# Celestial Pearl Danios and a Betta



## Artemis

So I have a betta and a couple of cory cats in a 10 gallon tank and I want some movement in the mid-levels and absolutely fell in love with the galaxy rasboras "celestial pearl danios" and I was wondering if they are compatible with bettas. He isn't very aggressive at all and I've been working on getting more plants mostly and some hiding spots but how well would these little guys work in my tank? Sand bottom, about 77F-78F*, sponge filtration. is this okay or would the colors be too bright for a betta (even a docile one?)


(I'm going on a fish-shop spree this week and plan on going to a minimum of 2, max of 4-5 stores and they are all LFS but not local if that makes any sense. Also my actual LFS will bring in fish from the wholesaler on request so any oddball suggestions are OK)


----------



## amphirion

theoretically yes. the danios themselves are shy, nervous fish unless they have plenty of cover--then they dance (literally, the displays to each other are spectacular). the only concern that i would have are the temp requirements, as CPDs prefer water that is on the cooler side of things (shoot for 70-75F).


----------



## Artemis

Would it be okay to have the temps 2* higher than preferred or would it just be a no-go?


----------



## amphirion

They definitely prefer cooler water, you can raise them in warmer temperatures but they might not exhibit the same intense coloration than if kept cooler. They also prefer moderate oxygen levels and will be sensitive to heavy co2 injection if you go that route. Cooler water holds gases better.


----------



## Artemis

Is there anything else that might work in the tank?


----------



## amphirion

To fit bettas or galaxies?


----------



## Artemis

The betta tank. Would Ember or Rummynose tetras work? My LFS has a school of Rummynose and they follow your finger all over. I would want 4-5 but since the Ember tetras are smaller, I should be able to get 5-7 of those right?


----------



## amphirion

Embers are a better fit. I don't think they are fin nippers so you're in the clear. Rummys are also an excellent choice but as you pointed the size discrepancy might be a problem. Keep eye on your betta's temperament. The embers are on the small side when you first get them but will reach non-tackleable size in a short time.


----------



## Artemis

Okay, so I'm still hooked on the CPD (celestial pearl danios), how bad would it be for my betta to lower the temps to around 76*? Would he still be 100% healthy? The CPD can go to 78-79* but I know it's best to be near the middle of the range.


----------



## Artemis

I think I'm going to try to get some of the CPD. They can go up to 79 and 77 would be fine I think. I need to fill it up with more plants though, the tank is pretty sparse plant wise.


----------



## amphirion

i personally would say yes, that would be fine for a betta, but i know there are others who might crucify me for saying that. keep in mind that temps also accelerate a betta's metabolism and growth, which could also lead to a shorter lifespan. so a betta kept at slightly cooler temperatures might be able to live longer.


----------



## Artemis

Good to know. I'll lower it a notch if I can (the dial is tricky and it's guess and check) so it will be 76-77. It rises and falls slightly throughout the day/night but only by a degree or two. The CPD wouldn't be nippy and bother the betta or the cories right? The betta is a plakat.


----------



## amphirion

Yeah, cpds aren't nippy or anywhere near as rambunctious as let's say zebra danios. They are shy and nervous fish and need chill non crazy fish to feel settled in their tanks.


----------



## Artemis

So rather than get one or the other....we will get both. We got 6 ember tetras today and their CPD were $7 each and my LFS has them for about 4. So we left them but at another store found one all by himself for $5.50 so we picked him up and we will get more at the LFS very soon. We got 5 pygmy cories after seeing how big a full grown sterbai is and will be taking both of them and the long fin cory back to try to trade them in for some CPD. He only gets a couple at a time so we will just have to make multiple trips, ending with 7. We got a couple more plants, too. One of the pygmies is confused, he is swimming with the embers rather than his own buddies.


----------



## amphirion

Lol. good luck with them all. the pygmy cories are very sensitive to water chemistry so they will be good indicators concerning the health of your tank.


----------



## Artemis

The biggest issue right now is either the currently-lonely CPD who only colors up most of the way when they get bloodworms, or the fact that he and the ember tetras have mouths so small that even the .5 mm NLS small fish pellets are too big to be fed whole. The CPD will sometimes school with the embers other times he just hangs out on his own. He is so pretty when he gets color though. Pretty feisty too.

Also, the pygmy's are C. habrosus, slightly different then the common pygmy. Often called Salt and Pepper cat although I like the name Dainty Cory better. I like the pattern a lot better than the normal pygmys.


----------



## Artemis

The CPD died and was eaten :O Poor baby. Nothing seemed wrong with the params but I ended up tearing up the tank, doing a 30-40% water change, rearranging everything, and I'm going to pull out the last PVC pipe cave because no one uses it. It looks kinda Amazonian. At least that's what it reminds me of, I don't think the plants are though. I may or may not end up getting a fish other than CPD that is more native to the area and turn it into a biotope like setup, and I need a better filter. 

How would German Rams work out?


----------



## amphirion

If you are not a seasoned fish keeper I would be wary with dealing with cichlids. A small tank like that would be able to house a pair max, and if you have a pair and they spawn, they will increasingly become aggressive if certain fish enter their safety zone. If you do not have the means or skill to accommodate this, rams might be better avoided. Single rams will probably do better but it does depend upon the temperament of the individual fish.

Not to mention most German rams are so heavily inbred that they become very sensitive to shifting water perimeters. Be aware of how well they adjust to their tank.


----------



## Artemis

Ya I read more into how bad an idea it would be so no rams. I'm going to poke around a bit more, I wish rummynose tetras were smaller, I love them and my LFS has a school of 20+ that follow your finger all around the tank. Would the CPD have died of loneliness or something else? We lost one of the pygmys, he never adjusted well and I think we may have gotten a sick one. Are CPD generally sensitive to the tank environment or?


----------



## amphirion

Yes. Like I said, they need cool water that is well oxygenated. They are found at higher elevations which usually translates to higher O2, cooler temps, and near pristine conditions. This is the general rule of thumb for high elevation fish. From time to time their habitat reaches 95f but this is more of an extreme than a norm. They are also social fish and need others to school with.


----------



## Artemis

I'm lowering the temp to approx. 76* Saturday or tomorrow afternoon when I can monitor the temps since the heater doesn't have a thermostat. I think my fish store only has 2-4, they are hard to spot in the planted tank, so should I get the ones he has and get more when he gets his shipment or ask for him to get more and bring home a full group?


----------

