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Give them half an hour to "wake up" and see if their color returns. I'm betting it will. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

I've never kept cichlids, so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that fire mouths tend to be a bit more docile than other cichlids and would do okay with the larger bodied fish like black skirts. Smaller tetras, danios, and rasboras would likely become a meal.

I call black skirt tetras the poor man's silver dollar. :) I guess that makes me a poor man. Really, though, they have a tall body, and although they get nowhere near the size of silver dollars, they accomplish the same thing for me in my tank.

My pleasure. People do all kinds of things with bettas that they really shouldn't. They are remarkably hardy fish, but they would be better off with pretty much the same treatment as other freshwater tropicals. Have a great night!

Generally not a good idea for two reasons. One is that bottled water often does contain chlorine just like tap water. Another is that it is often void of minerals needed to maintain a healthy pH. Some people use bottles spring waster, but I avoid the whole issue by just treating my own tap...

Some would say that it's a risk, but it does work. I did the same with my first tank. The risk is that you could introduce a parasite or a bacteria you don't want in your tank, but my thought is that you would be more likely to get something nasty (like columnaris) from aquarium filter media...

Awesome list! The micro rasboras look especially compatible, but I've heard the constantly hide. Any of these that would be mire likely to be seen? CPDs?

Plants will help, but I don't think she can tame those trates just with plants. Good excuse to go shopping, though!

Does it ever make you wonder how they could possibly survive in the wild? :). They seem to have ZERO hunting instincts. I guess that's what we get for sticking them in faster moving water.

No worries. I've spent lots of time talking to fish people and reading up on this since chemistry is not my thing. ;) Nitrate doesn't feed on nitrite, it is the byproduct of nitrite. Here's the way the cycle works, and I find it most useful to consider the bacteria as what it is: a...

No chlorine! Nitrates are not beneficial bacteria; they are the final product of the beneficial bacteria's nitrifying cycle. If you kill the BB, you will first see a spike in ammonia and nitrites, then even more nitrates. Also, the chlorine itself is harmful to the fish. I'm not experienced...

Ten percent water changes a week with bigger 25-30% changes every 4 weeks or so will keep your water healthy and stable. When you do your bigger ones, you should vacuum your substrate and do some filter maintenance. For suspended particles in the water, change your activated carbon or add some...

Thanks for all the dialogue. I love the opportunity to learn from more experienced fish keepers! :)

Let us know how it goes. I know I was adding my two cents' worth on the other thread you had running about this, too, so I hope I didn't lead you astray. How long have you had your BAs?

Gotcha. I have Praecox rainbows, harlequin rasboras, hatchets, and rummy nose tetras with my Bolivian and to make sure he gets his fair share, I always feed some flakes first to draw everyone up, then some sinking cichlids pellets for the ram. That way, he seems to always eat plenty. May be...

Of course, I know fast swimming generally means a 5 gallon wouldn't work, but I would love to capitalize on some of the length of this particular tank, and I think the filtration is WAY sufficient. I've seen some people do Endler's, but 5 gallons seems way small for them, right.? I had them in...

Any other small, hardy fish that you would recommend? What if I wanted to do a 5 gallon betta tank? Could I add a second species, or would I be limited to just shrimp? I would plant heavily and water change as necessary. I've currently got a 5 gallon fluval spec with just a betta and might...

Looks like a steal to me. I hope it's still there for you. Great size, and canister filters are great.

You got me there. I didn't keep the BAs for very long because they were so hard on my plants. Do you feel they would nip the ram, or just compete for food? My BAs didn't seem to notice my ram.

Cool! Good to know!

With a betta? Don't know much about them, but didn't expect that to be possible.

Neon tetras are an old favorite and should do fine with your make betta. A big school (at least 6) is the only way to go. Harlequin rasboras would also be awesome. Again, 6+ for the best activity. Finally, rummy nose tetras should be fine (someone correct me if I am wrong) and are about the...

Completely agree. What about a loach of some sort? I've never kept them myself, so I'm not sure if they would work. I do keep shrimp, and with a Bolivian ram in the lower level, they would spend lots of time in your caves. There are a few options to consider if you like shrimp.

Could the two cohabitate in a small tank (6-10 gallon)? One male betta and 3 white clouds, for example?

I have a 400 gallon pond in Colorado and keep both fish. I would recommend just the minnows for a while as they are often sick/parasite infested at the store. This way, you can let the ones that are not going to make it weed themselves out before adding a goldfish that may get sick. 20 or so...