Female bettas

NecrochildK

NecrochildK

The oddball
Sep 20, 2006
35
0
0
46
Lafayette, Louisiana
Just joined and thought it'd toss in a pic. It's not too clear, but it's my three female bettas munching on dinner. And a silly tetra slipped into the shot. I know it's not good to feed them blood worms too often, but I haven't had the chance to get other food lately. Can anyone advise me on what would be good for a mix of fish such as the three bettas, a tetra, loach and newt?
3bettasah8.jpg
 
A great food for bettas is Attisons betta food. Good health food and my neons eat it like crazie. You will want to whtch your females as they may turn on each other and start fighting with each other.
 
I feed all my freshwater fish a staple diet of a cheap flake food. Add to that weekly or twice weekly (possibly even more than that sometimes, sometimes less than that) freeze dried tubifex worms, freeze dried krill and table shrimp. The corys also get shrimp pellets. I keep multiple bettas, a three spot gourami, 3 species of tetras, 1 specie (spelling?) of corydoras, danios, a few guppies and an otto (this guy still has enough algae in the tank to keep him happy - if and when the algae runs out, he/she is getting supplemental veggie feeding). This is probably a little lacking in the veggie department, but the fish aren't showing any signs of an improper diet and most of my fish are carnivorous/insectivorous.

Also, some things you didn't ask for:

Tetras are schooling species and need to be kept in groups of over 5-6 of there own species (although 4 may cut it if your kind of tight on space) to be happy and healthy.

The loach is the same, but, depending on what kind of loach it is and the size of your tank, it will/may get stunted in your tank and will not live a happy life nor will it be thriving. They are also scooling fish like the tetras. Some species are also rather massive fish - and run the risk of breaking some tanks. So, how big a tank and what kind of loach do we have here?

I'm also pretty sure newts, of any species, are inapropriate to be keeping with fish. I'd suggest you join a newt or newt related forum to ask about wether or not your newt is in good conditions if somebody more knowledgable than me on the subject of newt keeping doesn't chime in.

What are you doing maintenence wise on this tank? How long has the tnak been up? Did you cycle the tank before you added the fish? I apologive if you already know proper fishkeeping practices, but to many people think it's as simple as add water, fish and feed the fish everyday and I'd like to make sure your fish are in the best of care.
 
^_^ No apologies, Dorkfish. My tank is about six or seven years old. And I have kept newts with fish before. Certain breeds do just fine, especially if you have something floating on the top of the water for them to climb on every once in a while. Though I don't like plastic stuff in my tank, so I need to get a big water lettuce and lower the water level a little so it's not too close to the lid or the edge when it climbs on it. The tetra is an unfortunate survivor from the past few months when I was too weak and sick to clean the tank out myself and couldn't afford to hire someone to do it for me. He and the dojo loach were the only survivors. I have problems with a furlike moss in my tank. I've tried repeatedly to get rid of it to no avail. Some always gets left behind to grow again. The dojo loach has always seemed just fine and happy, though I can tell the tetra is bewildered without his buddies around anymore. I can imagine it was a frightening experience for him getting lost in all that moss and watching his friends die off. I feel really bad about it, but there wasn't anything I could do. It took the petshop guy two hours to get that tank clean. I have a seperate wet terrarium for a rainbow land crab that had needed cleaning as well, but it was fine with just one water changing. As for cycling the tank, it's something I've never really done, but my fish seem to stay healthy despite it. >_o Aside that time this past month the moss choked it out.

What else was there...? Oh yes, the three female bettas. They're doing quite well. Every once in a while one may chase another over a bit, but the tank is 29 gallons, they have room to give each other space and for the most part do. Even in feeding they hardly touch each other. I've had them in there for about four or five days now and none are showing signs of agitation, tiredness or damage to their fins. They often check out the bubbles the filter makes from spilling water around the small lettuce at the top.

