# CPD and Betta tank set-up? Pics?



## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Okay in the end I decided on Celestial Pearl Danios. (I was just more excited about them than any other micros even though rasboras may have been a safer bet.) I have a five gallon ready in case it doesn't work out with my beloved betta Trinity. I would like to hear from people who have done this and would like to see pics of their setup. I know it needs to be quite heavily planted.

I have quite a few plants but I will soon be adding java moss to cover the bottom and a few more tall plants. I want to diffuse the situation as much as possible. I have two pieces of driftwood, one rock, and one tiki man. I will probably shift around the driftwood and rocks to create more hiding places. How many hide-y holes do they need? Are there particular plants that will the fish will prefer?

Please and thank you!!!


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Oh I forgot to add. I have tannin stained water due to the Indian Almond Leaves. I do not wish to remove the leaves as my betta likes them but are they a problem for the danios? If so I can just filter the tannins out I guess...


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

The set up is fine, I'm more worried about the temperament of the Betta. These are incredible small fish who go down the throat easy if you know what I mean. That an the temperature requirements, Danios prefer colder water than Bettas like to stay at. Tannins won't be an issue but these fish are extremely timid as well and may not come out with a larger fish around. If you want to fully enjoy their presence I suggest have a species only tank with them in this tank ^_^


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

You may very well be right  I have a 5.5 gallon handy for my betta just in case. Isn't 78 degrees okay for both parties?


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

I'm going to work on the tank with the Java Moss and will update with pictures soon as well as how the relationship goes in case anyone is interested.  Trinity is a pretty small betta actually. I hope he's up for having room mates. If not, it's okay. It'll be my third betta only tank. LOL


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Okay here's a new pic. I made two little caves and I also have my Betta's little tiki man. All that's missing is the Java Moss and then of course the CPD  Which will all be here soon..


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Sorry about the pink shirt...lol. Doesn't Trinity look beautiful? He actually changes color from red to blue to green to black. If you'll believe it; he's a magickal betta.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeah, that's pretty normal for most Bettas ^_^ Tank looks good! I will suggest that when you get the CPD's that you take your boy out and rearrange the tank a little bit, this way he'll have no territory to defend and will be less likely to hunt the CPD's if they get into his territory and being that it is a smaller tank, it will be easier for him to hunt them lol. So take him out, acclimate the CPD's very well; they are a sensative fishy and then add them after an hour or so and then you can add your Betta back in after they are a little more settled.


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Good idea. I guess I can switch all the caves around. Thank you. I'll post here how it goes.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

IMO, your tank is too open and gives Trinity too many straight shots when chasing. More floating plants like Anacharis, Cabomba or soft Hornwort would help. I have a 20 long with a Betta and Nano/Micro fish (most of which are under 1"); the smaller guys hang out in the floating stuff but are also comfortable swimming in the open water.

In addition to stem plants and Anubias, my tank has Subwassertang (floating and tied to Cholla), floating Java moss and the above mentioned three.

Lovely tank; I'm sure Trinity thinks he's in Betta heaven!


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

I bought some java moss but it hasn't arrived yet.Can all java moss be used as a floating plant or is there a specific type?

If not I can probably just tie it to some driftwood and let it float up a bit? Could just let it float at the top?

You are right. There is too much empty space at the top. I will look for some floating plants too. I was sold one that turned brown quickly. Probably not a legit floater or maybe I didn't have enough minerals at the time.

Thank you.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yeha, any moss can float. I half the time just let my java moss be and it just grows, not much like a weed but just nicely. You could still tie some of it down and let the rest float ^_^


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Great! I should be getting it soon so I should be all set. Thanks everyone. I will post updated pictures here and whether or not it works out in case anyone wants to know more about bettas with CPDS. :shock:


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Well so far it has been a success. The Danios come out frequently and are no longer intimidated by the betta. My betta mostly keeps to himself and they are usually on the opposite side or level of him. When they cross each other he will very seldom go after them. When he does it's just a "get out of my face" thing rather than an actual hunt. There is absolutely no stalking.

Even so, they easily outrun him and he is quite diminutive. (He even has to eat micro-pellets.) He is quite peaceful but it's probably better for him that he isn't a total pushover. I don't want any nipping going on.

If anything else happens I will post here. I'll be adding some dwarf lettuce to the top. The java-moss is working quite well there but I need to fill it out a bit more on the upper level.

Thanks everyone for your help!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Fantastic! Tank looks great!

Yeah, helps when your Betta is pretty passive too, I can't say that for most of mine lol.


