# 29 gallon community -fin issues



## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Ok, I mentioned Petsmart on mixing a Betta and other fish saying forums were wrong. So I have 3 of each- Black Skirt Tetras, Serpe Tetra,Glofish and (2) Black Mollies. I researched the Mollie and Glofish first but not the others. So Petsmart said 3 of each is fine,but they are schooling fish.So when I thought of adding it to 5 each and adding one more mollie,I realized I would be over the "one inch per gallon" rule. All fins are torn now which before I thought was bad water. The water is clear,the tank is about 4/5 years old in all. They are all active and eating. So my fear is they are fighting, if so, do I have to buy another tank so I can make proper schools? I do not have any more room if I had too! I have my 4 Fish tanks with gerbils and a hamster cage taking up all other space! Oh I use the API Master test Kit. I have 3 hidey ornaments with the one being a large "branch style" with holes to go in, fake plants and regular small gravel. Ideas?:-?
Housing 
What size is your tank? *29gallon*
What temperature is your tank? _*78f*_
Does your tank have a filter? y_*es-Top Fin 30*
_ Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? _*Bubble wand*_
Is your tank heated? _*yes*
_ What tank mates does your betta fish live with? _*Not a betta in it see above list:*_

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? *Tetra Flakes/Brine Shrimp Frozen once in a while*
How often do you feed your betta fish? *Almost Daily
* 
Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? *Weekly
* What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? *About 25-30%
* What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? 

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:_*0*_
Nitrite:_*0*_
Nitrate:*10-20ppm*
pH:_*7.6*_
highph _*8.0*_
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? _*FINS TORN*
_ How has your betta fish's behavior changed? _*NO*_
When did you start noticing the symptoms? _*Started about 5 months ago*_ with a *Black Skirt Tetra( well the white one of those who is a loner fish and the worst off)*
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? _*I have used Jungle Clear Fin and Tail Rot a few times and then Melafix*_ *once*
Does your fish have any history of being ill? *No*
How old is your fish (approximately)? _*1 year*_


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Tetras and danios (glofish) are renowned fin nippers so I'm not surprised you are having issues with torn fins. 

Ideally, schooling fish should be kept in groups of at least 5-6 individuals. Any smaller, and it can be quite stressful for them even if it doesn't appear to be the case. I would definitely bump up the number of tetras and danios as three really isn't enough for a good-sized school and may be causing the issue with torn fins.


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks LittleBettaFish, I really feel that would be best as well. But if I add more to the tank, then I will be over stalked - That would be 41 inches of fish for a 29 gallon tank? Hmm, guess I will have to figure this one out. Oh, I forgot to add my Chlorine Remover I do use weakly in my answers.


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Ok, I got 1 more fish for everything but the Mollies! So in a few weeks we will see how that goes,and if I need to bring it up to 5 each. I will be keeping an eye on the water quality, and if need be, transfer some to another tank if it seems to be overcrowded.


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

The i inch per gallon rule isn't entirely accurate.  
Aqadvisor.com is very accurate and says your tank is at 63% stocking level and you can go a bit over 100%. I'd take your betta out of there, give him a 2.5g or a 5g, and add 3 more black skirts, 3 more serpaes, and 3 more glofish.http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?...AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple
Tetras are notorious for fin-nipping.
Good Luck!


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

MaisyDawgThirteen,
Yeah, I guess I'm being over careful! My Betta is not in there with them. He his in a Critter Keeper right now waiting to be put in one of my 10gallons with 4 Julli Catfish.(Im trying to upload a pic to show to get advice for hidey places but it says my kb is to high!) Right now, 
_In the 29 gallon tank I was asking for help in I now have:_
4 Serpae Tetras
4 Blackskirts Tetras
4 Glofish
2 Black Mollies

Thanks for going to the extra trouble and putting in all my fish in the adviser . Also, in your avatar you have a pic of a Teddy Bear (or Syrian-depends what they call them now ) My sons hamster "Kat" actually just died on Sunday, she looked EXACTLY like yours!!! She was about 21/2 -3 years old.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

-totally saving that site- :| I've always asked people about what to go by, since the inch per gallon is bogus.

Here is a good example why the inch per gallon is nonsense: "a five inch goldfish could easily fit in a 5 gallon tank because it's an inch per gallon" :lol:


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Sena Hansler,
Haha that's true!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

yeah, it's hard to find a proper way to calculate, especially when you end up asking around about your tan set up and you get 12 different views.  I think your tan sounds pretty!!! But I agree tetras and danios can be nippy :lol: I've had no problems with 6 danios and a betta... they often played "chicken or go" with him, and always chickened out.


