Betta fish owner with a question

[Shidohari]

Hello
My name is Shidohari, I own two tanks and a 9 Year old siamese named Cinnamon.

Jack is my first betta in my 2 gallon and his picture is the one I used for my Avatar.

Rose (yes i know this is a girl's name but i liked it for my male due to his coloring) is in the ten gallon tank. I had three cosmic blue danios in that tank with him and the two cory cats, however they died over the course of the past three days due to natural causes or the betta. My betta rose is a Double Tail and is mostly red with a few mint green highlights.

My first question is, ones my ammonia level finally settles. (i had the water tested in my ten gallon yesterday which is only two weeks old. result was ammonia was at 1.0) Should i get something else other than danios? or should i add a third cory cat. the sales person at petsmart said corys can get up to 3.5 inches and if we use the 1inch per one gallon ruling betta = 3in at full growth, cory = 3.5 at full growth (x2) then my tank already has 10 gallons worth of fish in the tank. Not to mention my growing plants (green crypto, amazon sword leaf, and one of the non flowering azurelis)

Thanks in advance, and feel free to PM me your replies or respond here.

[Cory Catfish]

Check this thread first before you do anything else:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=36492

No cories other then pygmys/dwarfs should be in a 10. And they belong in schools of 6+.
Also, danios really are zesty swimmers and should really be placed in a bigger tank--they also belong in 6+ schools.

Amazon sword needs 30 gallons at least, it will survive in a 10 but it either dies, or grows too big for a 10.

And the 1 inch to 1 gallon rule does not work well. I would say for now, finish your cycle before doing anything else.

Sounds like you did not cycle to me if your CC's died. Cory cats are bottom feeders which makes them sensitive to fluctuating water conditions. Like the canaries of coal mines.

[Shidohari]

Check this thread first before you do anything else:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=36492

No cories other then pygmys/dwarfs should be in a 10. And they belong in schools of 6+.
Also, danios really are zesty swimmers and should really be placed in a bigger tank--they also belong in 6+ schools.

Amazon sword needs 30 gallons at least, it will survive in a 10 but it either dies, or grows too big for a 10.

And the 1 inch to 1 gallon rule does not work well. I would say for now, finish your cycle before doing anything else.

Sounds like you did not cycle to me if your CC's died. Cory cats are bottom feeders which makes them sensitive to fluctuating water conditions. Like the canaries of coal mines.

I'm sorry there if I miscommunicated what fish died. It was my three DANIOs that died. The Cory Cats are alive and well.

I put a couple drops of Prime ammonia neutralizer in my tank to neutralize the remaining ammonia. And given the article you linked me to, i will not be adding any more fish for at least two months.

The amazon sword i got was the smallest version from petsmart. Given what you've said, I'll keep my eye on it to ensure that it doesn't get too big for the tank and replace it with another plant that doesn't get quite so big when it's time. Though i'm hoping by that time my other plants will have grown big enough that i won't need to do that.

I may not have cycled my tank completely though at the start. It is my first time personally with a tank that big. so even though i read all the stuff, I may not have followed through completely, which is my fault. And now as I'm going to be cycling with Fish, it's going to take even longer. (again referring to the article you linked me to Cory)

Cory thank you and if you have anything else i might need to know please advise.

[Azurescriber]

If you decide to eventually go ahead with putting more fish in, be aware that some bettas just will not tolerate company, so you will need a back up plan.

The only fish that can go in there are micro varieties, or small tetras like neons. Nothing with flowing fins, or the betta will almost surely attack. Danios of any kind are not appropriate.

Do nothing until the ammonia goes down...adding ammonia neutralizer slows down the process, just do large water changes instead.

[Cory Catfish]

If you decide to eventually go ahead with putting more fish in, be aware that some bettas just will not tolerate company, so you will need a back up plan.

The only fish that can go in there are micro varieties, or small tetras like neons. Nothing with flowing fins, or the betta will almost surely attack. Danios of any kind are not appropriate.

