10G Split Betta Tank~Help Please

[palmbreeze]

I have a love for Betta's let me tell ya, and I can't live with just one Betta. With the inspiration of EMG and reignman40, I'm thinking of spliting my 10G tank into two.

I have three White Clouds, two Harlequin Rasboras, one male Betta, and one Clown Pleco. And then of course there is my snail infestation.

So....I'm thinking if I split the tank in two...what about my other fish? I was thinking I could have a tunnel big enough for the small fish to swim through, but not so big that Betta could go through? (Good/Bad idea??) What about little clown pleco? He is obviously too big to fit through the small fish hole. So...could he live on one side and then I could get another small pleco for the other side? That would be five gallons for each pleco. Would that work?

What about filtration? Would I just leave one filter on one side and allow the water to flow freely through both sides?

Thanks!

[Emg]

You might want to get another tank....lol....

for your snail infestation....maybe a yoyo loach will help there. They love snails and don't get more than 4 inches. They can also do well by themselves unlike other loaches which prefer to be in a crowd.

I would setup another 10gallon if you can and divide that one for bettas.... You can put a couple of smaller cories in each side for bottom feeders...(pandas don't get very big)....and a few white clouds on each side for added interest.

Stock slowly and use some water and gravel from the tank that's setup...seed a box or sponge filter in the tank that you have now as well...that way the new one will have a good headstart on the cycle. (make sure there are no snails or snail eggs on the filters or anything else you take from that tank...there won't be any room to add loaches to your betta tank..this list is a bit tight as it is)....and I would add the bettas last....after you are sure the tank is cycled.

[palmbreeze]

I really would like to keep my current setup. I'm really poor right now and I don't want to add another tank just yet. Anyway I could use my current tank to do the split setup?

[Emg]

You could, but you already have quite a few fish in there already....If you do...I wouldn't add any other fish except the other betta you want to get.

Pick which fish you want on which side and don't try to make a tunnel...the betta will surely try to get through and probably injure itself. The pleco on one side..the rasporas on the other.

[zazz]

if the raspboras could fit through a tunnel, the betta probably could. its surprising what a small whole they can fit through. I'ds kip the tunnel also

I have had a betta and three white clouds in a 5 gallon and I wouldnt go ANY more than that. Maybe the Rasboras and pleco on one side, white clouds on the other. even then, with hiding places for the pleco when its full sized, it sounds kind of crowded. I know they have ten gallons of water, but still...
that's like 13 inches of fish when they grow and the pleco is fairly good waste producer, and none of them has more than a 5G worth of swimming room...
up to you, of course. but I bet for under $10 us you could get a cool 2-3 gallonish glass container at a thrift store, a little filter AND a betta. It would be in an un heated bowl, for now, but if you have a room in your house with steady temp it could work. Just something to consider.

[reignman40]

You could set the split up for a 2.5 gallon section for just a second betta, then leave a 7.5 gallon section for your other fish. It would be cramped but it's more do-able then trying to fit them in a 5 gall section.

Just a thought.

[palmbreeze]

I do have a spare 5.5 gallon tank laying around. I could use that and split it. I like the idea of the Bettas being next to each other. Any ideas if I set that one up? What other sort of fish I could add ect?

[jaylin]

You want to be careful putting bettas next to each other. If they can see each other and spend a lot of time flairing out ... that's stressful to them. I think it's just plain cruel to put betta's where they are always looking at each other. If you have a see through divider, at least provide some areas where they can hide out.

In a 5.5 divided, I'd do two bettas and leave it at that. Maybe add a mystery snail for kicks.

[sumoschro]

Actually its really not that stressful for bettas to be next to each other. In fact in more ways its better and healthier for them to have someone to interact with, rather than sit in a vase or aquarium alone all its life. The 5.5 gallon would be great for that. Not only is it better for the fish, but it helps bring out your bettas true color and flare.

[jaylin]

I think I said hiding places, not isolation.