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Thank you! I will post all my tanks on photo Bucket for a short time soon.Now I have my "in progress" 10 gallon Betta and catfish tank there for setup advice! Thats cute about your fish and glad they get along!


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## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

animallover said:


> MaisyDawgThirteen,
> Yeah, I guess I'm being over careful! My Betta is not in there with them. He his in a Critter Keeper right now waiting to be put in one of my 10gallons with 4 Julli Catfish.(Im trying to upload a pic to show to get advice for hidey places but it says my kb is to high!) Right now,
> _In the 29 gallon tank I was asking for help in I now have:_
> 4 Serpae Tetras
> ...


Oh! I get it now.  I'm kinda dopey sometimes. . . So, I'd add 2 more of everything except the mollies. When tetras aren't in a proper school, they can be a bit nippy.

No probs, I use the advisor obsessively!  lol I'm so sorry about your hammie. They are wonderful pets! Mine is about 1 1/2 years old now. He recently had a bit of an accident and had to have both his bottom teeth removed by the vet. It's been a month since that and his teeth are fine now!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

That advisor site.... Told me what I can do with my 29 :lol: I didn't think I could do what I was putting on the advisor :lol:


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

MaisyDawgThirteen,
Oh I have a lot of off days! Ok, so I will take your suggestion and add 1 of each (except the mollies) totaling to 5 for now and see how that goes for a bit. I just did a water change, so I will get more next week! Yea, Love hamsters. Lets see if I remember all my past little ones names: Squirmy-male,Snowflake-Female-Snuggles-Female,S.S. (Striped-slasher after slash from guns and roses,he was a long haired and grey and white stripes-I was 15/16 years old lol).Of course I have had 3 rats,3 rabbits,dogs,cats,hermit crabs,wild outdoor frogs in the past and now gerbils,fish and turtles! Haha I already mentioned this on the other post though


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

..... o.o your name doesn't lie. lol. I only have a guinea and 13 bettas (14 if I find a blue one today...)


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Sena Hansler,
Ahh, I need to look at that site!!! I saw it once and never really thought it was any good to be honest! Good for you! I think I need to get a sig going along with figuring out pics of my pets!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

o.o wait - what site? :lol: Totally a sig with all the animals ('lest you run out of room :lol I'm getting a blue for an experiment... >< okay that sounded cruel and bad. The store here, 3 blue bettas have died so far from the same illness, so getting a blue I will have him in a 10 gallon, heated, and everything documented, in case he has it. it'll be a detailed thing :lol: and a "I know he has a 50/50 chance of getting it, so I'll be a hawk and watch 'em closely!!"


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Sena Hansler,
I was agreeing to that Adviser site you mentioned about your fish that MaisyDawg mentioned! Never mind-I'm tired lol!!! Ahh good luck with your "Blue fish". Poor things the way they are kept at the stores! Could be breeders too! Are all your Bettas in their own tanks or split tanks? OH, community with girls? In all with my gerbils and fish tanks I have 9, well 10 until I put mint with the Jullis, but no one has commented on my new photos of it!!!I'm hoping its good because Im putting him in tomorrow!!! Oh, I had to keep shorting my sig ,too many characters lol!!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Yeah I like the site.. although it doesn't have certain tanks so I had to enter in my dimensions lol!!! Well, it isn't that the blue bettas are kept bad (actually all the bettas are), but it's that the breeder (accidentally) bred a defective gene (as I call it), and I'd like to do research on it. It involves nights, a camera, tons of GB, and a blue betta :lol:

I have each betta to their own tank (1.5 for Sarah, as she is in quarantine with extensive care), and a sorority of 4 in the 29.


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Ok, I see !! Hmmm, in the very,very distant future maybe I will have a sorority too!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

:lol: it's hard work! x.x And since my girls got massive somehow (I didn't feed them anything different! I swear!) I no longer can add Sarah or Suzi when they are healed because I'm afraid they'll be murdered x.x


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## animallover (Dec 10, 2011)

Ahhh, poor Sarah and Suzi!!!! Hehe, maybe they got a hold of some magic growth bean!!!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

:lol: yeah I blamed my boyfriend for giving them steroids xDD He hasn't denied it. :lol: Well Sarah is growing pretty fast, and Suzi is slow growing. We'll see in the end :lol: maybe I'll get a few other small girls, and add them together in on of the 20 gallons.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I know how you feel, Sena - I added tiny little Circe into my sorority of giants last month and I was so worried! But she's fitting in just fine, even though she's half the size of the other girls.


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