# New to fish - bettas in planted tank



## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

About a week and a half ago, I went to the local petsmart to 'just look' at fish for some ideas for a planted tank I was going to be setting up - and rather than just looking, I got sucked into buying some tiny blue medicated cups full of girl betta. 

I had heard that the girls got along - and, while the tank wasn't ready, I had 2 - 2 - 2.5 gallon bowls/tank - that could be used while the other larger tank was in process. 

Well - what a hellish experience that was. I came home with 7 girls, and 5 survived the weekend. - And, I really quickly learned that 2 gallons is not enough space for such territorial fish... although I tried making it work by adding lots of fake plants, and some soaking pothos stems and caves, and bought a third bowl halfway through the first week. 

Then, I decided to order a 5 gallon tank to give them some more space, and that arrived on Thursday, which I filled with water, and by Friday, put two of the calmer girls in there, with more fake plants and cave, and lots of floaters. They seemed to get along fine until this morning, when I noticed that the smaller girl is starting to show signs that her tail fin was nipped. 

Anyway - Over the weekend, my live plant order arrived, and I set up a natural planted tank attempting to follow the Walstead method with dirt and gravel substrate, and decent light. 

Saturday, I put 4 of the 5 fish in there, and then removed one who was being picked on, and put her in with Baby in the 5 gal. again. 

The 3 in the tank were loving the 20 gallons with tons of plants... swimming after each other and doing some chasing, but lots of socializing too... The pecking order seemed pretty quickly set between them all - of the largest fish Topaz taking the lead, followed by Pearl, then last, Ruby. (Sapphire was the one who was put in the 5 gal. with Baby). 

The following night, I tested the chemical levels, and noticed that ammonia was on the rise, although not by a lot, and decided to move the girls out of there for a bit, until the plants got settled better and could handle the fish load... 

I've been testing the tank nightly - and, last night - the ammonia level still hadn't increased any further, the plants all seemed to be growing, and the tank water was becoming a whole lot less cloudy - so, I decided to return the three girls to the tank. 

They loved getting out of those 2 gal. bowls! Whoowee! what a party! - but Topaz was pretty agressive with Ruby (her tail fin was torn in half) - and, after giving Topaz a chance to get some exercise in - I decided to separate her from them, this morning - and, put Sapphire in there, instead. 

I may have to give Topaz the 5 gal since she doesn't play nicely. And move Baby into the 2 gal. bowl, with the intention to eventually give her a chance inside the big tank (when she grows a bit more). 

Anyway - all this, just so that I could post some pictures, of the large tank, and the fishies...  








From the first night when they were playing nicely:


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

And these are from last night, after adding the fish again. As you can see, the water has cleared up quite a bit. 







Topaz







Ruby








Topaz hunting poor Ruby


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Nice fish  Reds are more aggresive than most bettas so watch them but other than that it looks good to me


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

Great tank!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

7 females in a 2 gallon is asking for trouble. I'm glad you realized that and moved them to a bigger tank.


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

Erm I forgot to tell you good looking fish too. I love red colored bettas... I saw one yesterday I almost bought lol.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

OH NO! ... it was 7 females broken up into 2 groups - one 2.5 tank with 4. and a 2 gal. bowl with 3. 

By the next morning, one girl had died, and I moved two of the others into a 12 gal. I am still trying to cycle to have - another one die. - I discovered that the filter on that eclipse tank was TOO strong, so I took the other girl (Baby) out of there, and that was when I bought the other 2 gal. tank to put her into it. So, by mid week, I had Topaz alone in a 2 gal. and Baby moved into a 2 gal. - and when pearl was being picked on in the '3 fish' 2.5 gal - I moved Pearl in with Baby (with no problems). 
- making the 3 bowls as -aggressive Topaz alone, and the other two bowls with 2 bettas each (with lots of floaters/and fake plants to break their view of each other...)


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## Zan (Jun 30, 2009)

when i set my plant tank up i left the plants a whole week before adding the fish. as i was told that getting the plants set up with the cycle and the fish aswell can sometimes crash it. 

general plant care, make sure the roots are beded properly, get some plant food and only give them 8 hours of light a day. any more light and i found they grew to fast and or died.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

zan, I'm following the walstad technique. she has a book out on how to do the tank using organic soil as part of the substrate - which fertilizes the plants and using decent light - for a 12 hour day to aid in 'summer' growing plant cycle. 

