Betas - ??

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DJlaysitup

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jan 14, 2016
Messages
9
Location
Atlanta
Just starting my new tank and Betas look cool (but sad - generally in small containers)...can I just buy a couple and put their cups in the water for a bit and then let them go in my new 29?

They are attractive fish and surely they would be good "starter fish" if they can live in cups.

Folks say they are aggressive but if they have room they may be OK. Once the tank is going I could put in a few barbs (barbs aren't afraid of anything) - and that would be a good color combination.

Thoughts?
 
Betas are temperamental and barbs are nippy. I wouldnt risk it without a backup plan. There are plenty of great fish to choose from for a 29 gallon. What do you mean by "starter fish"?

A fish to start your cycle? Or a fish to keep in general? Theres people who are known to keep a bunch of female betas together but again theyre temperamental and vary with each specimen. I kept a male with a female for a while that got along but apparently thats close to unheard of and is highly not recommended

- St Charles Almendras Geraldizo
 
I just meant to have a couple fish to get the under-gravel system working. I also have a good sponge filter...just want to get the tank going.

I don't mean to be a pain - but most of us want to have fish when we have a tank. I'd just like to have a nice freshwater tank that I can run and come home to. I have an X-5 to run the under-gravel and a "whisper-40" to run the Sponge. Should be plenty of air.

Actually I thought that maybe if I kept the fish population semi-low I could turn off the pumps occasionally for a few hours. I work a standard 8 hour job (9 with lunch and a 1/2 hour each way - so I figured it would be safe to just turn things off in the morning and fire them up again on my return (?)
 
That wouldn't be ideal. The circulation is what keeps the water clean and breathable for your fish, few or no. Please go to the getting started thread and read the fish-in cycling link.

If you leave it off at this point, you're leaving your fish in their own filth, which will kill them and no amount of good intentions or wishful thinking will change that. :(
 
Bettas would need a lot more room than 29gallons. just one of the fish that needs be only one of its species in a tank.
 
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