[sumoschro]

I know what you said. But a lot of flaring and stuff like that isn't stressful to them. As far as what I was saying about isolation, I was talking in general, not to what you said. My parents keep bettas alone all the time, and I keep telling them they should put them in a divided aquarium. But they are smarter than me at everything...They're my parents afterall :D

[zazz]

( I hate to side with your parents, but)
actually I believe that flaring all the time Is physically stressful to them. It means they aref eeling threatenned and ready to fight and that is a stressful state. In nature, they seem to find small territories and like to keep everyone else out. except the occasional female for a Short time.
Lots of times in the split tanks,though they stop flaring after a while.maybe plants or something so they are not in constant view of one another might help.
I think splitting the 5.5 and keeping the rest of your fish in the ten is a way better than trying to do them all in the ten.
You could not add Any other fish. Maybe an african dwarf frog, or a snail in each side with a betta.

[sumoschro]

Yeah I think any fish, whether it be a betta or a botia should have a place to hide. However as far as bettas feeling threatened when displaying? I don't believe this is true.

"A researcher took two male bettas and went to the middle of a large lake. There he released them. Having all the space in the world, what did they do? They proceeded to flare at each other and fight. Go figure. I concluded that fighting is not linked to territoriality when it comes to betta. Nor does either betta seem to want to get away. More like a nasty bad habit. Or maybe an addiction?"
-----------------------------------------------
ANYWAYS: Your bettas should definitely be put separate from the other fish. there's simply not enough room. They would benefit from having some floating and rooted plants in the aquarium as well. Most anabantoids love a floating plant to hide under.

[Emg]

You want to be careful putting bettas next to each other. If they can see each other and spend a lot of time flairing out ... that's stressful to them. I think it's just plain cruel to put betta's where they are always looking at each other. If you have a see through divider, at least provide some areas where they can hide out.


Actually, that's not true....all of my betta have betta neighbors. And they do flare and make faces at each other at first, but soon get used to the guy next door and basically ignore each other. But I do find that when they have a neighbor they are more alert and active....not flaring at each other, but just swimming around and showing interest in thier surroundings. Unlike most lone betta that I've seen that usually end up just hanging listless in their bowl without much activity.

I have 20 betta by the way...all healthy, active and well cared for. Two of the oldest I have had for over a year and a half....which since most are at least a year old before sold in the stores...that makes them almost 3 years old....and still as active as when I first bought them.

[Tetras_Rule33]

I want a betta, I was thinking of getting one with a small fish bowl. Just because I feel bad for them at the store in little cups.

[zazz]

My lone bettas in 5 gallons are happy* :) . EMGS bettas with neighbors are happy. :bowing:
Some bettas in some community tanks can be happy. :cool2: Bettas in bowls are often listless.(not happy) :(

Constant flaring is unhappy.
Having neighbors does Not equal constant flaring.

* 'happy' = healthy, responsive, active, long lived

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

Personally, I always keep my Bellas in gallon jars in rooms with an ambient temp of atleast 75....No substrate and water changes and vaccuming (Mr. Turkey baster) every other day. My question is though, why do you want more fish, when you cant house the ones you have? Male Bettas ALWAYS do better in still water or extremely slow moving water...Those 2 gal. filtered jobbies are death traps for bettas...Regarding the neighbour things, i housed 200 side by side with no probs...Infact it is beneficial for the males when it comes to finnage growth and development..A reason to strut their stuff sort of speak...

[jaylin]

I have 20 betta by the way...all healthy, active and well cared for. Two of the oldest I have had for over a year and a half....which since most are at least a year old before sold in the stores...that makes them almost 3 years old....and still as active as when I first bought them.

I had my oldest betta for close to 6 years old before he died. Using your logic, he was closer to 7 and a half years when he died, he was in a vase with a plant ... and still active up until two days before he died. With few exceptions, most of my bettas easily live for 4+ years and unless I get lazy, they stay really active. I've been keeping them for over 20 years. Currently I only have two, but that doesn't mean I don't know my bettas.