I still have a lot to learn on it - but she has told me on the el natural forum to stick with the 12 hour cycle, and possibly add a siesta in, to combat future algae growth. But, that I should be able to put the fish in right away, just monitor the chemistry on the tank, and be ready to do partial water changes as necessary. 

thus far, day 4 on the tank, my ammonia was testing at .50 last night, and nitrites are still at 0. - if the ammonia goes up to 1 - I'll do a 30-50% water change, and test again...


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Oh, it sounded like you had them all in a 2 gallon bowl. Sorry about that.


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

Sounds like you are trying to make a Sorority tank. Usually, you need about 4-5 + females to balance out the pecking order and that they aren't getting beaten up badly. 
Less then that can cause problems. Sororities are not easy to make, so good luck and don't feel bad if it fails.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

Yes, I'm trying to build a sorority. For the first time I've ever had fish - am I try something difficult. (figures.) 

Currently, the three in the tank - pearl, ruby and sapphire are all getting along well. They're pretty evenly matched - same size - and they are all whipping around the tank zigzagging each other. 

Ideally, I'd like to put Baby in there with them, but knowing that she's more than half an inch smaller - I'm afraid that she'll be considered to easy to pick on, and I don't want to see her stressed out. Baby is a true red color - and may develop the more difficult temperment - but thus far, her lack of size has made her the more easy going of fish when it came to dropping in other under-dogs to share the tank with her. The underdogs would leave her alone for at least a few days so that they could get over being picked on, and heal up their fins - before they'd begin nipping at her. Hence she's now alone in her 5 gal. - I do need to do something with Topaz though. 

I can't leave her in a 2 gal unfiltered bowl forever. - I'm wondering how fast the others will grow, and if I'll be able to eventually 'add' her back into the 20 gal. when they're more evenly 'sized'. 

But it will probably be more likely that Baby will suit the 20 gal. better than Topaz ever will. And mayhaps it will only be a month or so before I can introduce Baby to the 20 gal. and move Topaz into the 5 gal...


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

truthfully, I would love to add a pair of honey gouramis, and maybe a dwarf blue eventually to this mix too... but this may be pushing things...


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

RoseyD said:


> truthfully, I would love to add a pair of honey gouramis, and maybe a dwarf blue eventually to this mix too... but this may be pushing things...


Wow, just a bit :shock: Betta and Gourami do not get along well, often gourami do not get along well with themselves. I had 2 dwarf blues once and one killed the other.

If you want non bottom dweller tank mates I would look to mollies or platy's for best chance of success in a sorority.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Gouramis are territorial like bettas are.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

yes. that's what I keep reading. I feel like I need to really consider what will go in there though mainly because it is currently designed as a low tech tank. no pumped CO2 and at least for right now no filter. the only circulation is coming from the fish. 

now I've read that this could be done. but @
I fear putting to many non laborynth (sorry about the spelling) fish in a High 20 g. without airstone ... which would hurt my plants... 

are there other labrynth breathers who are smallish ... under 3 inches... and not territorial?

ps... I've read that the honeys are shy and peaceful ... but then here that gouramis are territorial... how can there be so much mixed info? I have to admit that I am cycling a 12 g. that could take the gouramis if the 20 g didnt work out. ... isnt it best to attempt while they are all still juveniles? or does that not matter?


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## Angelmonster (May 27, 2009)

I did a sorority tank and it was a disaster. If ONE Betta looks like it is sick isolate ALL of them! It seems like any disease Bettas can get spreads incredibly fast!

1)the bigger the tank the better. The more females the better. You need to have 6-9 females in there! The reason is that they will create a pecking order and not just one of them will be the one ebing picked on! With only 4-5 they will probably all pick on the smallest!

2) Buy a filter! You do not need airation in the water, the plants will be fine instead of the airation stone. The filter is very helpful though, even in a planted tank. I woudl defeniely suggest getting one!

3) Buy an isolation tank or keep your 2 gallon bowel handy. If one gets too fiesty take it out, nin the beginning, for a day or two to calm it down.

4) You can put non-labrynth fish in there. Go for mollies or cories(cories th ebest in my opinion).


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

I put topaz back in there again last night, and so far she's behaving nicely. She really didn't like her '2 gal. time out'... 

Yes, I've been keeping all 3 of the 2 gal. tanks set up, just in case there's issues with a chemical spike, or what-not - never mind as time-out containers for the any bullies... 

