adf tank mates

[corydoralover]

Could i have like 3 adf with 4 ottos and a dwarf gourami?

 

[Stellah]

How big is your tank?

 

[corydoralover]

10 gallons with a submersible boyu 365 liters filter and im thinking of adding another filter

 

[Stellah]

That's alittle small for that many things, and way too small for a gourami. I'd recommend 2 adf and a couple of snails, and a small school of something. Have you looked into female bettas? They are beautiful, once they are in a proper tank, and have amazing personalities.

I kept a 10 with 2 adf and 2 snails, and 6 female bettas successfully for 8 months till I upgraded them to a 30.

Google pictures of female bettas, and sororities. It's really an unusual combo, super neat to watch.

 

[corydoralover]

Could i have 3 bettas with 2 adf?

 

[corydoralover]

Oh nvm you answered before and I'll look into getting some bettas

 

[Stellah]

The females are actually pretty awesome. I actually prefer them to the males. They have great personalities and they develop awesome colors.they look grey when you buy them in the poor little cups I've found, but when you get them in the right size tank ( yours is good for 6) they can be what they are supposed to be. I recently advised someone on exactly how to start a sorority, and if you are considering it, I'd be happy to post the same info to you, it's quite rewarding. and they get along great with the frogs.

 

[corydoralover]

That would be great if you could explain

 

[Stellah]

That would be great if you could explain

When you go to buy them, don't get any with horizontal lines- these are stress lines. The vertical lines are very good, means they are in good health and are called breeding lines. It's also best to pick ones of the same size/age if at all possible. They do best in even groups. 6+ is best you might be able to do as many as 10 if you can find enough good ones!

A good way to tell if they are going to do well in a group are when you are picking them out- ask if they have been fed- and once you pick out the healthy ones- stick your finger in the top of the jar. If the nibble your finger in the first 10-15 seconds, they won't be a good fit. If they seem aggressive basically.

Next, once you have them home, keep them next to each other so they can interact. Then let them acclimate by adding small amounts of tank water, and pouring out their water 25% at a time. The cups are hard to float, and If you do it that way, you can just pour all the water in with them, avoiding the stress of netting.

I have had success adding the most aggressive first- so she can claim her territory. Then go down the line, adding one at a time. The first 2 days they will establish a hierarchy- and there may be flaring of the gills while they figure this out. (Under the gills is a good indication of what color they will be when they are happy in a nice big tank!)

Minor fin nipping is normal in the first 2-3 days hike they figure out who the top dog is. If there is one that is more aggressive, the best thing to do is to put her in a breeders net. It sounds crazy, but I swear it works, after a few hours, let her out, and just like time out- she will swim around to the others almost ashamed of her actions apologizing to the other girls. Haha it's too funny!

Once they have their order pecked out things should settle down. And the other fish (mollies and danios) can swim in and out of their territory with no confrontations. They will each pick their areas, hiding places, and maybe even a BFF. I had 2 in my group of 12, who looked just the same, white, with pink and bright yellow, who were together all the time. Haha I like to think they were lesbians. Hahahah Anyways- they love the same temp and PH of your other guys. And they should be very happy.

Any other questions? Feel free to ask!

 

[corydoralover]

My ph is 6.5. Is that alright?

 

[Stellah]

That's a little low. Try Indian almond leaves- or their extract. Bettas love it, and it stabilizes PH by adding tannins into the water. They will be fine at 6.5- but a little higher is better. I aim for average (7.2) or -/+ 5 points. Bettas are much more tolerant of different ph's than most fish, anything from 6.5-8 should be fine but 7.2 is the goal.

 

[Stellah]

In a ten- you could happily do 6 bettas, an 2/3 frogs. And a snail or two. That's the exact set up I had for 8 months till the bigger lady got to nearly 4 inches long! very proud of her.

 

[Whiteout]

In a ten- you could happily do 6 bettas, an 2/3 frogs. And a snail or two. That's the exact set up I had for 8 months till the bigger lady got to nearly 4 inches long! very proud of her.

That is pretty nifty info on the sororities you have convinced me into thinking about this and that second picture of the female is beautiful wish we had ones like that around here

 

[corydoralover]

Thanks and you convinced me into trying sororities lol

 

[Whiteout]

Thanks and you convinced me into trying sororities lol

Got two of us to try it lol

 

[Stellah]

Got two of us to try it lol

Awesome. I'm glad! It's unique, and a lot of fun!

Any other question feel free to ask! I'm happy to help!

(Oh, and when you get them from the store they tend to look grayish and just really plain.. But once they acclimate to the new, suitable tank, they grow into the colors they had all along- but were too stressed out to show.) - so don't judge her for her colors! Just make sure she is healthy as can be. If you treat her well, she will show you what she is made of.

 

[Whiteout]

Awesome. I'm glad! It's unique, and a lot of fun!

Any other question feel free to ask! I'm happy to help!

(Oh, and when you get them from the store they tend to look grayish and just really plain.. But once they acclimate to the new, suitable tank, they grow into the colors they had all along- but were too stressed out to show.) - so don't judge her for her colors! Just make sure she is healthy as can be. If you treat her well, she will show you what she is made of.

Yes they always look blah but have the potential to be beautiful I have a single female and she has the horizontal lines but is a beautiful dark blue she's not to strong of a swimmer she over came a bad ich outbreak

 

[Stellah]

Just for fun- here are some pictures of one of my little ones- and his "mom" and "dad"

 

[corydoralover]

lol cool

 

[Whiteout]

Just for fun- here are some pictures of one of my little ones- and his "mom" and "dad"

Been thinking the sorority out and might Get them this week can I mix the females or do they AlL have to be the same species like crown tail veil tail etc