# Compatible Tank mates.



## mardi (Nov 22, 2011)

So, my new tank is finally cycling, which has caused me to think about adding a little companion for Bowie. 

I've been doing a lot of reseach, and it's kind of been blowing my mind. I'm figuring a snail would probably be the best bet, but just in case anyone has any other suggestions:

-I have a 5.5 gallon tank, which stays heated between 80-82 degrees (depending on if I have the tank light on).
-I don't have any plants in the tank, yet, but a nice pagoda home for Bowie, which seems to have produced a bit of algae. 
-I keep my tank clean, and although I usually take Bowie out when doing water changes, I want something tough that I would be able to leave in and not have to worry about taking out whenever I do a change.

I primarily want something to eat the waste that Bowie leaves behind when eating and keep the tank clean from algae.

I'm already planning to add a plant or two, but I'm mostly concerned about finding something that will survive in the tank with the conditions the way they are now. 

Does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking about Ghost Shimp, but has anyone kept them in the temperature I have the tank at now?


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## Fasht (Oct 26, 2011)

I have kept ghost shrimps in that temperature but the problem lies whether they end up being a tank mate or snack for your betta


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## mardi (Nov 22, 2011)

Yeah, I've read that eating the shrimp could be a problem. However, Bowie seems chill enough that I'd be willing to risk it with a few and see how it goes.



Fasht said:


> I have kept ghost shrimps in that temperature but the problem lies whether they end up being a tank mate or snack for your betta


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## JahBetta (Nov 5, 2011)

Shrimp; they are interesting, look nice, enjoy plants just like a Betta and can sometimes be the most interesting part of the tank. If he DOES eat them adults, or fry, well, that's just how the species works. In the wild Betta typically come across invertebrates, and shrimp, so he should enjoy them if they turn out to be a snack. I am starting a RCS colony in my Betta tank; hopefully he will keep the fry under control, and a plus to that would be a more nutritional (live diet), balanced eating schedule for him.


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## Nu2Fish (Dec 1, 2011)

*Questions about a new tank*

Hi all. I have two female Bettas, Perriwinkle and Penelope. Right now, they are kept separately, each in a one gallon fish bowl. I am getting a 10-gallon tank with a heater tomorrow. I want to put them together, along with three Platies and a few Neon Tetras. Does this sound like a good combination as far as compatability? Also, I read about "cycling" and am not sure I completely understand it. I get the thing about building up good bacteria on the biological filter, but from what I read, I am hesitant to put the Betta and other fish into the new tank right away. What do I need to do for "cycling" and how soon can I add other fish in with the Bettas to ensure they thrive? One last question, what is a good substrate for the fish? I currently have colored rocks, but I read these can hurt the Bettas if they scrape against them going for food that floats to the bottom.

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

Jill


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

Nu2Fish said:


> Hi all. I have two female Bettas, Perriwinkle and Penelope. Right now, they are kept separately, each in a one gallon fish bowl. I am getting a 10-gallon tank with a heater tomorrow. I want to put them together, along with three Platies and a few Neon Tetras. Does this sound like a good combination as far as compatability? Also, I read about "cycling" and am not sure I completely understand it. I get the thing about building up good bacteria on the biological filter, but from what I read, I am hesitant to put the Betta and other fish into the new tank right away. What do I need to do for "cycling" and how soon can I add other fish in with the Bettas to ensure they thrive? One last question, what is a good substrate for the fish? I currently have colored rocks, but I read these can hurt the Bettas if they scrape against them going for food that floats to the bottom.
> 
> Thanks for any advice you can give me!
> 
> Jill




Females must be kept in groups of 3 or more, 4 or 5 being the better number. If there is only two, the dominant one will end up picking on the weaker girl until she kills her.

Your stocking is a bit much, neon tetras like to school so getting five would be best for them. Those along with the platies will pretty much fill you up stocking wise without your girls added in too.


I cant really explain the cycling, Im pretty terrible at explaining it, sorry!

As a note though, when adding non-betta fish to your tank, its best to add them before you add your bettas. Anything added after the bettas are seen as invading the bettas territory and will be seen as enemies.


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## Nu2Fish (Dec 1, 2011)

Thanks EmeraldSky! I will get two more female Bettas and hold off on the Tetras. I got the new tank and put the Bettas in, but I added the four little Platies just afterward. They all seem to be getting along and enjoying the swimming space. I keep watching Perriwinkle because she is definitely the Alpha of the two Bettas. So far, she is behaving. 

What substrate should I put in there instead of those little colored rocks? Any ideas?


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## irbyma7297 (Nov 23, 2011)

i had a betta name tigerlily when i was 12, and i bought river rocks at the dollar store, and he never tore his fins.


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## emeraldsky (Oct 4, 2011)

Nu2Fish said:


> Thanks EmeraldSky! I will get two more female Bettas and hold off on the Tetras. I got the new tank and put the Bettas in, but I added the four little Platies just afterward. They all seem to be getting along and enjoying the swimming space. I keep watching Perriwinkle because she is definitely the Alpha of the two Bettas. So far, she is behaving.
> 
> What substrate should I put in there instead of those little colored rocks? Any ideas?


I would take one out, females bettas are a bit wonky, they can behave totally fine then snap one day and kill the other girl. Ive had my sorority established for almost 2 months and just lost a girl yesterday because they decided they didnt like her anymore.

Definitely read up on sororities since thats what youre planning on doing, you need a TON of hiding places and specific ways to introduce your girls to the tank.



