a lot of questions (again)

[extremebunny]

sick platy?/new betta tank

I guess i'm getting all of my questions out now and I feel sorry for anyone that's put up with my fish stupidity so far. But here it goes.

1. I have a red platy that is usually more active but today he has been floating/swimming near the top of the tank. he is not the smartest fish, yesterday he tried to eat the air tube to a bubbler, but I am wondering if he is okay. In every other way he seems fine, which is why I am not panicking yet. I get a bit paranoid as over half my fish died within a week of getting them.

2. a more fun question. I have a 5g tank that I want to start up again with a betta. What kind of bettas do you think are the prettiest and least aggressive (also least likely to get sick)?

3. Is there anything that I could house with the betta in that size tank? I do not have a hood, so frogs and jumping fish are out of the question. I do have a heater and a filter but I cannot put live plants in the tank.

4. I tested my water in my other fish tank. Are these parameters ok for a betta as well?

nitrates: 20
nitrites: 0
ph: 7
KH:40
GH: 120

 

[extremebunny]

btw, my lfs is reef encounter in Hackensack, nj. anyone gotten good fish there?

 

[stevenht]

1. He was probably picking food off it of just playing around to entertain itself.
2. There is no such thing as a least aggressive Betta. I personally love half-moon males.
3. No. You don't want to stress the bioload in an already unstable tank. Small tanks are harder to keep good water conditions.
4. Try to test for ammonia. I'm guessing when you tested, you used the strips. Get the test kit. It's worth every penny. You'll never have to buy another one.

 

[extremebunny]

thanks for the advice about the test kit, I haven't gotten it yet mostly because my water hasn't been a problem for the fish I've had. I don't really mind my platy trying to eat the tube, I was more worried about the fact that he hasn't been very active and he's always near the top of the tank. So if all bettas are naturally aggressive, I should only have him with no tankmates and choose whichever type looks healthiest, right? Could I have freshwater snails for tank cleaning purposes or would he eat them (I've never had snails before)?

 

[stevenht]

Snails are always a good idea

 

[stevenht]

Snails require nothing but left over food and some will algae too. Bettas are naturally messy eaters so snails complement them well. Also, shrimp are pretty easy to keep and some are really cheap. They serve the same purpose as snails but I think shrimp are way cooler. They're very interesting to watch and after you get one, you'll want more. I recommend red cherry shrimp. They're extremely active and never stop working. Snails do have rest periods where they won't do anything for hours whereas shrimp will still be roaming.

 

[stevenht]

Also snails can over populate tanks in a week. I have 2 mystery snails and while they don't need a mate for breeding, they will lay eggs all the time. I have 4 nests with just two snails. I usually get about a dozen babies from every nest so you can do the math on that.

 

[extremebunny]

how many shrimp would go in a 5g?

 

[stevenht]

Depends on what kind. Ghost shrimp actually get to be a decent size. Whereas some of the other kinds of shrimp stay at about 1 inch

 

[extremebunny]

if I was to get shrimp, I have to find some that are small enough to thrive in a 5g but won't get eaten by a betta because don't they eat them sometimes? what kind would that be?

 

[stevenht]

I've never had a Betta eat a shrimp. If that becomes a problem, get the shrimp a hiding spot. Bettas are terrible swimmers and get manipulate their bodies sideways and upside down for very long.

 

[extremebunny]

ok, thanks for the advice.

 

[FishMommy8962]

You can't have a betta without a hood. They are jumpers, and can and will kill themselves by suffocation from jumping out of the tank. If jumping fish and frogs are out of the question, that means bettas, too.
You should probably get a hood if you want a betta. The only other things you can put in there are nano fish and shrimp. Not even snails, as they are escape artists. When can you get that ammonia test, as ammonia is the most important thing to know, because it's the most harmful, and it's only at the start of the cycle.

 

[GNAAAR]

You need a hood for bettas as they will jump out of the tanks and kill themselves

 

[extremebunny]

I did get the master test kit, levels seem fine in my other tank. I am currently cycling the new one and it seems to be about halfway done. The stuff I use to cycle it is supposed to work in 3 days (it's been 2 so far). About the hood, I know I should have one and I've made something that covers it partially out of the plastic from an old picture frame. I did have a betta in a fishbowl when I was little and he never jumped out.

 

[extremebunny]

until I can make/buy a hood, could I have a betta if I lowered the water level so that it could not get over the rim?

 

[stevenht]

Those will say it cycles your tank in 3 days but even with seachem prime, it took me over a week

 

[extremebunny]

I used it before and it was fine at 5 or 6 days, didn't check at 3. for this new tank i have been checking the water more to see when it is done. I use FluVal cycle biological booster.

 

[extremebunny]

I made a hood for the tank. Nitrites still high, so no fish yet. Does this change my options?

 

[Ingy]

Do you have a bubbler? A lid like that will drastically reduce O2 exchange. I also always recommend live plants as that is the best way to control nitrates.