One amusing thing I found about having a pleco with young water lettuce, is he often will swim upside down under them to suck the algae and stuff off of the roots. It's quite amusing, something I've never seen a pleco do.

I was debating getting a new african butterfly fish, but I'd worry about it trying to gulp the female bettas thinking them food going by when they go for a breath. That and I don't want to overload the tank. It's also the reason I haven't restocked two or three more tetras. I think I might move him to a smaller tank I have and put him some new buddies.

Heh, my land crab is moving around a bit in her tank now. I think she's quite happy to have clean water again. Hoping to get her a male companion this Halloween season. The petshop only carries them around that time due to them also being called Halloween crabs or Moon crabs. My previous one was a male and very laid back and easy going. This female is shy though, she hides a lot.

Anyways, I'm rambling now, sorry! ::poofs::
 
You sound like you know what your doing for the most part, actually you have more expierience than I do.

Actually, you unkowingly did go through the cycling stage in your tank - every new tank does, in one way or another.

I'd say if it wasn't for the unknown (to me, for the time being) pleco, you could easily add up to 7 - possibly more tetras in there without over doing it.

What kind of pleco do you have? If it's a common pleco, or any other large pleco species, you've got a stunted, unhealthy fish on your hands, or atleast you will if you don't get him into larger housing. One thing many people fail to realise- or know, is that common plecos (the ones usually found in fish and pet stores) should grow into a HUGE, two foot long fish if they are being properly cared for. Something I suggest you read through: http://aquafacts.net/showthread.php?t=406

As for the "moss", would it be possible to post a picture of it? I think I see some of it in the pic, but I'm not sure if that's it - however, I can tell you that you have cyanobacteria in there- something wich can take over tanks all too easily if left untreated. Cyano is gennerally cuased by a lack of nitrate in the water - so if that is indeed cyano you have, it would help me help you get rid of it if you posted your nitrate readings.
 
dorkfish said:
What kind of pleco do you have? If it's a common pleco, or any other large pleco species, you've got a stunted, unhealthy fish on your hands, or atleast you will if you don't get him into larger housing. One thing many people fail to realise- or know, is that common plecos (the ones usually found in fish and pet stores) should grow into a HUGE, two foot long fish if they are being properly cared for.
As for the "moss", would it be possible to post a picture of it? I think I see some of it in the pic, but I'm not sure if that's it - however, I can tell you that you have cyanobacteria in there- something wich can take over tanks all too easily if left untreated. Cyano is gennerally cuased by a lack of nitrate in the water - so if that is indeed cyano you have, it would help me help you get rid of it if you posted your nitrate readings.
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The pleco is a common pleco, though he's still very young, brand new. I've unfortunately never been able to keep one long enough for it to get big. Though if he does get too big, I am able to bring him back to the shop I got him from. They do house and sell much larger ones. So even if I can't take care of him when he gets older and bigger, someone definitely can. Not to mention they would be more than happy to get a bigger pleco back to them and sell it to a bigger tank owner for a higher price due to it's size.

As for the moss, just took a pic here. The readings though, I rarely ever test. Usually when the petstore worker comes to clean the tank for me he doesn't even test it. There's never been big problems with the water in our city, nor has there ever been any call for concern in the tank aside from the occassional problems of a bit of neglect due to my health. Plants and fish thrive, I feed them and clean it, and I generally have no problems. Just that moss showed up one day and it took over. I clean it out regularly to keep it under control, but aside from that, it just won't go away. Right now too, the sun has shifted and more light than usual comes in the window and it just went out of control the past couple months, along with a bit of algae growth. With recent health problems I wasn't able to handle it and the tank ended up almost completely occluded with both moss and algae. Financial situations have taken a turn for the better now though, so even if I'm not well enough to clean it myself, I can hire Ed to come clean it for me.

mosslc7.jpg
 
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I've never seen aanything like that, so I can't help you there. However, you do indeed hacve cyano vacteria on the back glass. It would be a good idea to occasionally (maybe once every 3 months) test, to make sure your doing enough water changes to keep your nitrate under/around 20 (if it's much higher than that, your fishes health could/will suffer).

