo is to prevent the possibility.

 

[barterking85]

I am goona do it I already posted an add for some moss online and I am going to the beach tomorrow after work for some driftwood a good root system I think it will look great in a CHI