# Berta and chilli rasboras



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

I got a 10 gallon tank. I would like to get good tank mates. Anybody has experience with chilli rasboras?


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have them but they are so teeny tiny you need a really heavily/densely planted tank for them to feel secure. I would get 10+ as the bigger the shoal the better for Nano fish.


----------



## nympxzie (Oct 2, 2014)

^ That. They're super awesome fish and shouldn't be a bother to your betta, or your betta to them. Make sure you have tons of plants and they will make for a beautiful display!


----------



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

Do I need to oxygenate the water for them?


----------



## nympxzie (Oct 2, 2014)

If you have a filter then you are good. You can add an airstone which will break the surface with bubbles and create more gas exchange but it is not a necessary piece of equipment.


----------



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

I have a filter but it's internal filter not HOB, I do have 10 gallon tank which is standard wide tank. I just don't want to suffocate those guys. The only fish I took care in my life is betta fish so Im unfamiliar with other kind.

Im also going to get tank divider just in case my boy does not get along with them.

I really don't want to get aerator because it's noisy and I can't sleep at night.


----------



## nympxzie (Oct 2, 2014)

Tetra brand air pump are silent! I have one sitting right next to my bed and I can never hear it. 

An internal filter should be fine, water is coming out of the lip and agitating the surface, right?


----------



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

No actually my filter is almost at the bottom so no water movement up top. But I could move it up so it does agitate the water at the top.


----------



## nympxzie (Oct 2, 2014)

If you can do that then you are good to go!


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I have internals with spray bars and even in my Betta-only tanks have them close to the surface so they can agitate the water. I'm a firm believer that current keeps tanks and fish healthier....even Betta.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

As a note, these sorts of fish tend to be fairly sensitive in terms of water quality. If the 10 gallon is not cycled, I would wait until it was cycled and the parameters stable, before adding any Boraras brigittae to the tank.


----------



## nympxzie (Oct 2, 2014)

+1 the tank should really be cycled before adding any fish (imo, betta included.) Test your tank with a liquid test kit before adding your chili's! ammonia and nitrite should read 0, nitrate should be 20 or lower.


----------



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

I use prime every 24-36 hours and 50% water change mid week with 80% on weekend. I just got this internal filter about 2-3 weeks ago so I am in the process of cycling. Tomorrow will be adding Tetra Starter and then lots of plants that are being shipped at the moment. I got probably a month before anything new comes into the tank. Still thinking whether I should just divide the tank and add a second Betta maybe female.


----------



## MadtownD (Aug 29, 2014)

I'm also planning on a chili rasbora school, so I appreciate the info on this thread- do they like lower current, like a betta, or faster?


----------



## nympxzie (Oct 2, 2014)

Seriouslyfish.com has accurate info on different fish species. here: LINK

They prefer slower moving waters.


----------



## mattdocs12345 (Oct 13, 2014)

Will my 2 inch betta eat 0.5 inch chill rasbora for breakfast?


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I think you will find the answer will depend on your betta. I had a male in a community tank with some clown killifish (around 1 inch in size but very long and slim), and when I first introduced them, he did have a couple of attempts at eating them. After that though, I never saw him bothering them again. 

However, it seems the predatory response is stronger in some bettas than it is in others, and a 0.5 inch fish is likely small enough to trigger that response. I think really the only way you can tell if a betta is going to be compatible with another fish or not, is to put them in the same tank together and intervene if things don't work out.


----------



## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

+1 LBF Absolutely. 

No one can tell you what your Betta will or will not do. Some are fine in community tanks. My first try was with Raymond V and he lived four years in one with no issues. Subsequent successful Betta-based community tanks lulled me into a false sense of complacency until Dexter.

Dexter lived with no issues in a community which included Chili and Phoenix Rasbora. He is now removed from that tank and in a 5.5 with Habrosus Cories because, much to my surprise, after two years of peace he started stalking the Rasbora. He totally ignores the Habrosus in the 5.5 which I believe is because it's the mid- and top-water fish to which he takes exception.

We have to watch carefully when we attempt a community tank with these unpredictable fish. We have to catch the signs things are going downhill when they first appear and not wait until a fish has been attacked. And we must have a back up plan.


----------

