Betta in community tank

Glad your gouramis are getting along well. I probably just had a grouchy bunch LOL. Sorry to hear about your nitrite spike. Did you maybe get a little overzealous on a gravel cleaning? Maybe changed the sponges in your filter? Either of those can send the tank into a mini cycle. Water changes are good to help get everything back to normal. Prime can also help detox the nitrite for the time being to help ease the stress on the fish while your tank stabilizes.
 
I not only cleaned the gravel, i replaced it! I swamped out the substrate three days ago to laterite and sand. I have been doing 30-40% water changes in the AM and one in the PM to make sure that the levels aren't going haywire with that many fish. I added co2 last night for the first time and I thought I would be alright skipping a water change until this evening. Checked the levels at 9PM and nitrite was 0. So you are probably right, it is a mini. I did use some of the old sand from the tank and didn't replace any of the media in the filter (although it is a new filter, i seeded it with the biomax from the aquaclear I had before).

Did a triple dose of Prime this morning before I left just in case. Hopefull all is well when i get home (on the plus side, I haven't received a frantic call from my wife yet announcing the death of her favorite fish).
 
Yep, that will do it. I am notorious for getting a little gravel vac happy. Just keep up with the water changes and it should right itself in a couple of days.
 
I'm sure you could take out enough fish for it to work, but honestly, your stock looks like something you'd find in a 40 gallon breeder or a 55 gallon, even. Deffinately get some of the smaller fish into the hex.


Livebearers have been known to kill Betas...


Interesting. My endlers didn't kill any of my bettas, and neither did platies.
 
I have a betta and corys in a community tank. My betta is sorta medium-angry. He likes to steal food from my cories for a sec (he can't fit bottom feeder food in his mouth, but he tries!), but that's all. I'd say betta and corys and *maybe* platys would be cool.
 
I'm sure you could take out enough fish for it to work, but honestly, your stock looks like something you'd find in a 40 gallon breeder or a 55 gallon, even. Deffinately get some of the smaller fish into the hex.





Interesting. My endlers didn't kill any of my bettas, and neither did platies.
:iagree: 100%

I am thinking your spike may be due to an overstocked tank.
 
I think you all are probably right about being overstocked... now the key is to convince my wife that a new tank is needed hahahahaa. The seller on craigslist wants $75 for a 30 gallon tank with a cheap hob filter and a heater that is too small for that many gallons. I offered $45 and he refused. I still have a chance at getting the hex, but would need to be buy a filter for it... but that shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for all the information. If worse comes to worse, I can always return the platys to the lfs. My wife will be ticked off, as she picked them out.
 
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