# A betta and a minnow?



## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

While I was at petsmart getting Plunger a ten gallon tank, I saw a minnow in the plant tank that i fell in love with. He was the only fish in there, so I decided to get the story on him. He was put in the turtle tank to be a feeder fish, but he survived against SIX turtles! After that, I knew I wanted to give him a home, and petsmart gave him to me for free. Do you think the minnow and my betta will be okay together?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

bettas are tropical fish and prefer a gentle current....and will do well in small tanks...
Minnows require fast flowing waters, a larger space and a group of six or more.... 
if you keep them together you will be keeping one at the expense of the other...

Feeder fish also often carry diseases due to the less than ideal conditions they are kept in... 
I would think over it very carefully...

always research a fish before buying it... even if its free. lol. 
It might spare you a lot of trouble down the road


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

Well I will QT him for two weeks. Then I'll decide what to do with him


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## jentralala (Oct 5, 2012)

Can you post a pic of it? When I think 'minnow' I think of Gambusi Holbrooki (sp? too lazy to google), is that what it is?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

It also depends on your tank size. Minnows are generally very active swimmers and will swim all over the place, which may cause your Betta stress if it's only a 10 gallon or something.


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

Here is a video of him.

My betta is in a 10 gallon


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Rosy reds are actually albino Fathead Minnows. (Should help for research purposes) you can catch them with a dip net here, well not Rosies, but wild phase.


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

I like the black marking he has on him 
He's been living by himself for quite a few weeks, so maybe he is used to it? I'm not sure. But I will be doing some research on them!


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## ZombieKeepr (Mar 6, 2013)

He'd be fine alone[there's no fish that really HAS to have groups of their own kinds. They'd be happier, sure -- but it's not an issue otherwise as long as the fish is healthy] ... I'd be worried about him going after the betta's fins tho[mine were rather nippy & playful when I had them] and definitely passing a disease or parasite to him. Keep him in QT for a month and then if there's nothing you should be good.


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## Kalari32 (Jan 10, 2013)

I know to QT you put them in a separate tank, but is there anything else i need to do to QT him?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I dont like my fish healthy but lonely~ lol. it's really up to Kalari32 

For QT I would recommend a 5 gallon minimum... cycled tank. if that's not possible, make sure you stay on top of water changes 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ZombieKeepr (Mar 6, 2013)

Kalari32 said:


> I know to QT you put them in a separate tank, but is there anything else i need to do to QT him?


Not really ... just keep an eye on him and if anything appears, just ask us or google the symptoms and treat as directed. Most times medicine only stresses a fish further[reduces oxygen in the water and so on] so it's recommended as an "as needed" deal.

Still, I agree with you aokashi ... the fun in fish keeping is seeing fish interactions in an environment similar to what would be found in nature. Schools are typically a lot more fun[and more aesthetically pleasing] than a single fish.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

the difference in color and activity between fish in a shool and lonely fish are also very different  Fish in a school color up soo much better


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## Kiara1125 (Feb 1, 2011)

aokashi said:


> the difference in color and activity between fish in a shool and lonely fish are also very different  Fish in a school color up soo much better


That's not always true. I had a single, regular white cloud mountain minnow. He had brilliant red coloring to him, but after I added 4 more to make a school, he turned pale and never acted the same. He seemed better alone. I believe it all depends on the fish. There's always going to be differences, so if it works then it works.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

In general (Kiara obviously has one wacky exception), fish that school in the wild are less stressed when they have buddies, as a larger school means less likelihood of being eaten. They are more likely (not guaranteed, but much more likely) to be stressed when alone, and we all know that stress is a huge factor in a) not getting sick and b) recovery.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

Rare, but it does happen occasionally! lol


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## ZombieKeepr (Mar 6, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> In general (Kiara obviously has one wacky exception), fish that school in the wild are less stressed when they have buddies, as a larger school means less likelihood of being eaten. They are more likely (not guaranteed, but much more likely) to be stressed when alone, and we all know that stress is a huge factor in a) not getting sick and b) recovery.


I wouldn't say it's a wacky exception, TBH. I have a raphael catfish who grew from 4" to 9" in 7 months & a featherfin cat who went from 1" to 8-9" within a year, both fish supposedly needing schools to even survive -- yet here they are, bigger & healthier then some people who have kept them in groups. I have a 2 year old gold white cloud who lost his friends in a columnaris outbreak[I never restocked them even tho I really like them] and he's still doing great! Even my tetras don't follow the rules. Different species school when initially introduced[something a lot of people assured me wouldn't happen which was obviously wrong] and past that, as schools die and singles remain, they can still live years past that.

But again, I'm not dissing having schools of fish but having singles aren't automatic death or unhappiness for a fish, either. Especially when they have fish of their size and shape around, they'll all form one group.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

ZombieKeepr said:


> But again, I'm not dissing having schools of fish but having singles aren't automatic death or unhappiness for a fish, either. Especially when they have fish of their size and shape around, they'll all form one group.


I think it's cute when they do that. Our Oto schooled with our pygmy cories till they paired off.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

i dont think any fish needs a school to survive in the home aquarium...but most are happier in groups  like a giant school of otos!


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## Kiara1125 (Feb 1, 2011)

aokashi said:


> i dont think any fish needs a school to survive in the home aquarium...but most are happier in groups  like a giant school of otos!


Giant schools of otos are adorable! Especially when it's in a heavily planted 40gB and all the otos are babies. They were about 3/4-1" and there were about 30 of them. They. Were. Freakin'. Adorable! xD <3


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

What a cutie! Have you named the little guy?


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