New 10 or 20 gallon stocking advice.

[Emclenaghan]

I have had my 55 gallon cichlid tank for about 2 months now and have come down with a case of MTS! I am using my 5 year old as my excuse, works like a charm with my husband....hehehe!

Anyways, she would like to have a Betta. She also likes neon tetras and glofish. Would these all work out well together? If so, what kind of numbers am I looking at for stocking the tank? I would also like to get some sort of algae/bottom feeder but I am not sure what is appropriate for a small tank.

I have always just had cichlids so I am excited about getting some community fish. Can't wait to have lots of movement and color in the tank!

 

[EndlersEatGuppies]

Anyways, she would like to have a Betta. She also likes neon tetras and glofish. Would these all work out well together? IMO the betta with the tetras and glofish are like slugs and salt.. They don't go together. The tetra and glofish can do good together.

f so, what kind of numbers am I looking at for stocking the tank? For the fish u seem to want i would say 5 neon tetras and 5 glofish. I say this because they have a small bio load, compared to other fish, and r only like 1 inch.

I would also like to get some sort of algae/bottom feeder but I am not sure what is appropriate for a small tank. I would say 3 ghost shrimp will do fine.

 

[Emclenaghan]

Yeah, I wasn't too sure about the Betta but she saw them at the grocery store and felt bad for them having to live in those tiny bowls. I have to say, I always feel the same!

I had never thought of getting shrimp! I like that idea. It's kind of weird shifting my focus to more fragile and gentle aquatic creatures.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Bettas actually can be in a peaceful community. It depends on the specific animal. They all have such different personalities.

If you try it, have a back up plan.

 

[Emclenaghan]

Bettas actually can be in a peaceful community. It depends on the specific animal. They all have such different personalities.

If you try it, have a back up plan.

Do you think their sex makes a significant difference with their aggression or do I have a 50/50 chance regardless?

I guess I wouldn't mind picking up a little 2-5 gallon tank if it didn't work in my daughters tank.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Females are definitely less aggressive. They may look plainer, but they have their own type of beauty.

 

[gkuzel]

yeah I agree with betta, My king male does amazing in my tank though. He's rather social (for a betta) and never once have I seen him flare. And instead of the neons and glofish, you may be better off with a different kind of tetra, or a larger school of one or the other. They just don't mix well with eachother. For a bottom feeder, I'd consider a small group of bamboo shrimp. They're amazing little creatures.

 

[Bettababe1011]

But with a Betta, be prepared for shrimp to become expensive snacks. Ghost shrimp are cheap and look cool IMO. They also might be easier to keep alive , because the Betta will have a harder time finding them.

 

[gkuzel]

Yeah, most smaller shrimp, but the bamboo shrimp get up to about 4 inches long, I can't see a betta doing major damage. (again bettas all have different personalities)

 

[Bettababe1011]

Yeah, most smaller shrimp, but the bamboo shrimp get up to about 4 inches long, I can't see a betta doing major damage. (again bettas all have different personalities)

Ah. I didn't know much about that specific shrimp, just thought I'd add my two cents.

 

[EndlersEatGuppies]

Yeah, most smaller shrimp, but the bamboo shrimp get up to about 4 inches long, I can't see a betta doing major damage. (again bettas all have different personalities)

Very true depends on the betta.

 

[Bettababe1011]

My Betta Allie, I might trust with shrimp. He's gentle with flake food for crying out loud!

Patriot, on the other side is vicious with his food and my finger. I would never trust him with shrimp.

 

[siva]

I have had my 55 gallon cichlid tank for about 2 months now and have come down with a case of MTS! I am using my 5 year old as my excuse, works like a charm with my husband....hehehe!

Anyways, she would like to have a Betta. She also likes neon tetras and glofish. Would these all work out well together? If so, what kind of numbers am I looking at for stocking the tank? I would also like to get some sort of algae/bottom feeder but I am not sure what is appropriate for a small tank.

I have always just had cichlids so I am excited about getting some community fish. Can't wait to have lots of movement and color in the tank!

I have two 20 gal and one 29 gal community, all three with bettas, and I do have them mixed with those fish and it works nicely. The key with the glo-fish/zebra danios is to keep them in large enough groups and large enough tanks or they may be prone to get nippy with the betta. They are incredibly active and whip all around a large space....I wouldn't keep them in anything less than a 29....maybe a 20 long but not a 20 high. 6-7 neon tetras or glowlight tetras are a great option to mix with a betta in a 20 gal. You could do 4 of a dwarf cory cat like hasbrosus, julii, or panda for your bottom dwellers, or 5 kuhli loaches. For algea you could do nerite snails, or once the tank has been established for 6 months, you could add 3-5 Oto cats

 

[siva]

yeah I agree with betta, My king male does amazing in my tank though. He's rather social (for a betta) and never once have I seen him flare. And instead of the neons and glofish, you may be better off with a different kind of tetra, or a larger school of one or the other. They just don't mix well with eachother. For a bottom feeder, I'd consider a small group of bamboo shrimp. They're amazing little creatures.

If you go with bamboo shrimp, like the Oto cats, I would wait until the tank was well established, and add no more than 2. These guys are filter feeders and need to be able to filter enough food from the water. Make sure a peice of wood or decor is in front of the filter flow so they can sit and filter the food with their fans. Because they have fans, they are not designed for picking food from the substrate like most shrimp, so if you see them doing this it means they are starving. A good back up plan with bamboos is to keep a pipette and liquid fry food. If you see them picking at the floor you can shoot some of the fry food at them and they can filter it from the water

 

[Emclenaghan]

Wow, you guys have some great ideas! My daughter and I have been looking some of them up. She really likes the kuhli loaches and the dwarf cory cats, they both have such cute little faces.

I think I may hold off on getting the shrimp until we have her tank going for a bit. Plus, I want to make the maintenance fairly simple in the beginning so that she can take care of most of it herself.

 

[EndlersEatGuppies]

Wow, you guys have some great ideas! My daughter and I have been looking some of them up. She really likes the kuhli loaches and the dwarf cory cats, they both have such cute little faces.

I think I may hold off on getting the shrimp until we have her tank going for a bit. Plus, I want to make the maintenance fairly simple in the beginning so that she can take care of most of it herself.

That sounds incredible!!! FYI when and if u do get shrimp buy 2 more than u want because some will most probably die.

 

[siva]

Wow, you guys have some great ideas! My daughter and I have been looking some of them up. She really likes the kuhli loaches and the dwarf cory cats, they both have such cute little faces.

I think I may hold off on getting the shrimp until we have her tank going for a bit. Plus, I want to make the maintenance fairly simple in the beginning so that she can take care of most of it herself.

Don't they though, cories are quite darling. Just be careful not to end up with the bigger ones like the albino and emerald..they get too large for your tank (they aren't the cutest anyway)

 

[allaboutfish]

juli corys are my favorite they have such personality! my female is the boss in my tank always getting followed by my two males haha! oh and make sure this is a 20 gallon long tank that'll be better for your stocking.

 

[siva]

IMHO the betta, tetras,and julii are fine in a 20 high or long.

 

[allaboutfish]

go julis