Questions re. Scarlet badis

[TLe041]

Hi guys,

I'm planning on adding a couple of Scarlet badis to one of my planted tanks. The current inhabitants are 5 CPDs and about 25 RCS. Hopefully they'll get along with my CPDs, who are pretty shy to begin with.

From what I've read so far, these guys seem to be picky eaters. I'm hoping to feed them NLS small fish formula supplemented with frozen bloodworms every couple of days. I'm also hoping they'll help control the RCS population by snacking on the shrimplets (CPDs don't seem to be too interested).

I've also read that females seem to be nearly impossible to find. I'm not too keen on breeding them, so I'm more than happy to get all males since they're much prettier anyways. Is there going to be an aggression problem if I get all males? The tank is only 6 gallons in size but it is heavily planted with rocks and wood for hiding places.

Also, it's recommended that the water chemistry be soft and on the acidic side, but my tank water is the opposite. Is this a major concern or can they adapt with proper acclimation?

Thanks in advance for answering these questions! :-D

 

[msjinkzd]

I think bloodworms will be much to large to feed them unless you plan on shaving them. These fish have a strong predatory instinct for feeding. They will readily eat baby brine shrimp, white worms, microworms, etc. They will also often take golden pearls. They are not particularly interested in food that doesn't move, at least initially.

As for the tank size, they should do fine.

 

[shewolfgeo]

I have a 20g long planted, with 10 males. (As far as I can tell they are all males) They do fine together, don't chase each other much at all. My water is somewhat hard. I drip acclimate mine for a few hours to my tank before they were add. No problems.

I feed mine microworms, golden pearls, and sometimes they'll hit flakes. Rarely.

 

[Death Pony]

I'd go with one male in the 6 gallon. I tried 2-3 once, they beat each other up constantly. They're small, but they can be really mean. I tried adding cherry shrimp with them. The large female only lasted until she molted (less than a day) before I found her bitten in half. I didn't have an established population of shrimp though, so your experience might be different.

Have live food ready just incase they don't go for the baby shrimp. They will eliminate any worm problems.