Bad Betta Idea.... New tank question

[PurpleSmurf]

Wow....

So, I rearranged my 10gal (pic) and put my betta in (was just going to for a few days until I get him a real tank), and what a bad idea that turned out to be. He was bullying the gourami and both platies within five minutes and the danios wouldn't even come to the front of the tank. Movie.

Anyway, since the lowest price I could find on a 5g-hex kit was $50 I've decided to setup another 10g. My plan is this:

Take the betta and put him in the new 10g with the ADF's I bought today, a mystery snail, two of my danio (Long fins), and buy four tetra's to put in with him and another female platy to replace the two danios and to pull some agression from my other female.

Total tank setup:

10 Gallon #1
3 Zebra Danio
1 Strawberry Platy (Male)
1 Gold Crescent Platy (Female)
1 Platy of undecided color (Female)
1 Red Fire Gourami

10 Gallon #2
2 Long Fin Blue Danio
4-6 Tetra
Male LT Betta
Mystery Snail
2 ADFs

How's the stocking look? Pushing anything?

 

[An t-iasg]

Here are my observations on Tank #2:

I would not mix the betta with the tetras. I have seen a group of tetras ganging up on, and nipping, a betta. Fast-swimming fish like tetras, and danios, may harrass a slower-moving fish. Some members may have kept tetras and bettas successfully, but it was in a much bigger tank. In a 10 gallon, the aggressiveness between the fish is compounded due to the smaller space.

The long-fin danios, depending on how long their fins are, may provoke the betta to attack them. With their long fins, the betta could mistake them for another betta and attack them.

So, for tank #2, you could put in the betta, and some cory catfish. They will stay at the bottom of the tank for the most part, and should not irritate the betta. I had a very smalll pleco in with a betta, very briefly, until I could get another tank set up, and they ignored each other. So the betta should be ok with a bottom-dwelling fish.

A snail or some ghost shrimp could also be a nice addition. I had a ghost shrimp with my betta once. They got along, but the shrimp died. I think my water wasn't hard enough for his shell. There is a chance that the betta may eat the shrimp -- it's probably a 50-50 chance. Otherwise, they should ignore each other.

 

[PurpleSmurf]

Oh! I totally forgot about the long/shiny fin rule. >_<

I guess that means the tetras are out... would three cory cats and three mollies along with the snail and two frogs work?

 

[An t-iasg]

Do you mean three cory cats, three mollies, a snail, two frogs, AND a betta? I would not recommend that set up either. It would be a bit overstocked, plus the mollies need salt in the water, at least 2 tablespoons in your 10 gallon tank. The cories would not do well with this salt level, and the betta probably wouldn't either. I don't know how the frogs would do with the salt. Mollies are best kept, IMO, in brackish conditions. Mollies without enough salt in their water are prone to disease.

 

[An t-iasg]

I don't know anything about ADFs, so I did some searching. It seems like it's 50-50 about keeping ADFs with bettas. Some bettas may ignore the frogs, and some may attack. It's like the ghost shrimp -- some bettas may ignore, and some may attack.

ADFs may be hard to feed -- they eat at the bottom and with the snail and cories, you'll have plenty of bottom feeders already. You may have to "spot-feed" the frogs to make sure they are getting enough to eat. I have read that an apple snail ate the bloodworms that were meant for the frogs, so you can't drop food into the tank and walk away -- you'll have to pay attention to the frogs and make sure they eat. They also seem to need live or frozen foods. Freeze-dried foods have been reported to cause intestinal blockages.

Here's a site about the ADF: http://davidcecere.pipidae.org/Page2.htm#care It talks about care and feeding and also says that the author kept cory cats with the frogs.

You could try a betta, three cory cats, two frogs and a snail. Just make sure all the bottom feeders are getting enough to eat, and if the frogs are getting out-competed for food or the betta is harrassing them, be prepared to move them out of the tank.

I just re-read your first message again -- Since you just bought this new 10 gallon tank for the betta, and you also just bought the ADFs, I would stock this tank with the betta, the snail, and the frogs. I would wait on the cories for now, until you see how this group gets along.

 

[PurpleSmurf]

Just did about an hour of research and I've only really come to the conclusion that there really aren't too many "good" tank mates for betta. I guess I'll stick with the corys and hope they don't try and eat his fins.

 

[An t-iasg]

That is true -- tankmates for bettas seem to be very dependent on the betta. For example, I would definitely not recommend tetras, but cories can work -- again, it depends on the betta. I've had some bettas who were "sweeties" and some who were "psychos". I have never had bettas with anything but the ghost shrimp and the small pleco briefly.

Try the cories, but as you've discovered, proceed with caution with any betta tankmates and be prepared to move the cories if necessary.

 

[Menagerie]

I agree with An t-iasg. YMMV alot with bettas. I have had limited success keeping female bettas in my community tank.

 

[jersysman]

If you follow two rules for Bettas usually you can find decent tankmates for them. No fish with long fins - gouramis, guppys and the like. No fin nippers. Well maybe three rules. Bettas can co-habitat with fish that are middle to bottom dwellers and are slow movers. I have seen Bettas and Rainbows get along famously (except for threadfin Rainbows). That is because of the fins. Some corys. Corys need to come to the surface at times to breathe and that is when some bettas get aggressive wit them. Hope this helps.