# I think I'm moving away from bettas...



## BettaNamedHerbert (Nov 23, 2014)

-I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong section. I'm not very good at this whole "forum" thing.-

Anyway, I just thought I'd share that as I become more advanced as a fish keeper, I start to take on more challenges, and this is leading me away from keeping mainly bettas.

If you haven't yet, please check out my post "I Saved The Life Of An Oscar". If you're too lazy to read it, basically I rescued a 5-6 inch oscar cichlid, planned to re-home him, and then got attached. I got a new 75 gal tank just for him.

As soon as we get back from vacation, I'm going to pick up a convict and see if he likes tank mates okay. Oscars are great. Having him is a great way to keep my stock down from my guppy breeding days.

My plan is to get one more betta for my divided 10 gal, and then fill whatever tanks I might get for the holidays.  Then, my money and energy will mostly be focused on cichlids. Don't worry, though. I'll still keep a betta in each community tank!


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## Kieranfish (Dec 23, 2014)

Yeah I had that too. In my first year or 2 I had a few zebra danios, yes, those indestructible fish... And they never had any issues which was good because I didn't have to find money and time out of no where to care for them further. But on the other hand, by them not having any illnesses I wasn't really learning anything either. So i let them live out their lives, and i then moved on to what were supposed to be weak fish, the neon tetras which also turned out to be fine. 

I'm going to stop waffling now, but the moral is that everyone goes through these phases when they move away from a certain species that they have been keeping for a while in order to seek a new challenge. 

P.S: What kind of betta are you thinking of getting?


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## Netti (Apr 25, 2014)

Just a word of caution, Betta's can be difficult to keep from pigging out on food in a community tank. Also, as you're probably aware too, not all Bettas are community-friendly. 

Keeping cichlids is awesome. A few years ago I kept German Blue Rams, but I would not have kept a Betta with them, when they spawn they can get aggressive.


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## Kieranfish (Dec 23, 2014)

That's the fish I want next actually, rams! I'm thinking blue rams. Anyway, were the easy to care for? I've heard they are pretty sensitive.


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## BettaNamedHerbert (Nov 23, 2014)

Most of my bettas are old and calm, actually. They don't pig out. In fact, they don't touch the tropical granules, only their pellets. And they all seem to share the treats nicely.

I would never keep a betta in a cichlid tank. Just with live bearers for the most part.

My dream betta would be an elephant ear mustard gas, maybe a PK. I don't know where I could find one besides aquabid, and I can't afford to pay a transshiper. I think I'll just wait and scout at my LFS until I find a healthy and beautiful betta!


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## Netti (Apr 25, 2014)

Kieranfish said:


> That's the fish I want next actually, rams! I'm thinking blue rams. Anyway, were the easy to care for? I've heard they are pretty sensitive.


They sure are, they need impeccable water quality and like the water to be on the acidic side. They don't do well with changes in water parameters, so you need to really be on top with your water changes. With my GBRs I did my water changes twice a week so there would never be much difference between the tank water and the source water.

I kept them with 4 Platy and 6 Rummynose Tetras in a 30 gallon, natural planted tank. They spawned frequently, but if you want to raise GBRs successfully you will need to keep them without tankmates. They will eat their eggs if they are afraid that these will be eaten by other fish. 

They are such beautiful fish, it's too bad their life expectancy is so short.


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Netti said:


> They are such beautiful fish, it's too bad their life expectancy is so short.


What about Bolivian Rams? I hear they are a bit hardier but exhibit the same characteristics.


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## Netti (Apr 25, 2014)

I've never kept any of those, sorry!


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## BeautifulBettaFishies (Dec 21, 2014)

You should feel proud of yourself for rescuing an Oscar  but as Netti said, not all bettas are perfect for community tanks, so if you get a new one be prepared not to get to attract he'd until you know he's suitable for the tank


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## BettaNamedHerbert (Nov 23, 2014)

Oh, he's going to be in a divided tank. No worries!


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

You are putting the convict in with the oscar, correct?
A convict will terrorize a community tank. They do not play well with others.

A convict and an oscar will be fine just as long as the oscar can't fit him/her in it's mouth. Convicts are tough and will hold their own against anything.

I'm going to try a cichlid too. It'll be my first. Most likely it's going to be a female convict. I'd like to get a pair but I don't need a bunch of babies in my life. I don't look at it as moving away from bettas but like you, I want to use the experience I've gained to try different areas of the hobby. 

While a convict isn't quite the undertaking as a oscar, you still could consider it a mini-monster fish!


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