Betta fish, need help

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by Gin

My daughter is giving me a 50 gal tank right now my female Betta is in a gal and a half tank from Wal Mart , what type of other fish would you suggest that would work in the 50 gal with her . Thanks for the good info . Gin

According to the link of the International Betta Congress given above, Bettas do well with Neon Tetras, but don't with Zebra fish.
I think also Corydoras would be a good match

[SeanJS]

The peteducation link listed previously lists "ideal tankmates" that I wouldnt suggest. Im kind of shocked that they would mention guppies and angels. Like camille said, bettas are attracted to long flashy fins like those of male guppies. They also mention angelfish. Angelfish are cichlids, related to oscars, jack dempseys, and convicts and can be very territorial when they mature. Rasboras and tetras are great tankmates, as long as you have at least 5 or 6 of each species. Try to stick to smaller tetras like neons or cardinals. White clouds(not the longfinned type) would also be great, especially if the tank is not to be heated. As far as catfish, otocinclus and corydoras would be ideal. Its best to keep corydoras in a group as they are schooling catfish.

Make sure to get new filter media incase the filter is used. Let the tank run for several days before introducing any fish, and if the tank is to be heated, monitor the temperature to ensure its stability before introducing livestock. I would recommend a timer for the aquarium light as the fish depend on a regular day and night cycle.

Read up on the nitrification cycle. Generally speaking, initial success or failure in aquarium keeping depend on ones understanding of it. Beginner FAQ: The Nitrogen Cycle The first month or two is the hardest time to maintain an aquarium because the water is unstable. It will also be important to get the water tested and monitor ammonia, nitrite, nitrate during establishment. Pet shops test water for free, however, the odds of getting bad advice from pet shop employees are much greater than getting an intelligent answer. Ever ask anyone at Home Depot or *gasp* Walmart about their Orchids? Big box pet shops will want to sell you a bunch of snake oil and thats not necessary.

Sean

[camille1585]

Sean, about the nitrification cycle, I prefer to wait for everything to stabilize before putting any fish in it, to be on the safe side. When I got my current tank, I set it up, put the decor and plants in, plugged in the pump, heater and light and waited. I took water samples to the petshop regularily. The first fish went it after 6 weeks, once the tank had cycled and been stable for 2 weeks. I gradually introduced all the fish I wanted over a period of 2 months. No regrets, I did not lose a single fish. And in those 6 weeks the plants had plenty of time to grow, giving more shelter to the new fish once they finally went in.

[SeanJS]

Ohh an aquarium plant grower! What kinda plants? The Aquatic Gardeners Association is always accepting new members! Aquatic Gardeners Association Just went to their convention a few weeks ago in Atlanta. Made out with a buttload of plants!

Id say your method is the exception when it comes to establishing tanks. In my nearly 10 years of selling fish and aquariums, most people just dont have the patience! =(

Sean

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by SeanJS

Ohh an aquarium plant grower! What kinda plants? The Aquatic Gardeners Association is always accepting new members! Aquatic Gardeners Association Just went to their convention a few weeks ago in Atlanta. Made out with a buttload of plants!

Id say your method is the exception when it comes to establishing tanks. In my nearly 10 years of selling fish and aquariums, most people just dont have the patience! =(

Sean

Not quite sure about the exact species since the garden centers I go to (they all have a fish and small pets area) label most by genus only. I have some Anubias and different Cryptocorynes (C. beckettii is one I think I identified). The Anubias flowered under water, which is really cool looking! Right now they are not doing so great, I have a huge algae problem. It's not the light green stuff that also grows on the glass. It's a darkish green algae, only on the plants which is impossible to get rid of. I monitored the phosphate levels in the tank, and it's not that the problem. I think that I may have to tranfer the fish to the smaller tank for a while, and restart the big tank from scratch.

[Discus]

Camille - how's your algae problem? A lot of people swear by using Seachem Flourish to wipe out algae. Google for recommended dosage rates - it's basically an overdose relative to the stated package directions.

Think I might have to do it with mine, as after our 3 week Dec/Jan holiday, the tank hasn't looked quite right

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Discus

Camille - how's your algae problem? A lot of people swear by using Seachem Flourish to wipe out algae. Google for recommended dosage rates - it's basically an overdose relative to the stated package directions.

Think I might have to do it with mine, as after our 3 week Dec/Jan holiday, the tank hasn't looked quite right

I completely restarted the tank a bit over a year ago. We got hold of another 100L tank to put the fish in while we cleaned out the original one and let it go through the nitrate cycle. I put in some fast growing plants (don't remember the name off the top of my head) so that they would outcompete any new algae. And because of our plant destroying clown loach, the only other plants we could put were some java ferns and anubias. Also started using different tubes for lighting, and made sure the shades are pulled on the windoz in the morning to avoid the sun hitting the tank.
It's looking super nice now! I'll see if I have a pic of it on my laptop somewhere.

[Discus]

We have plant-destroying puffers... Perfect little hole-punch holes in leaves, the buggers! So we get the added joy of trying out whatever plants we can get in slightly (but increasingly) brackish conditions. Fun times. Tank was looking fantastic before we put the puffers in!

We have another much smaller tank without salt that we try growing on the odd plant and snails in. Puffers cleaned the main tank of snails in no time at all!