# Am I nuts? I think I'm nuts.



## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Sooo.... I just bought a 28 gallon tank, and I don't really know what I'm doing  The plan was to get a tank that was just a little larger than the one I've got now (4 gallon), and well... I've never been good with plans  It came with lights and sand (which was full of sand snails! They've popped up everywhere!), and a grotesque plant. 

I'm gonna buy a filter (unused, the ad says) and a heater, and let it cycle. It's meant to be a home for Odin (my betta), but I want a few more critters in there as well. Any suggestions?


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## starstryder (Feb 12, 2015)

Unless your betta is a vicious killer, these fish should be fine in that tank.

REMEMBER: 1 inch of fish per galloon (while schooling fish need less space... empty space is fine). It is also worth making decisions based on final fish size not the size of the cute little babies you buy at the store.

Corys - need to be in groups of 3, and with that tank I'd get 6. These cute little fish are the hard bodied rats of the fish tank. They will eat just about everything and zip around mostly at the bottom, with periodic zips to the surface and back.

neon tetras, and/or the related cardinal and black stripe variations, as well as Harlequin Rasboras (larger, not the itty bitty babies they sometimes sell - those are snack food for a betta!). These fish school beautifully and are happiest in groups of 6 or more. 

I've had good luck with other short finned tetras (black skirts and color variations), but watch them. If you end up with a nippy male, he male nip your betta!

Once your tank is well established, a pleco would also be a nice addition (another nicely armored fish). Otos are also nice if they have plenty of hiding spaces, but they are fragile, so if you aren't an aggressive water changer, and you don't have a lot of live plants, they may be a very bad choice.

Beware of things like gouramis and Chinese Algae eaters. Stores may try and sell them to you, but they will attack your pour fellow. The Chinese algae eaters are actually omnivores and will latch onto long fins and suck holes out :-(


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

Go to the betta compatibility section for suggestions there is a sticky. Be sure to keep your betta well fed not overfed but well fed. I fasted my betta one night and she ate the eyes on some of her cory companions. She has her own tank now. Be mindful that harmoniously relationship can change as a younger fish matures. They can become more territorial and intolerant. I would suggest introducing your betta last to the territory and getting him used to the sight of the other fish in his current tank.


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## Cacique (Jul 12, 2014)

I just wanted to point out that the 1 inch per fish rule is out dated and doesn't really work. Fancy goldfish for example, grow up to about 8 inches and need 20 gallons+ for 1, so it's better to look at how much they poop.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

+1 to Cacique.

For help calculating how stocked you are, you can use aqadvisor.com and input all your stuff; filter, tank size, and fish. It will give you a rough idea of what you can do and what you can't. It's mostly accurate but very lenient with it's stocking, my tanks are routinly stocked at 150% by aqadvisors standards but I also keep a lot of live plants in my tanks, in fact, they are all naturally planted so my tanks can handle bigger bioload. However, bigger bioload does not mean bigger fish all the time. For example, my tank probably couldn't handle a full grown goldfish but it can handle the 18 Ember Tetras I have in there; they are smaller but because of how many I have, combined they roughly can equal a goldfish depending on how much I feed them and what I feed them lol.

Stocking lists you can look into potentially to give you ideas:

1 Betta
12 Cherry Barbs (5:7 M:F)
6 Panda Cories
1 BN Pleco (once you have good algae)

or

1 Betta
15 Ember Tetras
8 Julii Cories

or

1 Betta
15 Harlequin Rasboras
6 Panda Cories

or

1 Betta
10 Neon Tetras
10 either Julii/Panda Cories (they're small)
1 BN Pleco

or any variation. But you can plug it all into aqadvisor to check on the stocking and what you can put with a Betta.