Do nothing until the ammonia goes down...adding ammonia neutralizer slows down the process, just do large water changes instead.
:+1: to the above
Oto's would work but a species tank is best for them.
All snails and shrimps would be good.
So would african dwarf frogs.
Most rasboras and Ember Tetras are all great fish that would work well with a betta.

[Shidohari]

:+1: to the above
Oto's would work but a species tank is best for them.
All snails and shrimps would be good.
So would african dwarf frogs.
Most rasboras and Ember Tetras are all great fish that would work well with a betta.

Any choices I make will be made in two months time at the very least. Cory linked me to that one article at the top of the replies and i read that since i am ending up cycling with fish in the tank, i will not even be able to consider adding any more fish to the tank for at least two months.

The amazon sword is growing, and will provide some cover at least until the other plants start filling out. At that time i will look to see if there is a plant i can replace it with. Cory advised me that amazon swords are made more for thirty gallon tanks. Though i got the smallest plant that they had at petsmart (in the smallest of the containers)

[Lady Hobbs]

From what I have gathered from your posts so far, you have a Betta in an uncycled 10 gallon and a Betta in a 2 gallon.....both tanks not cycled? And in the 10 you have corys and had danio's that died?

First off, 2 gallons is not a fish tank. It's barely enough for a few shrimp. A Betta should have, and deserves to have, at least a tank he can swim in. And I noticed in another post were were thinking of adding another fish to the 10 gallon? Do not add anything to these tanks. They need to cycle and you need to stop playing with them so they can cycle.

You can not let the ammonia reach over .25 and even at that, that 2 gallon will get very toxic. Right now, I would be paying less attention to the plants than the fish because they won't live long in toxic water.

If you have corys in the tank gallon, then you do not want to have a frog in there. It will also eat shrimp.

[Shidohari]

From what I have gathered from your posts so far, you have a Betta in an uncycled 10 gallon and a Betta in a 2 gallon.....both tanks not cycled? And in the 10 you have corys and had danio's that died?

First off, 2 gallons is not a fish tank. It's barely enough for a few shrimp. A Betta should have, and deserves to have, at least a tank he can swim in. And I noticed in another post were were thinking of adding another fish to the 10 gallon? Do not add anything to these tanks. They need to cycle and you need to stop playing with them so they can cycle.

You can not let the ammonia reach over .25 and even at that, that 2 gallon will get very toxic. Right now, I would be paying less attention to the plants than the fish because they won't live long in toxic water.

If you have corys in the tank gallon, then you do not want to have a frog in there. It will also eat shrimp.

Lady Hobbs thank you for your insight. Updates are that the tank ammonia in the 10 gallon yesterday had dropped to .5. I did a 25% water change on both tanks yesterday and found alot of waste in the bottom of the 2 gallon.

The only thing in the two gallon now is my first betta, a mossball, and a betta shrine. I am pretty sure the waste was the factor for the ammonia. I will be testing the two gallon for ammonia again this evening.

The ten gallon has 2 cory cats, a double tail betta, green crypto and dwarf grass in front planting and two spaced azurelli plants for the mid planting, and a fake taller plant in the back left corner. Will also be testing the ten gallon again tonight. There will be no more adjustment to the plants in the ten gallon.

Yes i didn't follow through like i was supposed to with the ten gallon. The betta has been the only thing in the two gallon fluval spec so i thought i was ok with just him going into the tank without cycling. The ten gallon i should have cycled with no fish for at least a week, but i didn't follow through with that like i was supposed to.

And yes i was thinking about adding one or two more fish, but only in a couple months when the ammonia goes down to zero. If it doesn't go down to zero but stays at .5 then i won't be getting any more fish for that tank, it would just be the betta and the two corys permanently with all the plants.

I hope that takes care of some of your fears. Yes i admit i didn't do as i should have done and made mistakes. I have the tetra testing strip pair bottles for both ammonia and the multi strip from petsmart. I wanted to use the same ones they did.

If you have any other thoughts, please feel free to share them. I am willing to listen as alot of you on the forums here know way more than I do.

[bethyMT]

The ten gallon i should have cycled with no fish for at least a week, but i didn't follow through with that like i was supposed to.



