Problems with 5 gallon aqueon-questions and bettas

S

spartanalia

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Apr 12, 2010
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Hey Guys,

So I have been having problems with my 5 gal setup. First I bought a betta. Things were good. Then I added a cory and the betta attacked it, so I bought a new 1 gal for the betta. Then I tried to add neon tetras and three died in one day :(. So I took back 2 corys and the surviving 2 neon tetras. The Petco SA told me it would be fine.

I learned my lesson and will only put a betta in a 5 gallon. But I was wondering if it would be safe to house a male and a female together?

Any other suggestions for a 5 gallon? I have 3 plastic plants and one silk. I am considering replacing the plastic with silk... that way I can justify buying a 20gal tank to fill with neon tetras!

Thanks!
 
Was the tank cycled when you added all the fish? How did you acclimate them? Cories and neon tetras thrive in a school, unfortunately a 5 gallon tank is too small to accommodate adequate numbers for schools of these fish. A 5 gallon tank is also too small to house a male and female betta together, it will surely end in death of one or both of the fish. Here is a thread for some stocking choices for a 5 gallon:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-97203.html

Silk plants or live plants are better choices for bettas, as plastic plants can be sharp and shred fins. If you are looking to spruce up the tank, consider learning about live plants and trying a few out. Tinkering around with plants is a great way to stave of "must add new stock to my tank"-syndrome. Always research before you buy, this includes plants AND fish.
 
spartanalia said:
But I was wondering if it would be safe to house a male and a female together?
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no! one will end up dead, most likely the female due to the male killing her. i highly advise against this!
 
Putting a male and female betta together results in death.. the only exception ussually is if you are breeding them and have set up optimal breeding conditions. Even then, the personalities of the specific fish may preclude even that. For the safety of the fish, I strongly urge against putting a male & female betta together!!

IMHO, 5 gallon tanks are not suited for much other than a single betta, or a shrimp/snail tank. I learnt this lesson the hard way myself! Normally, bettas are fine with cory cats (I have 3 different tanks with bettas and cory's together.. but none smaller than a 10 gallon now).. so I wonder if the Betta attacked your cory just because of the tank size?

Good luck!
 
As stated, you cant have a male and female betta except to breed.

I keep tiny peaceful fish with my male betta and it's fine. Schoolers and pygmy cories in a 5.5 gal. He's a wimp.

I've heard that bettas can have different dispositions...some aggressive, some more passive. Other good advice has been to add the betta later, after the other fish, so that he doesnt become territorial of his own space.

I would definitely pay attention to those asking you about cycling the tank. Neons tend to be overbred and die like fleas. Also, are you familiar with ways to gradually acclimate new fish to a new tank?
 
No, I don't know how to add fish! It's been 10 years since I set up my 75gal saltwater reef, which was actually far more successful than my 5 gal. I'm learning that keeping a small tank is harder than a large one! My first mistake was not going the extra mile and buying a 10 gal set up. I used to add only one fish every 2 weeks but I thought freshwater fish were more hardy. I don't really know anything about freshwater...

... I am seriously considering just having a shrimp tank. I have two ghost shrimp right now and they're great! Can I add some cherry shrimp to it? Then I'll probably just get a second betta. I bought the first betta it's own little one gal tank/filter set up and put him in a warm room. He loves it!
 
I have a 5 gallon invert tank and it's really nice. You can have a lot of diversity without adding much to the bioload. I keep both shrimp and snails and it is a fun tank to watch. That's one of my snails in my avatar!

I think cherry shrimp would be great. Also with a tank that size it's pretty easy to light so you could keep some easy plants live java moss, anubias or java fern. The shrimp will appreciate the plants and will spend all day picking at them.

There is some debate on whether you can keep ghost shrimp and cherry shrimp together. SOme work out fine some ghost shrimp are overly aggressive and will try and eat the cherry shrimp. I think the problem is SO many shrimp out there are labeled as ghost shrimp that you can't be sure what you are getting. If it was me I would stick to cherry shrimp.
 
neons need to be kept at a temp of 82 degrees to live...
i imagine ur 1 gal betta tank wasnt heated and thats why they died...
u should be able to keep fish with him in a 5 gal as long as its heated,
1 gal is a tight squeeze to keep a bettas agression to a minimum..
 
IMHO, a one gallon tank is not a suitable home for ANY fish!!! It's a bit like forcing a person to live in a closet.. barely enough room to move or turn around, no room to swim, and the water conditions in such a small tank are very very hard to keep stable.

I would suggest putting your betta in the 5-gallon. That is the smallest tank I would ever keep a betta in! He will stand a chance at a much longer and healthier life than in a tiny little one-gallon.
 
BettaFishMommy said:
no! one will end up dead, most likely the female due to the male killing her. i highly advise against this!
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agreed. Multiple females can often be kept in a group if the tank is large enough. However two males should never be added to one tank. And the only time a male and a female should be in the same tank is if you are breeding them, which is a semi-complex process that can still be dangerous to the female. Once the mating is completed the female must be removed from the tank or a divider of some sort separating them. (the male takes care of the eggs after breeding. he creates a bubble nest for them.)

As with housing bettas with multiple species, I personally would reccommend a bigger tank for that. It really comes down to the individual betta as to if he will accept roomates well or not.

I've owned one betta that was kept in a 45g with mollies, guppies, goldfish, etc. and was fine. He would actually swim up and around my hand when I placed it in the tank. Then again, I owned another betta that would brutally attack any other fish that got near it. He was in a 10g though and if you ask me had a bad personality.

I'll also have to agree with the others in that you must make sure your tank is properly cycled (usually I let it run through for 2 weeks to a month depending on the setup).

As for adding new fish for freshwater. Usually letting them float for 30-45 min in there bag is good enough. But to really ensure their health, I would still open the bag, clip it to the tank, and slowly add the tank water to it during the 30-45 min time span to ensure that not only temperature, but water parameters are acclimated for the fish as well.
 
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