And yes, some Betta's can never be housed with other fish just because they're too aggressive, or sometimes it's the opposite where they're too shy and the other fish stress them out and the Betta never goes up to eat because he's stressed. So you just have to try it out and see what works best but always choose tankmates with care! Any further questions you can ask away!! :-D


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I can't wait until the tank is done cycling


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## Nikki86 (Jan 6, 2015)

Dont feel bad I just bought my 3rd aquarium and i think im crazy too


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Haha, yeah, I told my friends I'd bought an aquarium and they just laughed. 

I've been doing some research based on the suggestions I've got here, and it looks like Harlequin Rasbora and Schwartz Corys might be suitable tankmates (temperature, ph and such taken into consideration). I'm not sure about Panda corys since it seems they prefer a lower temperature than the Betta. The aqadvisor strongly recommended to NOT keep bettas with any kind of pleco. Anyone had any experience with that?


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Hm. A guy just tried selling me gouramis, saying they would be good companions for my betta. Somehow, I doubt that  I've looked through several forums and articles and not found anyone suggesting gouramis with bettas. Any thoughts?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Definitely do not do that lol. Basically, never mix any Anabandtids together. Betta's and Gouramis are like bad cousins, you'll end up with a huge family feud and in the end, someone will either get sick and die or just die from torment/seriously injuring. 

Now, there are always exceptions but it's not always worth the risk to find out if you can do that exception. One of my biggest rules is to never mix Gouramis and Betta's, however, I have had one of my most docile males in with Sparkling Gouramis and both were fine but I didn't keep it long to find out if it was stable, it was only temporary. I would personally never suggest this to anyone but you'll always get someone claiming that it works and none of their fish have died and it's all good. But to be truthfully honest with you, it's just not worth it. 

I have mixed Gouramis species (Sparkling and Pearl) but some, I would never mix. The Dwarf Gourami is one of the meanest out of them all, that one I'd stay away from mixing. Pearls are very passive, Sparklers are usually harmless but they are full of energy and so their constant running around could stress out other fish potentially. So it's not just the fighting aspect that you have to think about, but the stress factor and stuff like that ^_^ 3 Spot variations (Golden, Blue, Opaline, etc.) can be housed together but I'd never put them with a Betta fish, too nippy for the Betta.


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## Jessicatm137 (Mar 22, 2012)

I know I'm a little late - but a few other options include mollies, oto catfish, platies, and guppies. You have to be careful with mollies though. You could also get some African Dwarf Frogs too if you wanted, but what you do is completely up to you.


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

You're not late at all, I have at least two more weeks before the tank is ready  Thanks for the suggestions! I've considered platies but it looks like they want different temperatures, and I'm worried my betta will rip guppies to shreds. Such a pity, if it wasn't for that (kinda important  ) detail, I'd definitely try guppies.


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## Jessicatm137 (Mar 22, 2012)

Your welcome. 
Why are you worried that your betta will rip your guppies to shreds?
The thought that a Betta will see a guppy as another male Betta is a myth. Bettas are smart enough to tell the difference. If a betta can't get along with guppies, then it probably can't get along with any other fish. So you could very well do them if your betta gets along with others.
There are exceptions of course, but that's just in general. Hope this helps.


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Really? I think you're the first person to say that about bettas and guppies! Most people just says "avoid bettas and guppies. Seriously."


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I usually say the same too as I have this set up personally at the moment. One of my breeder girls is in with three male guppies, two Featherfin Killifish, and a lone CPD who lost her school. My male was in with them but the guppies kind of tore his tail up a bit so I moved him over and it's been much better  So it's not just about your Betta and whether he's compatible or not but whether the other fish are also compatible with the betta lol


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Hah, yeah that's true! Maybe I could try a few female guppies and see. Otherwise I think I might go with Schwartz Cory and Espei Rasbora/lambchop rasbora. I might also get a King Tiger pleco later.


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## Jessicatm137 (Mar 22, 2012)

If you go with female guppies you may get several babies....which the betta will usually eat. I'm just letting you know. But good luck


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Heh yeah, but the alternatives are a mix of males and females, or males only. I have a bad feeling with males only, because of recommendations from people and articles to NOT have males only, and especially male guppies with bettas. And a mix will DEFINITELY get several babies, so, yeah.


