# 2.5 gallon tank mate



## MotherofDragons (Jul 8, 2014)

Hey guys! This is my first betta fish, and I think I'm doing it right... His name is Rhaegal (hence the username, my slightly unhealthy game of thrones addiction) and I've had him now for three days. He is in a two and a half gallon tank, with one pretty large cave/ornament, and a stringy fake plant. He seems pretty happy and blew his first bubble nest today (what a nice surprise to wake up to!). He doesn't seem very aggressive, if anything a bit shy, he backs away from my finger. 
Anyways my real question is would it be over kill to introduce a single nerite snail to the tank? I'm first actually waiting for a small heater to come in, but after that, should I consider it? I'm worried that my tank isn't growing algae though. I don't really want to go with a shrimp because he seems to enjoy swimming at all levels and I don't really have enough cover for a shrimp.


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ya you can get a nerite. Also whisker shrimp go fine with bettas.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MotherofDragons (Jul 8, 2014)

tankman12 said:


> Ya you can get a nerite. Also whisker shrimp go fine with bettas.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thanks. I should go with supplementing a algae wafer food, yes? I don't see any green algae growing. I have a water test kit and heater on order right now.


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ya algae wafers work. But cucumber works better. Its healthier for it. But either work.
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## Tpatrdh (Jul 8, 2014)

Lol I have the same setup 2.5 gal with betta and just yestrday made a thread asking about a nerite lol also do u have a filter in urs?


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## MotherofDragons (Jul 8, 2014)

Tpatrdh said:


> Lol I have the same setup 2.5 gal with betta and just yestrday made a thread asking about a nerite lol also do u have a filter in urs?


No I don't really have room for a filter, so I've planned a 25% water change on Thursdays, a 50% on Mondays, and a approx. 80-90% every other week. I think that'll give me enough water changes without shocking the system.


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Ya that will work.
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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Nerites are generally hard to keep alive if you don't have a good supply of algae to feed them. It's better if they're in a planted tank because they'll also feed off the dead plant matter but will be alright in a non-planted tank. They are very picky about the foods they will eat, most of the time they will only eat algae and not wafers or even cucumbers, but keep trying if you really want to keep them.

Also, make sure you have harder water if you want to keep them or buffer the water with cuttlefish bone or crushed coral, the snails need harder water to live happily and keep their shells nice. Calcium will also be appreciated, you can make snail jello but again, Nerites are very picky about what they will eat.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Nerites have suddenly become "the snail to have." However, as Lil said, Nerites are very picky eaters. If you don't have natural algae readily available they will most likely starve to death. And with that many water changes it's doubtful you'd have enough algae to feed them. Mine skate right over algae wafers and cucumbers are iffy at best so I wouldn't even go to the expense.

What you can do is put some rocks in water and set on a window sill to grow algae. Alternate rocks in and out of your aquarium to feed the Nerite.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

+1 to Russell!


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## MotherofDragons (Jul 8, 2014)

Is there a different snail that is less picky? Nerites seemed good because I'm worried that if I get something that's capable of breeding asexually in freshwater that I'll overcrowd my tank and have no where to put them. Is there an easy to keep tank plant that I could replace my fake plant with? In the future I'd like to upgrade to a 10 gallon that I could keep a betta and a school of tetras, and maybe a few shrimp, but that won't be for a few years after I move into an apartment. For now, this 2.5 will probably be it until after freshmen year of college. I do like it though as enough room for my betta to be pretty happy.


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

Mystery snails. Some java ferns and anubis, tie them to driftwood or a rock. Also some dwarf water lettuce. There is also water sprite. All these plants are pretty impossible to kill.
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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Nerites don't reproduce in freshwater. All you will occasionally get are tiny white eggs which eventually dissolve. If you put the rocks in a container on the window sill you should have plenty of algae. Actually, you could do that now to see if it works for you.

The other small snail is an Assassin snail. They do reproduce but only one at a time. I imagine your LFS would be happy to have them if you felt there were too many. They eat just about anything but I do target feed mine a frozen bloodworm a couple of times a week when I feed them to the other fish. They also eat any snails that might come in on plants; plus, IMO, they are very pretty.

Tankman12 gives good advice in the plants he named. Anubias is a good starter plant and is slow growing so what you buy is pretty much how it will stay for a while. Just get a small bottle of Seachem Flourish since anything not rooted feeds from the water column. Fertilize twice a week and you should be good to go.


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## MotherofDragons (Jul 8, 2014)

An assassin snail might be a good choice because I could pretty easily target feed if I need to. I think I'll try to introduce an Anubis plant and some algae with my water change on Monday. Then the snail the next day. I want to be really cautious not to shock the aquarium system at all, while I pick that up I'll pick up my water tests as well. I might remove the fake plant then, it may take up too much in addition to a piece of driftwood and plants. I actually have some driftwood and rock lying around, should I use that after it's well rinsed or pick some up at the store?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Are the driftwood and rocks what you want to grow the algae on? If so, I'd bring the driftwood to a boil; boil for five minutes and let cool. Rinse the rocks with hot water if you know they're aquarium safe.


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## Flint (Oct 22, 2013)

Tankman, mystery snails get much too large for a 2.5 gallon.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Actually, a single Mystery could do fine in a 2.5 if given the proper care is all. I had one in my 3 gallon, it was planted of course but she was still a happy little bugger!


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## Tony2632 (Aug 30, 2013)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Nerites have suddenly become "the snail to have." However, as Lil said, Nerites are very picky eaters. If you don't have natural algae readily available they will most likely starve to death. And with that many water changes it's doubtful you'd have enough algae to feed them. Mine skate right over algae wafers and cucumbers are iffy at best so I wouldn't even go to the expense.
> 
> What you can do is put some rocks in water and set on a window sill to grow algae. Alternate rocks in and out of your aquarium to feed the Nerite.


Very smart idea.


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## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

lilnaugrim said:


> Actually, a single Mystery could do fine in a 2.5 if given the proper care is all. I had one in my 3 gallon, it was planted of course but she was still a happy little bugger!


Agreed...IMO, mysteries are great for small tanks. They have a lot of presence in a tank, and they're fun to watch.  I have one in my 2.5 and one in my 3 gallon. I also have a nerite in my 3 gallon. Both tanks are heavily planted, and have plenty of algae for the snails to munch on. I have heard that mysteries produce a lot of waste, but I honestly haven't noticed much difference - again, though, my tanks are heavily planted and filtered. I assume you would need to keep a much closer eye on the water quality if you had an unfiltered/non-planted tank. 

I've seen mine eating algae, uneaten food, and old plant leaves. Mine also seem to like eating duckweed. If you can get your hands on some duckweed, that's a really easy floating plant to keep as well.


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## MotherofDragons (Jul 8, 2014)

How should I go about planting my tank? I've never had live plants in a tank before. Should I go ahead and get an extra small .6 or 1 gallon tank to be able to do any work that needs to be done without Rhaegal in there? Did my first water change this morning with a diy siphon and it worked really well. He seems super happy and rebuilt his bubblenest and nibbled on my finger for the first time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EvaJupiterSkies (Oct 25, 2013)

As someone who has the nerite/betta combo in a 2.5... I love my snail to death, but I'm not sure I would do it over again. Sherlock's tank is the hardest to keep clean of my three. Cassini does an excellent job with algae, but the algae/poop tradeoff is not something I'm planning on replicating with this particular tank size. I have a scrub brush from Petsmart that when I do 90% WCs, I take to my tanks for algae cleaning.

Planted (as in, copious amounts of java moss, I have a black thumb)/non-filtered tank for reference. 

That being said, they're still charming critters. It's just something to think about.


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