# what should you put in first, the betta or the tankmates?



## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi, I would like some help as I'm a newbie to owning a betta fish. I would like to have a community tank with a betta fish.

I have brought a 48 litre aquarium with 6 plants and in the next week I can add some fish to it and I would like to know, do you add the betta fish first or do you put the other fish.

I was told by the shop that I can have tetras, mollies and plecto(sucker fish). I like to know which fish to buy first to start the aquarium off.

thanks 

shellbelle1982


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum.....

This would be a little over 12gal tank...correct.....the pleco would not be a good choice due to even the smallest would get too big and so would the mollies...the smallest tank for both would be 20gal or 75 liter tank...unless it was a common pleco then you would need at least 250g or bigger since they get about 2ft...

Lots of tetra species that could work that stay under 2in when grown- provided that you got enough for a proper school to start.

When stocking it is important to stock based on their full grown or adult size not the size you buy them...after all the plan is long term keeping....lol....you also have to stock based on their social needs, territory, chemistry, temp etc......

How do you plan to establish the nitrogen cycle...fishless or fish-in....since you plan on live plants you can safely cycle with the fish provided that you are willing and able to make the needed water changes

With a new setup-I would add the school of tetras first and you can use this as your QT too....wait 3 weeks and add the Betta if all is well with the Tetras...*remember the 3 week QT time starts over if the fish gets sick......
I would also go ahead and get the Betta but keep him in a separate container or QT so you can safely add him once QT time has passed.....

Look forward to pics....


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## bamsuddenimpact (Jan 25, 2011)

also, make sure ur tetras are not tail biters, some tend to get nippy.. not a good mix with bettas


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Never trust a pet shop employees advice, most don't know what they are talking about.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

Thank you for the advice. It seems that the guy in the shop just wanted to get the money without really thinking about the needs of my aquarium.

I have been doing this aquarium starter kit that came with the aquarium which says to get the fish in 7 days and putting fresh start on day one, plants in day two and filter start every other day. so I don't know how the nitrogen cycle is coming about. But I was going to do the water changes anyway.

i know tetras have been mention, is there anything else colorful that could go into the aquarium? just for a rough idea?

thanks again and I will put pics up when it's ready

shellbelle1982


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

What is fresh start?


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

It's a water conditioner to get rid of the chemicals, chlorine and metals in tap water. it came with the tank start up kit from interpet.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

What is filter start? lol


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

LOL I never knew all this stuff either before I wanted to start my own tank. Filter start is a bacteria culture, which helps rapidly start up the waste breakdown process in the filter. (copied what was on the bottle lol)

Now I just noticed that I have little snails in my tank, I checked the plants before I put them in and found 1 snail and took him away but it looks like these little ones hid from me. Got them out of the tank and hoping that there isn't anymore.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

48 liters is equal to 14 gallons. I guess no pleco for you. I would not mind suggesting bristlenose pleco but a 14g is inadequate for one. They are best kept in tanks 20 gallons or more.

If you can find balloon mollies, those work absolutely fine. No guppies please in case you are tempted into those. The male guppies tend to be viewed by bettas and gouramis alike as rivals and beat them to death.

If you like tetras, try glowlight, neons, green neons, lemons, beacons or kerris. The only drawback with kerris is they're absolute pigs.:mrgreen: You need to make sure your betta is getting his share of foods. My kerris would eat foods equal to their body weight.:demented:


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

shellbelle1982 said:


> LOL I never knew all this stuff either before I wanted to start my own tank. Filter start is a bacteria culture, which helps rapidly start up the waste breakdown process in the filter. (copied what was on the bottle lol)
> 
> Now I just noticed that I have little snails in my tank, I checked the plants before I put them in and found 1 snail and took him away but it looks like these little ones hid from me. Got them out of the tank and hoping that there isn't anymore.


Okay well unless you have an ammonia source it will die, if it hasn't already. Most bottled bacteria is just a waste of money. I have cycled 5 tanks, and in my experience bottled bacteria made no difference whatsoever.


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

Platy are great community fish. I haven't housed a platy with a male betta but I have I have lots in my community tank with the female sorority. I love my platy almost as much as my bettas  They are spunky little things


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## bettafreak33 (Jan 30, 2011)

Lupin said:


> 48 liters is equal to 14 gallons. I guess no pleco for you. I would not mind suggesting bristlenose pleco but a 14g is inadequate for one. They are best kept in tanks 20 gallons or more.
> 
> If you can find balloon mollies, those work absolutely fine. No guppies please in case you are tempted into those. The male guppies tend to be viewed by bettas and gouramis alike as rivals and beat them to death.
> 
> If you like tetras, try glowlight, neons, green neons, lemons, beacons or kerris. The only drawback with kerris is they're absolute pigs.:mrgreen: You need to make sure your betta is getting his share of foods. My kerris would eat foods equal to their body weight.:demented:


 Ballon mollies are VERY,VERY agressive trust me.I ended up taking mine back to the petstore where I got mine because he would bite one of my sailfin mollies tail and not let go:shock:Tetras seem like a good idea though


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

turtle 10:- Ah, well it's a good thing that it came free with the aquarium, I was just following the leaflet. I had to test the ph today and it was 7.5 but i'm sure I read somewhere that betta's like 6.5 to 7ph.