One thing I'd suggest you do is to get one of these: http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp17959/si1317520/cl0/pythonnospillcleanandfill25

And possibly one/some of these: http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA.../magfloatmagneticaquariumacryliccleanermedium

Using those products, it would take little effort to do your weekly water changes and clean the algae off your glass. This way, unless, you've been put in the hospital becuase of your illness, or you can't get out of bed, you could probably still keep your tanks maintained if finances go down the drain. Or, even if that would be to much work while your ill, it is possible to set your tanks up on a auto water changer: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Krampetz_Automated_Water_Changing.html

As for the pleco, as long as your going to monitor it's growth rates, are going to give it supplemental feeding of vegetables and are comfortable with the rather large load it puts on your system, than feel free to keep it until it's growth rate slows (wich would be a sign of it being stunted by the less than ideal housing). Keep in mind common plecos are waste factorys, as they are somewhat inefecient at digesting there food, and becuase of that, they put out a lot of waste and demand a large amount of maintenence in order to keep the tank clean.

Personally, I wouldn't bother and would recomend against keeping any species of fish wich I cannot keep once it hits it's adult size, becuase I really get atached to my fish and wouldn't trust my LFS to sell one of my fishes to a good home.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll ask Ed about the products when I go to the shop later today. As for the local pet shop, there are several, the one I go to I've found to be easily the best of them all. It's called Pets Unlimited and it's a rather small place, but well stocked and employs very knowledgeable people for the most part. There is always at least one expert on hand. Which I normally do ask Ed when I have a problem and he almost always has a solution for me. Though the moss had him stumped as well. As for bringing a fish or the likes back to them, even if I get attached, I have no problem doing so with that shop. They really do take good care of all of their creatures, be it fish, reptiles, puppies, birds, kittens, anything. It's the kind of place you can see an employee walking around with a parrot or scorpion on their shoulder just to give the animal attention while they perform their tasks, some of such animals being permanent residents and not for sale. Before I did have to bring a chubby frog I had back to them. It's tank mates had gotten very ill with a flesh eating bacteria and both had died and I didn't want him to get ill and die too. So I brought him back to them. Ed put him in a hospital tank and monitored him to make sure he wasn't carrying it too, and a few months later, after good care, he found a new home.

Btw, about supplemental feeding, I had just been reading that thread earlier on proper pleco diet. I hadn't known that before and as soon as I read it I was excited to get some spinach for my baby. As for their heavy waste load, I've never found that too big of a problem, and I find them more than worth it. They have a certain attitude you just don't see in many fish. I mean sure, other fish will get excited, but when a pleco gets excited, those fins just go up and he REALLY looks excited! lol To me it's one of the cutest things to witness in a fish. When he discovers that one spot that has something really interesting in taste or feel to his mouth and just goes nuts over it, that's one of the best things to watch in a tank ^_^. Which I imagine it'll eventually get down to just my pleco and bichir in the tank and remove the other fish to another tank, or maybe later get a bigger tank just for them when they get larger.

I do have a larger tank a relative gave me, though it needs a good cleaning and proper filter and all. It's got a lot of mineral buildup that needs to be scrubbed off. But I think it's about 35-40 gallons. One of the long ones. The one I have these guys in now is 20"wide x 10" deep x 17" from bottom to hood. Rather nice eclipse system by Marineland. I love it. I need to replenish the plants though. It has one anubias that's kind of weak from when the tank was choked out. I imagine with time it'll flourish again as it always does, but I'd still like a bit more green and lively tank.

Oh, and I do have a magfloat. I just have trouble reaching the back of the tank, especially on that side as I have a terrarium perpendicular to it beside. ^_~
 
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