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Thank you! This is my last post. Just wanted everyone to know it's all totally smooth. To sum it up these are the factors that have helped.

15gallon(more like 12.5gallon though) 
Only 7 CPDs (4female and 3 male)
Very heavily planted (jungle setting)
Power filter has an adjustable follow rate (on lowest setting)
Betta is passive and quite diminutive (eats tiny micro pellets)
CPDs are from a trusted breeder (not shy, active, and healthy)
Betta has a little house and CPDs have several caves
Even the top has floating plants
Temp is at 78 degrees
CPDs were slowly acclimated and betta was removed
Tank was switched around before adding Betta with lights off
Lights were kept off for two hours and fish were supervised

Well there you have it. Depending on your betta galaxies/celestial pearl Danios are a great companion for the betta community tank. They stay out of the bettas way, won't nip him, are more peaceful and calm than other Danios (more like rasboras), and yet are fast enough to get away. I find them to be much more compatible than cardinal tetras. This is just my experience of course and hope it helps!


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

A few pics of the lovely Danios and betta. Make sure to get adults. They are much smaller than you'd imagine.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Very, very nice.

Do you have room to add some Pygmy Cories. ;-)


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

I wish! I don't want to stress my betta too much though and I don't really want to push the bio-load. I'm no expert yet. Maybe in the future as the CPDs are supposed to outlive the betta. If I don't just replace the betta that is.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You shouldn't have a problem with the Pygmy Cories. They're peaceful mid-to-bottom tank dwellers. They also have very small bioloads and would clean up excess food. I only suggested them because you might want another fish if your Betta does well with the CPD and the Pygmy personality would fit into your aquarium.

This is a handy site for general idea of your stocking level. The site is pretty conservative.

www.aqadvisor.com


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Thank you for your suggestion. I will indeed consider the corys as my betta has become even more accustomed to the change as time has passed. The CPDs will be right in front if his nose and he no longer goes after them. I think he already established his need for personal space and since they have understood him they live in peace. They do stay out of his way so he leaves them be as well. Indeed he is a good community candidate. I may try introducing the Cory's after checking with aqadvisor. I used the site in the past but I believe it was down recently. I am sure they are full of personality and their barbels are just too cute. 

Update: Their site is still down. Transfers to adware site for some reason. Hope they fix it soon.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I used 85 gallons per hour on the filter. With a Betta, 7 CPDs and 7 Pygmy Cories:

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is *603%*.
Recommended water change schedule: *18%* per week.
*Your aquarium stocking level is 59%*. 


http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor....AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Actually my husband grew bored of his 29gallon tall and I'm thinking of putting the Corydoras in there.

I was thinking
1 betta
7 endlers
15 CPDS
10 c.hastatus

Without aqadvisor I am blind so I don't know if it'd be overkill. The filter is a Fluval C4. This would be my fourth tank with a betta in it and I only have four. Two solitary 5g, the 15g community, and this 29gallon.

What do you think? I find all those fish to be pretty hardy and they should be at ease in a 29gallon jungle setting. I would probably start with the Endlers, then add CPDS, then corys, and finally the peaceful betta from my 5gallon or a new one. Whichever adjusts best.:-D


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

That may be a gross exagerration if I were to consider the inch per gallon rule being as the tank is more like 25gallons when measured. (Aqueon 29gallon tall)
1 betta
7 endlers (male)
7 CPDS
8 C. Hastatus

Would be far more conservative


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

The old 1" rule was thrown out long ago. That rule was the norm before improvements in filtration and knowledge of the impact of water parameters were known. According to AqAdvisor your 15 gallon is only 59% stocked with more than 15" of fish. So dream!

I had pureline male Endlers with my Bettas and found them to be nippy. The Tuxedo Endler/Guppy hybrids I bought from a friend in VA aren't as bad. Dwarf Panda Guppies (again, I only have males) don't seem to be nippy, either. They are quite small; smaller than the Endlers.

If you online-buy, I can highly recommend this person. Just received an order of more Pygmy Cories, Ember Tetras and some other new residents of the 20 long.

Current Stock list | Invertebrates by Msjinkzd


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## alba88jo (Apr 22, 2014)

Yikes. Thank you for the info. I will spare my betta from the Endlers. It may be my first non betta tank I guess.

Thanks again and have a good evening.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

If you don't mind culturing live food, you'd love Dario Dario (Scarlet Badis) or Dario hysginon. Mine hang out in the Cholla, Java moss and Subwassertang which I deliberately placed at the front of the tank so I can watch them.


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