Lupin:- I read that guppies were a bad idea and was not interested in them but thanks for the idea's of the balloon mollies, but betta freak story has scared me off of thoses. And thanks for the tip on the tetra's, I like the sound of that.

Chlesea:- thanks for the idea of platys, never thought of them, I'll look them up as well.

bettafreak33:- thanks for the tip of the mollies and the tetras.

I hoping I can get some fish on tuesday as that is day 7 and the booklet sayd that that's the right time to get some as long as the water test comes clear. Crossed fingers!


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Bettas will adjust to basically any ph. Mine is 7.8-8 here and all my fish are fine. It is best to keep a constant ph that is on the higher side than to add chemicals to adjust it, so you don't need to buy any ph changing drops 


By the way don't go by the booklet, there is no real reason to wait until day 7 lol. The water test should be clear now because you have clean fresh water (unless you put in the bacteria stuff). There is no way you can cycle a tank in 7 days.


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

No problem 

The only thing with platy is if you get a community of them, they will most likely breed. Now if you don't want any platy fry, your betta will probably eat them, so don't worry  
I think I have at least three preggos in my tank.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

thanks tutle 10, would U suggest waiting or getting the fish in the next 24 hours? The bacteria stuff was last put in yesterday, should of came on here yesterday lol.

chelsea:- i was think of a all guy tank but I can't tell the difference from the boys to the girl in fish, well only the betta's. But if my betta will get rid of babies then that's fine. it can be a protein treat for him lol.

my tank looks great, really happy with it. i'm going to ask what is everyones preffered betta tails as I can't decide on which I would like. It's between a veil and crown. And will have more than one color


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

I would say just empty all the water out and start over and get your betta when you want (even today!). The bacteria stuff is completely useless if you put it in the tank with no ammonia source, so just throw it away. 

NEVER EVER EVER have an all male betta tank, it would be World War 3!

If your fish have babies, don't count on the betta to eat them. Depending on his/her nature he could either eat them and chase them or leave them alone. Either way, you will most likely have survivors which could eventually over crowd your tank.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

Ok, I'll start over again. And I'll get my fish tomorrow. And ok with the non male tank, can't tell anyway what sex it what in the fish world lol knowing my luck I would get both sexes anyway.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

Well I went to the LPs and the betta's were out of stock! The next delivery is next tuesday so instead to start the nitigen cycle off I got some platys.

fred and George:- Orange platys
James and yoshi (little nephew named the last one) Blue platys

And they look happy in their new home


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## ChelseaK (Oct 23, 2010)

Did they tell you if they were male or female platy? My LFS told me that you should have more females than males to spread out aggression (even though they are generally playful fish)


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

No, they did not, each pair has a smallier fish but that could mean anything and I really couldn't tell if they are male or female lol

I just gave three boys names becuz I like the names and my nephew is called James


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## Ariel1719 (Mar 29, 2009)

Hi! Sorry dont mean to hijack your thread, but which does come first.. The betta or the other fish in the tank? Lol


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

The other fish.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

That's ok to hijacking the thread, at least you got your question answered.

I seem to have a food aggressive platy, he nips everyone else at food time, I wondering will be this be a problem for my betta when I get him?

but other than that everything fine and dandy lol


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

shellbelle1982 said:


> That's ok to hijacking the thread, at least you got your question answered.
> 
> I seem to have a food aggressive platy, he nips everyone else at food time, I wondering will be this be a problem for my betta when I get him?
> 
> but other than that everything fine and dandy lol


Maybe… with the betta's long and colorful fins he may be a more obvious target to the platy than the other fish at feeding time.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

I think I know why my fish was nippy, I got the shock of my life when I got up, there was a little fry staring back at me, my fish had babies!!!! Now the nipper is not nipping as much as it has done around food time.

How many babies does a platy have? because I only saw 2 and I'm sure there would be more than that unless the other 3 ate them or my filter sucked them in.


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## BlackberryBetta (Feb 6, 2011)

What I was told to do (and am doing right now) is put a betta in the tank and let it go to the bathroom and stuff and that helps with the cycle. Then add your tankmates like a few weeks later. Later on today I am going to get my water tested so see if I am ready for my tetras. It is working out perfectly for me, no problems so far. Is this method bad? It really doesn't matter because there is no going back for me...


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

I just got a few questions.