Cycling is not something you can do in a week...it is a process, which I am not going to explain here. PLEASE read Lady Hobbs' stickies, in her signature. You need to understand what we are talking about here.

DO NOT keep anything in that 2.5 gallon. Too small for anything. On the bigger tank, any amount of ammonia is bad. You should be water changing like crazy to get that down to .25ppm or less and keeping it that way. If you have fish in the tank, any ammonia above that level is an emergency. You don't just "wait" for it to drop.

PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH. IT IS ALL LAID OUT FOR YOU HERE ON AC. PLEASE. We want you to succeed, but we can't help you unless you help yourself first.

[Shidohari]

Do you have a suggestion on what to do with the betta in my two gallon then? I cannot afford to purchase a 5 gallon tank at this time (i've been diagnosed with type two diabetes this week). This tank is advertised as a desk tank and the only other size tank in the upwards range that i don't think will be a weight issue is a five gallon (a five gallon would also fit on my desk in the spot my two gallon is)

He's a lovely spadetail and i don't want to give him up due to the size of my tank. Ironically Jack would have moved into the ten gallon tank if i hadn't seen Rose my double tail who is living in the ten gallon tank. Obviously I have to keep the two male bettas separate otherwise they will kill each other.

Please let me know.

[bethyMT]

Well, if he has nowhere else to go, you can keep him in there. But you have to watch the water parameters like a hawk, and do frequent water changes...I'm talking multiple times a week. Do you have a filter and a heater for him? I'd suggest you save your money until you can get him a 5gallon set up with everything he needs.

Type 2 diabetes is rough...you have a lot going on for sure. There is no shame in finding new homes for your fish, even temporarily, until you can get a handle on your new lifestyle. It will be a challenge taking care of yourself and your fish at this time, and you have a lot to learn about both with your health and the health of your fish! You have a lot of reading to do. Good luck! Remember, nobody here wants you to fail.

[Shidohari]

Well, if he has nowhere else to go, you can keep him in there. But you have to watch the water parameters like a hawk, and do frequent water changes...I'm talking multiple times a week. Do you have a filter and a heater for him? I'd suggest you save your money until you can get him a 5gallon set up with everything he needs.

Type 2 diabetes is rough...you have a lot going on for sure. There is no shame in finding new homes for your fish, even temporarily, until you can get a handle on your new lifestyle. It will be a challenge taking care of yourself and your fish at this time, and you have a lot to learn about both with your health and the health of your fish! You have a lot of reading to do. Good luck! Remember, nobody here wants you to fail.

Other than the Ammonia everything is acceptable. If i can afford to get it with my next paycheck i will try to get him a five gallon. I'll have to cycle his tank with him in it. (sucks that i paid 60 bucks for this fluval spec but this was me being a idiot and not doing the research like i should have). However if i can't (because i'm taking my cat for his winter bath and a redo on his sanitary shave) i will start changing his tank water at least twice to three times a week.

When i owned betta before in a tank smaller than the spec i never thought about water quality as it was my first fish. Now that i'm seeing through these two tanks how big a issue it is i'm eyes wide open now. The spec has a charcoal packet and a bio packet in the filtration system (not a biowheel like my ten gallon) to answer your filtration question.

Feel free to contact me in PM if you want to, or respond here as before. I'm always willing to listen, especially when i know i'm wrong in what i did.

[tate8]

Other than the Ammonia everything is acceptable. If i can afford to get it with my next paycheck i will try to get him a five gallon. I'll have to cycle his tank with him in it. (sucks that i paid 60 bucks for this fluval spec but this was me being a idiot and not doing the research like i should have). However if i can't (because i'm taking my cat for his winter bath and a redo on his sanitary shave)

Why does your cat need a bath? My cats clean themselves.

[Shidohari]

Why does your cat need a bath? My cats clean themselves.

He is nine years old and can't reach all the way back there. He cleans himself for the most part, and has a longer reach than when i got him (his previous owner gave him to my parents to bring to me at 16.5 pounds with lots of mats on his hind leg/rump area and gingivitis) Now he is down to 13.5 pounds and i have had him for two and a half years. vet put him on a diet of .25 cup of food twice daily.