The Chronicle of the Betta

[GotGait]

Chips is back in his tank, but he’s living on top of the kitchen bar now. He was getting bored up in the spare bedroom. Now he watches tv with me.

We’ve started adding fish to our 36 gallon. These two were added two weeks ago:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/548792_10150756961700350_735450349_12189598_62987817_n.jpg

They are Electric Blue Rams which is a weird name for Dwarf Cichilds. They are very fun and peaceful. We also have 8 Celestial Pearl Danios on Tuesday. The Rams were quite annoyed by the intrusion and sulked for a whole day. They are all happy again now, and swimming with the new guys.

[Bacardi1]

Have you done any research re: keeping/raising Rams? Because they’re really not just a fish one can just dump in with a Betta & everything is then happy-happy. They’re actually a somewhat delicate dward cichlid that have specific needs way outside of usual betta needs. When they first hit the commercial scene, every pet store had them. Then when the pet stores realized the fish were dying within days, no store would carry them. These days, it’s hard to find them outside of online aquarium suppliers.

Your 36-gallon tank is terrific for them, but do read up on the specific needs of Rams. They’re lovely fish & really deserve to have their needs taken seriously. Don’t meet their needs? = Dead fish.

[GotGait]

[QUOTE=Bacardi1;6226973]
Have you done any research re: keeping/raising Rams? Because they’re really not just a fish one can just dump in with a Betta & everything is then happy-happy. They’re actually a somewhat delicate dward cichlid that have specific needs way outside of usual betta needs. When they first hit the commercial scene, every pet store had them. Then when the pet stores realized the fish were dying within days, no store would carry them. These days, it’s hard to find them outside of online aquarium suppliers.

Your 36-gallon tank is terrific for them, but do read up on the specific needs of Rams. They’re lovely fish & really deserve to have their needs taken seriously. Don’t meet their needs? = Dead fish.[/QUOTE]

Oh the Betta is not going in the big tank now. Originally we were thinking about it, but when we decided to get Rams (I’ve had them before) we threw out that idea.
Mr Betta shreds his fins enough in the current of his 6 gallon. I can’t even imagine what he’d do in a tank with a power head - and I’m positive he’d try to swim in it.:eek:

We got the Rams from an aquarium who gets them from a local breeder. This pair had just been brought in, and we got lucky.
They’ve been doing really great so far. They’ve brightened up and have been eating great. They’re really outgoing and cute. I’m not sure what sex they are because the usual markers aren’t always right with them. I think they are both male just going off the dorsal spines.
Our tank is fully cycled and heavily planted. We even have the red rocks they like to lay eggs on, but that was a coincidence.
It’s too bad they are typically short lived because I love them already.

[GotGait]

Here is the 36 gallon today. The cypress log still hasn’t soaked up enough water yet to keep it down so the one petrified rock on the right, holding it down along with a weight underneath, is out of place. Some guy scuba dives for pieces of cypress and then dries them out and sells them on eBay. It’s supposed to be around 100 years old which is kinda cool. Getting it to sink again has been slow going. It may never stay down without “help”.

[Alternative2It]

Betta with Endler’s livebearers?

I’m not sure anyone here would know anything about this fish combination (a betta and Endler’s livebearers), but I as I have a 3g Eclipse tank empty…this thread gets me thinking!

I’ve never had freshwater. I had salt/reef tanks for 15yrs. The last was a 300g mainly with mainly SPS/LPS corals. The price of the ‘show’ betta fish is nothing btw compared to nice saltwater fish or corals.

I’d like to take the little Eclipse tank and get a ‘show’ betta. But I’ve always liked the little Endler’s livebearers. They’re related to guppies but are smaller. I’m sure the spawn from the Endler’s would be food for the tank, but would the adults? You can keep 3 PAIR of Endler’s in a 2gal tank. The adults are less than 1".

I’d also like to put in some ghost shrimp. The tank would also have live plants. I might be completely overdoing it - I don’t know FW stocking levels or if what I am considering are at all compatible. I only know SW.

[GotGait]

Unfortunately, a tank that small will really only house a Betta or the Endlers comfortably unless you really like doing water changes.
If you have a pair of them and they drop fry then your little tank will be overwhelmed. And, your Betta will gorge himself and get bloat because they are little piggies with no “I’m full” switch.
The little tanks don’t have enough filtration for many fish and there isn’t any room to add more.
I know someone who keeps Endlers and a Betta, but she has them in a 10 gallon with lots of plants and hiding places. Sometimes Bettas will chase the Endlers.

I came from salties too. I really miss it, but we may be moving, and I don’t want to have to move a salt tank - too much room for disaster.

ETA, I missed the Ghost Shrimp question. You can put a couple Ghost Shrimp in there. They don’t have much bio-load. Just keep in mind that your Betta may snack on them. Mine got both of my shrimp right after they molted when they were still “chewy”.

The rule of thumb with stocking is 1" of fish per gallon, but that can change if you have super filtration. You’ll see some Cichlid tanks where it looks like there’s more fish than water. They have massive filtration and lots of water movement. Most fish get too stressed out when tanks are overloaded.

[clint]

A happy update. My betta and his two roommates, chory cats, are thriving in their Fluval Edge. I planted it, and the plants are growing. I love this little aquarium and its residents to bits; it is lots more fun than my 150 cichlid tank.

[Alternative2It]

You’re all enablers, dangit!

I now plan to set up the 3g Eclipse tank for a single Betta with some shrimp. What is the best substrate for plants & can I use some of my dead live rock from my SW days in it? Does the tank need to be cycled for a Betta - most don’t seem to be. Cycling is easy, but the poor things just usually exist in a bowl with water changes.
I have a few picked out that I’d like to have from the aquabid site. Am I insane to pay $50 + shipping for a fish that I know little about? I know they’re easy to maintain, but still.

[clint]

When I set up my Fluval Edge, I put the gravel from the betta bowl into the new tank, on top of the mix of sand and gravel I used for the substrate. No one seem to cycle tanks for Bettas, but I figured it couldn’t hurt so I did, especially since I was adding two chory cats. I monitored the water often, made some adjustments for the ammonia during the first three weeks, and everyone is happy. I didn’t add the additional fish for three weeks. The plants must love the sand/gravel mix, because they are thriving, showing lots of new growth.

I love browsing aquabid, but to be honest, I would put my Petsmart betta up against anything I have seen there, and I felt pretty good about getting the little guy into a room with a view from his cup. Whether you want to go to the trouble and expense of shipping a fish is up to you, but I don’t think it is essential to get you a pretty fellow.