I have been testing the tank for the nitrite for the past week, every other day as I have been told by someone becuase you need it to be 0ppm before you can put more fish in and that this should take only 11 days.

Like I said i've been doing this for a week and the level is still in the high range of my master tester kit (5.0ppm)

I'm just wondering is this wrong or it is just that the bacteria just takes a very long time. Or should I be putting something in to help it out?

Also I'm starting to get alage in the tank too, I feed the fish with tetra granules and crisps (every other day I change from one to the other). I give 2 very small pinches, Am i over feed them and this is why I have alage?

I hope that someone can help as I want to get my betta soon ish

thanks


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## ansalong (Nov 3, 2010)

If you have fish in there I don't think I would add anything chemical to help the cycle along. I have heard that cycling the tank can take several weeks, so you just want to be patient and wait until your nitrites come back down. Keep doing water changes so your fish don't get poisoned. 

For the algae...is your tank in a window, or does it get direct sunlight? I understand that nitrites can help algae grow, and uneaten food in the tank can also do that.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

hey, thanks ansalong,

My tank is not by a window, Looks like it's uneaten food, my fish are pigs though LOL

And I will just have to wait and more water changes then

thanks again


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

i'm a very happy camper, the more water changes worked and I also cut down on their food.

the Nitrite level dropped dramatcally after doing all of that. it's at 0.25ppm

but now I'm worried about ph as that is 7.6 and I'm sure I read somewhere that it's got to be 6.5 or 7. can't really remember which one. 

Does that calm down on it's own like the nitrites or should I get something for that?

If the nitrite level is 0ppm next monday, I will get my betta!!!


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

The ph is just fine. Bettas will adjust to basically any ph. My ph is 7.8 and my bettas are growing and thriving, if that helps.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

yes that does help thanks

I finally got my betta and he is beautiful!!!!! A muti-colored veil tail and his name is Harry.

I think there is a power struggle in the tank, the platys start on Harry and then Harry starts on them and vise-virsa but also they could be nice to each other, really weird. My dad says that it will stop when they get used to each other, I just hope that is right.

I tried to get a pic of him on my camera but my camera goes crazy when I go near the tank. always zooms in a out and goes fuzzy.

i want to make him my pic for on here so I will sort out my camera.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

Oh I just remembered a few question I wanted to ask, I want to put some algae eating shrimp in my tank as I'm stilll getting it even though I'm doing water changes and scrubbing/turning over the gravel and hoovering the gravel and is not near a window.

I have 5 fish at the moment, the 4 platys and the betta and would like to put tetras in too, so how many shrimp can I put in a 10-12 depends on us or uk gallon with 13 fish?

And the other question is that My betta is fussy with food, he only eat the crisps if I break them up and refuses the granuals so is there anything that is a sure winner with bettas?


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Live food lol


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

this is probably the wrong board but since I have this here I will put my question here

My betta's(Harry) is being nipped and his dorsel fin is torn and I just wonder how long does it grow back, I have seperated him from the others. 

Since my female platy got pregnant, my male has been nipping everyone but especially my harry. does males protect the females as this is what is happening, everytime Harry or another fish goes near the female he attacks them. The male never did this with the first time The female got preggers.

I'm at a lost as harry and this male are great tank mates as they use to swim together and play with the thometor

I really don't want to start getting rid of fish as they have been together for 8 weeks now but if I have to well I will for my Harry

it would be great if someone had any advice


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## ansalong (Nov 3, 2010)

As for growing Harry's fins back, keep him separated and keep his water vey clean. Usually they just need time and clean water. The time to heal fins varies. You can also give him an aquarium salt bath, this worked well for my Betta. Change his water completely every day and when you're preparing his new water add 1tsp per gal aquarium salt. Stop the salt after ten days but keep up your water changes so his water stays clean for him. I only needed a week of this for my fish, but every fish is different.

It's possible your male is protecting his pregnant female. If so, he may become territorial and nippy every time the female is pregnant, and that will no longer be a good place for Harry to live. Do you have a solitary tank he can live in? And do you just have the two platys? You may need to separate them or find a new home for one if you want Harry to live in that tank.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

I don't have a solitary tank, don't have to room to be honest with you, it's in my bedroom in the house I share with my parents.

In the tank I have 6 platys, two corys 3 shrimps(Which I thought was eaten, just found them) and Harry

I got Harry in a hatchary that is in the main tank at the moment, 

I waas hoping that when the female gives birth to the young The male would stop but if he is like this every time I think I might have to get rid of him or both.


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

well the male chewed off someones else tail and nipping the female now so he is going!


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

How big is your tank, shellbelle?


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## shellbelle1982 (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi Turtle

My tank is the 48l river reef.

Still having nipping problems with the evil one

What gets me is that my betta stands up to the orange and blue platys but not the black and white one.

I'm thinking of swaping the male for another female as they are nice to My Harry


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