# I may have gotten carried away...



## Anna_O (Jun 2, 2020)

Trying to help our last ailing Betta who passed away last week really gave me the desire for a new tank.
My husband suggested I check out Facebook Marketplace and I was able to find a couple listings for 10 gallon tanks with filters & heaters included so I went ahead and got both....in for a penny in for a pound I guess. 

My son chose this one: 
Name hasn't been finalized yet...First it was Jeff, then James, then America, then Jack. We'll see what he ends up with. 
Twin Tail Half Moon









My daughter chose this one: 
A Crowntail female who is really feisty, her name as of today is Dory.  









and I chose this one:
Thinking maybe Mercury or Quicksilver for a name. 
Dumbo Halfmoon 









So we now have two 10 gallon tanks and one 3 gallon tank all set up on a newly built DIY tank rack that my father helped me build. It was a really busy weekend. In a few weeks I think I'd like to add some small schooling fish likes tetras and a couple bottom dwellers like Ottos to help fill out the 10 gallon tanks. They look enormous for these tiny little Bettas. 

I'm so enjoying watching them swim about.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

I have a twin tail Halfmoon too, he was sold in a cup that said “stars and stripes betta” lol. I tried to think of a patriotic name for him but his personality... his name ended up being duke lol. Gorgeous new fish! Congratulations on the new tanks 💜 very awesome


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## Anna_O (Jun 2, 2020)

X skully X said:


> I have a twin tail Halfmoon too, he was sold in a cup that said “stars and stripes betta” lol. I tried to think of a patriotic name for him but his personality... his name ended up being duke lol. Gorgeous new fish! Congratulations on the new tanks 💜 very awesome


Thanks! 

Duke is a fun name. 😊 My son did decided on America for his fish's name. 😆


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Gorgeous Betta!

I would caution that you not add any tank mates until the tanks are fully cycled. Oto, especially, are extremely sensitive fish. If you haven't already seen it, here's the cycling thread to help you out:








CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial


Change half the water when either ammonia or nitrite approach 0.50ppm (alternately, 25% at 0.25ppm), or weekly, whichever comes first. Add Seachem Prime at 2-drops per gallon of tank size every day until cycled. That’s all you have to do. You can stop reading now. But there’s a lot of...




www.bettafish.com


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## Anna_O (Jun 2, 2020)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Gorgeous Betta!
> 
> I would caution that you not add any tank mates until the tanks are fully cycled. Oto, especially, are extremely sensitive fish. If you haven't already seen it, here's the cycling thread to help you out:
> 
> ...


Thank you! There is SO much to figure out with this aquarium business! 

I used API Quick Start in all of their tanks...and now I have Seachem Stability to add daily. It says "Rapidly & Safely Establish Bio-Filter; Prevents New Tank Syndrome"
The Ammonia is .50ppm, pH is at 8.2, nitrates & nitrites 0ppm ...I also measured the water in the containers they were in and the Ammonia was at 1ppm so I figured they'd be better off in the new tanks than in their container (Hopefully?). 

I'm planning on adding some driftwood & slate for some structure and would like to add some plants as well. 

Should I wait to add plants as well?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can get plants at any time. Right now, you need to do water changes in the tanks with anything other than 0 ppm Ammonia. You could do one 25% today and another tomorrow. I'm not sure, though, if the Quick Start advises to not do changes.

Shake the heck out of the Stability. Double does on Day 1 and single does on Days 2-8. It's what I use to kick-start all of my new filters. Stability is also good to does if you add tank mates as it keeps the new bioload from overwhelming the nitrifying bacteria already established. I do the whole eight-day routine when adding other fish.

Here's a tip: If you are using SeaChem Prime as a conditioner, add two drops to the bag(s) immediately upon opening. This detoxifies any Ammonia present for 24-48 hours.

BTW, really like your Double Tail (DT). Stores call them "twin tail" but the actual name is DT.
I was really fond of Minerva, my female. She seemed to have much more personality than the males. Right now, I have a Dumbo like yours. His name is Farinelli but I'm thinking of changing it to "Kilmer." Just popped into my head; no reason for that name.


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## Anna_O (Jun 2, 2020)

Thank you  
I did a 25% water change tonight and then did the double dose of Stability. I'll test the water tomorrow afternoon and see where they're at. 

There is a local tropical fish shop that I'll consult with before purchasing any tank mates. While there are a lot of choices at the local big box pet store I'm not too sure I'll make the right selection for our set up (and too many dead fish when looking closely). Ordering online seems very expensive due to shipping and we don't need very many. 
I think having a one on one conversation with a professional would be very helpful since I'm very new to this. 

Thanks for letting me know the correct term for our Double Tail. I love your name choices. It's funny how some names are easy and come right to you and others seem tricky or change.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

In 40 years of maintaining Betta-based community tanks I've found the most peaceful and best *mid-level* tank mates are:

Ember Tetra, Dwarf Moscow Guppies, Endlers Livebearers, Fancy Guppies, Pygmy Cory, Rasbora of any kind. 

For *bottom dwellers*, Habrosus Cory. Habrosus are among the three dwarf varieties of Cory: Pygmy, Habrosus and Hastatus. Pygmy and Hastatus are mid-tank dwellers. They love reclining on Anubias leaves.

My Oto haven't really been bottom dwellers; more tank-glass dwellers. They like the algae that grows on the glass.

I always get all male Endlers and Guppies because I don't want an explosion of babies....or watch the other fish devour the newly-born.

You will get excellent information here from people who've been in the hobby for many years. You just have to sort through. That being said, I think your idea to talk to the person at the LFS is a good one. And buy your fish from them, too.

Have fun!!!!

PS: Neon Tetra tend to be nippy and to remove pieces of any male long-fin's caudal/tail. However, they would be really good in Dory's tank.


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## Anna_O (Jun 2, 2020)

Thank you again! 

I'd LOVE to get some Corydoras...I just love saying Corydora.  

Even though I have only a 3 gallon tank for Dory I could still add some Neon Tetras? My daughter would love that. I was thinking we'd only be able to add a snail or two so I've been hyping those up.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

No fish tank mates in anything smaller than a 10. Guess you'll be going back to Craig's List, huh?  

There are some gorgeous Mystery Snails: Magenta, Purple, Black, Blue, Gold, Ivory.


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## Anna_O (Jun 2, 2020)

oooo, mystery snails sound cool.
I may have picked up a 5 gallon on Facebook Marketplace....shhhh, don't tell my husband.


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