For your platies, do you know your male to female ratio? They work better if they are in 1 male for every two females. Its all good if you got 1 male and 3 females, but if you have more than one male, then the females may be harassed by them for breeding.



Ive been using play sand, its super easy to clean and you can get a 50lb bag at store like home depot or lowes for 5$

MUCH cheaper than pet stores X)


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Female bettas are moody :lol: I have 4, and when we moved Marge got her dorsal fin torn so bad from her sister Tina. And they get along so well usually! You'd need lots of hidey holes, tons of plants to cover the bottom, middle and top section of the water.

As for the rest of the questions, agreed with everyone else's responses.


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## Nu2Fish (Dec 1, 2011)

*Perriwinkle died*

I just lost one of my Bettas, Perriwinkle. It looked like she was injured on her backside. I had segregated her when I saw she was gimpy, but she died tonight. The other fish seem to be doing okay...three Platies and one Betta, Penelope.

I think the probelm is that the fish I get are from WalMart. I work there and see the terrible conditions the fish are kept in. We just got someone in who now cleans the tanks and helps to take care of them, but it is a bit too late.

We have lost all the Green-Spotted Puffers (they got sucked into the filtration system and died), most of our Plecos, alot of our Goldfish and most of our small Black Moors have the Ich so bad the meds aren't helping them.

I think when I intriduced the Platies to the tank, it gave something to the Bettas.

I think I will never buy another fish from WalMart. I've even had customers complian that the fish they buy from us are sick and die within days.

quote=emeraldsky;909835]I would take one out, females bettas are a bit wonky, they can behave totally fine then snap one day and kill the other girl. Ive had my sorority established for almost 2 months and just lost a girl yesterday because they decided they didnt like her anymore.

Definitely read up on sororities since thats what youre planning on doing, you need a TON of hiding places and specific ways to introduce your girls to the tank.



For your platies, do you know your male to female ratio? They work better if they are in 1 male for every two females. Its all good if you got 1 male and 3 females, but if you have more than one male, then the females may be harassed by them for breeding.



Ive been using play sand, its super easy to clean and you can get a 50lb bag at store like home depot or lowes for 5$

MUCH cheaper than pet stores X)[/quote]


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I've moved my females. I put the two sisters together and the other two sisters together, just for the short 5-10 minute drive. But the closest sisters, Marge and Tina had a scaff and Marge now has a wonky dorsal fin x.x lol just shows doesn't matter if they get along they can always have a problem depending on environment, territory, stress factors, etc


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## Nu2Fish (Dec 1, 2011)

My bettas died. Perriwinkle went first, then two Platies, then two other Platies, then my last Betta Penelope, died today. They were WalMart fish and the WalMart in Sheridan, AR doesn't keep their fish well, so it's not surprising all my fish died.

My Bettas seemed to do well in small 1 gallon fish bowls, but I couldn't keep them heated to the right temperature, so I moved them to a 10 gallon tank with a heater. The pH was at 8, but I added a neutralizer fizz tablet to balance the pH and that still didn't seem to balance the pH.

I do not think I will get any more Bettas.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

well, I never bothered with messing up the PH. I do suggest, if you ever get a betta get one from a reliable person... people on here have healthy bettas, and depending on your area you can buy or get one shipped. I personally adopt out rescue bettas who are from the pet store or people who do not want them and would rather flush them. And all my rescues have always been extremely healthy when given to new homes. 

I also would avoid walmart and such places. They do not have experienced people. if the store here ever had a fish section again, I personally would see to it that people like me, and my manager would be in that area because we know what we are doing. I've also found, Platies and Mollies are super prone to diseases, which can attack bettas.

If you ever give bettas (one of the users on here might be able to get you a healthy one if you are willing to pay a bit more than a walmart price) another try, PH can be lowered with driftwood, and raised with certain rocks. natural way is safer 

and I am very sorry your fish died.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Nu2Fish said:


> My bettas died. Perriwinkle went first, then two Platies, then two other Platies, then my last Betta Penelope, died today. They were WalMart fish and the WalMart in Sheridan, AR doesn't keep their fish well, so it's not surprising all my fish died.
> 
> My Bettas seemed to do well in small 1 gallon fish bowls, but I couldn't keep them heated to the right temperature, so I moved them to a 10 gallon tank with a heater. The pH was at 8, but I added a neutralizer fizz tablet to balance the pH and that still didn't seem to balance the pH.
> 
> I do not think I will get any more Bettas.


Was the ten gallon cycled before any livestock was added to it? It could have been ammonia or nitrite poisoning that caused your fish to die. You only need trace amounts present, particularly at such a high pH to cause death or serious health problems. 

Like Sena said, you can bring the pH down with the addition of things such as dried Indian Almond Leaves or natural wood. 

However, the best buffering product I have found is Seachem Neutral Regulator. It _maintains_ a steady pH of 7.0 by adjusting the KH of your water. I use it on my tanks and my bettas are thriving. 

The main thing you want to avoid is pH fluctuations. They can cause all sorts of problems, and this is why a lot of people tend not to recommend using chemicals to adjust it. Bettas and most other fish can adjust to a less than ideal pH as long as it is stable.


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

One problem that seems to be over looked is s/he had only 2 bettas which means one probably bullied the other a bit and caused the wound, not sure about the others though.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Yeah I think the low number caused damage to one girl - and possible death. Then, decay and ammonia build up (depends on cycle and when fish were added together or apart) could have gotten the platys which then decay causes a huge poisonous amount of ammonia. Even a 10-15 minute span causes a lot of ammonia


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