Pthththhth! :rolleyes: (I'm playing with you.)

And I have to say this, if you bring home two bettas and stick them in a tank together where they can see each other all the time ... they'll flair for two or three days without a lot of rest. That's just not healthy. And in my opinion, it's cruel.

And the "lake experiment" is an urban legend.

[Emg]

My bettas never flared constantly for days straight......and don't worry...lol....I don't take offense... ;) that's just been my experience with them....your experience may be different and that's ok... :)

[reignman40]

Mine did flare at each other off and on the first couple days. Nothing near constant though. Maybe for a minute or two tops, then they would ignore each other for a while. They still flare from time to time but in general I think all 4 compartments in my split tank have decent cover. I have a female in the compartment that has the filter because females have smaller fins and the current isn't as much of a big deal to them. All in all however they all seem happier and healthier then they did in their individual 2 gallon tank or vase or what have you. They swim around more, their fins fan out more, not droopy as they were in their previous homes.

Just my experience, however admittedly this is my only experience with bettas. Not near the years of experience others have.

[khombre]

speaking of bettas i have a question..

are they compatible tankmates with swordtails, mollies, or platies?
thanks to anyone who will answer :D

[sumoschro]

they're compatable *in general* with short finned, non fin-nipping fish. It will compete with other "flarey" fish and this happened to me once in my naive 13 year old fish keeping days...The betta lost.

[jaylin]

speaking of bettas i have a question..

are they compatible tankmates with swordtails, mollies, or platies?
thanks to anyone who will answer :D

My experience is that it depends on the individuals. I've had bettas that did fine a community tank, I've had some that beat up on other fish and I've had some that have gotten beat up on.

Though, I used to do the betta/swordtail combination quite a bit and if I recall correctly, they didn't seemed to bother each other too much. Female mollies can be a pain with any fish and I was never a big fan of the plattie (they looked too much like swordtails .... ), so maybe someone else knows more about them ...

The biggest problem I've had was with mixing bettas with guppies.

(And I always take a little time to play with my bettas. Maybe that's why mine didn't just drop all the time when they were in smaller containers.)

[gryfkat]

I had a 50 gallon community tank, with a school of silver tip tetras, some cardinals, some bleeding hearts, a couple of fancy corys, a small bristlenose and a huge pair of retired/culled marble double veiltail angels. I also had one red and one lavendar cambodian betta male in the tank. They would flare if they saw each other, but basically had territories on opposite ends of the tank. I never saw them fight. It was a planted tank with plenty of structure, wood, some piled up rock, etc. The red betta hung out in a big clump of cabomba and the cambodian stayed in some corkscrew vals that were long enough to lay along the surface of the water.
I also had a 55 that had 5 oscars, a 19" clown knife, a 20" black ghost, an Armatus spiny eel about 25" long and several catfish, a TSN, several huge striped doradid cats and a snow king pleco. I was able to keep all that rough stuff in there because I did 4 times a week 70% water changes. I generally fed feeder goldfish, feeder livebearers and some tetra tabimin and spirulina wafers for the catfish. They basically just kept growing after being introduced as babies. The eel went in there at 5" long, for instance. I worked for a fish wholesaler in West Haven, Ct. I did eventually move 4 of the oscars to 2 other 50's. They paired.The other oscar stayed in with the bruisers.
I actually spawned both pairs of oscars many times. They basically paid the rent on the apartment. I also seperated the angelfish pair because they were trying to spawn in the community tank. I gave them their own 30 gallon tank and fed them mainly live brine shrimp and some occasional daphnia, if the boss got some in. I'd get a couple of hundred angels at least once a month. I'd get upwards of a 1000 oscars at least once a month. I'd sell the oscars at about 1 and 1/2 " to the wholesaler I worked for. The angels went at around the same length.
I wound up working nights as a cook in a big restaurant, and worked mornings at the fish wholesalers. I did tank maintenance all afternoon once the fish started spawning, so it all worked out.