I have a duetto 100 that is running with a duetto 50 on my eclipse 12. Since the eclipse filter was too 'strong' of a current for my bettas - I decided to switch down to a lower powered filter - and in running them both on the same tank, I'm hoping that it will cycle both the filters simultaneously - to make it easier to switch that duetto 100 filter onto the planted 20 later, once I know that the substrate is sufficiently settled. 

The 12 gal. had been a one night holding cell to some crayfish that my neighbor's grandkid brought home with him from a local pond. Which did wonders for raising the ammonia levels on that tank to feed the bacteria that's really slow to grow in that tank. I also brought in some water taken from a friend's well-cycled tank to add in there to help along the process. 

When oH when will that tank be cycled... mid week two - and still 0 nitrite level and low ammonia levels... 

It's hard to be a 'new' fish person, for sure!

Anyway - back to betta sorority - 4 girls now in the tank, and one more to be added when she grows a bit more... I was also researching today about platies. The 'hi-fins' variety are really pretty... but I wonder how the fins will effect my girls...


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

You can slow down the eclipse filter, not via it of course.

Get some regualr filter sponge and cut it down to where you can slide a piece snugly into the filter inlet. That slow's it down some, then you use a piece of 2 liter bottle as a diffuser on the outlet.

I run Penguin 100's on my 5.5 gallon with betta in them. Penguin 100 is for 10-15 gallon tanks and they are fine with it once I slowed the current.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

I visited skiptons last night and brought home 3 albino cories and a golden apple snail for the planted tank. the cories are crazy, swimming everywhere at super speeds. I at first was worried because the betta girls were a bit to close to them when they first entered the tank... but they cant keep up even if they try. I added in Baby too... thinkink that with all the activity in there they wont have interest to terrorize her. 

they were all behaving well last night. the snail was busy for a few hours... I shifted the ornaments around and a wealth of mostly plant debris floated out in the process. next time I checked the snail was kcocked on its back on one of the plants. I went in to turn her over and she either was too afraid of me to attach to the rock... or something in the tank killed it. Im checking all chemistry this am and water changing. but the fish seem healthy and happy.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

the snail is alive and climbing the back wall by the heater. since Id not planned to get a snail and had orig. gone in looking for a couple of otos. (at skiptons but I didnt buy them because there were a few lying dead in the tank.) I now need to research all about those golden snails and their parameters. Are there worries to having a single snail? do they reproduce singly? things like that...


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

Snails can reproduce alone. But I have been told they have to be really really happy in most cases to do so. I had a single snail, and he was very content... or he seemed it at least lol. To be quite honest, he was the fastest snail I have ever seen. Make sure you read up on them. I followed what petsmart said, and I am thinking that because I followed their directions it is part of the reason he... well it... died.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Snails need high levels of calcium, ph and kh, which make bettas prone to finrot and bacterial infections. I got this info from Lupin, who is the forum's snail expert. He has tons of different kinds of snails.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

yes. It's difficult to just blindly trust especially when you see tanks with dead fish in them. although the tanks at skiptons looked pretty good except for the one with the ottos in it. 

Im in awe at how well behaved the bettas are most especially since the cories are have arrived on the scene. 

I am entertained watching them too. 

I do have a question about whether the tank is too stocked now... reason being... I bought two schools... that are now in other tanks waiting to see if they are healthy or not. 

5 tiny cardinal tetras
5 threadfin rainbows

can the rainbows fit without overloading the tank? any experience out there with mixing threadfins with bettas?

currently the threadfins are in a 5 g. but I expect they'll grow out of it and while I am already planning a larger planted tank... very addictive these things... I'd like to get my first one completed and happily cycled- settled first. 

the cardinals are being housed with a new gold gourami. in a 12 g. the gold is 2 inches now and can we say shy? but she wont be small forever... didn't I say I will need a bigger tank soon? Im hoping for a 2 month hiatus before I begin that project.


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

my PH is on the high side ... out of the tap 8.2 i
and in the tank it lowers to about 7.8 ... although I do need to test again since I havent looked since Tuesday... my KH and GH was testing 4 drops with api test. 

I dont want to risk my bettas because of an algae preventative... what should I do?


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## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

*my betta sorority...*

The addition of the cories have taken so much of the strain off of my betta girls. The cories are extremely entertaining, and the bettas spend a lot of time following them around the tank, or just watching them because they have a habit of coming out of no-where and bouncing off of them at unexpected times. :lol:

















Now it's just watching and waiting to see if the peace will continue.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good luck with them.


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