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## Jessicatm137 (Mar 22, 2012)

True, true. I see your point. Whatever works for you. I would probably go with males only, despite the recommendations, but trust your gut instincts, and and do what you feel is best.


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## Nikki86 (Jan 6, 2015)

Problem with female guppies is that I've read they can have 3 batches of fry with one encounter with a male. So she would more than likely be pregnant when you get her and can get pregnant up to 3 more times off stored sperm. Eek!


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Kampfisk said:


> Sooo.... I just bought a 28 gallon tank, and I don't really know what I'm doing  The plan was to get a tank that was just a little larger than the one I've got now (4 gallon), and well... I've never been good with plans  It came with lights and sand (which was full of sand snails! They've popped up everywhere!), and a grotesque plant.
> 
> I'm gonna buy a filter (unused, the ad says) and a heater, and let it cycle. It's meant to be a home for Odin (my betta), but I want a few more critters in there as well. Any suggestions?


Nice. You have lots of options with that setup.


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Nikki86 said:


> Problem with female guppies is that I've read they can have 3 batches of fry with one encounter with a male. So she would more than likely be pregnant when you get her and can get pregnant up to 3 more times off stored sperm. Eek!


....meep!! Guppies are insane!


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Nikki86 said:


> Problem with female guppies is that I've read they can have 3 batches of fry with one encounter with a male. So she would more than likely be pregnant when you get her and can get pregnant up to 3 more times off stored sperm. Eek!


So free feeders/munchies high in protein? sounds like a win win to me for the Betta.


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

Kampfisk said:


> Sooo.... I just bought a 28 gallon tank, and I
> I'm gonna buy a filter (unused, the ad says) and a heater, and let it cycle. It's meant to be a home for Odin (my betta), but I want a few more critters in there as well. Any suggestions?


 
Oh to have a new canvas that size to work with! You have got the ideal tank to get your self a nice large school of Celestial Pearl Danios. (CPDs)
These guys are extremely hardy, stay small-about an inch at maturity and absolutely gorgeous with every color of the rainbow on them. I have them in some of my larger tanks with bettas and have had no problems.
I would kill to have just one large tank like that wtith nothing but CPD's in it.
I would highly suggest checking them out for your tank.


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Oh. My. GOD! Those are gorgeous! I've never even heard of them until now! Will definitely check them out, they look fantastic!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

The only thing with CPD's is that the temp should be lowered as with all danio species, they prefer 70-76 as a comfortable range.


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## Crossroads (Jun 28, 2014)

If available you could also check into pencilfish. You can keep a full school of 6 in a 20g long so a 28g tank could easily support
1 Male betta
10 pencilfish (I keep three-lined but theres also golden, dwarf, coral red, brown, barred, and one-lined)
10 Schwartz Cories

With no filter Aqadvisor says this stock level would be 97% with 29% water changes a week. Pencilfish prefer around 75-78 F according to aqadvisor but I keep them just fine at 80F with my king. In fact most sites say they do well at the betta range of temperature, only aqadvisor has said otherwise. They are a relative of tetras, and quite hardy. Territorial displays are mild and mostly consist of a strange zigzag tailslap dance without any harm coming to either. They like heavily planted tanks, which so will everyone else in the tank so win-win, and in a heavily planted tank they are quite bold and inquisitive. I see mine quite a lot.


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

lilnaugrim said:


> The only thing with CPD's is that the temp should be lowered as with all danio species, they prefer 70-76 as a comfortable range.


So about 75 should be good? I checked with aqadvisor, and with betta, corys, CPD's, guppies and otto's they recommended 75,2 F. 

Ooooh pencilfish looks awesome as well!


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## Kampfisk (Feb 1, 2015)

Here's his tank! 



Not quite done yet, but on it's way!


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