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Future Community! Help?

2K views 24 replies 5 participants last post by  Sakura8 
#1 ·
Well, the moment my tank is cycled, I plan on stocking my 15G tank. I have some ideas and I need feedback!

My tank has a filter baffle for low current and a few live plants and 1 big plastic plant. There are also a few hiding places. Here is what I had planned:

-1 male Betta
-2 or 3 Ghost shrimp
-2 Mollys
-2 or 3 Platys

Again, it's a 15G tank (with filter) and so I'm not sure if I'm overstocking. The way I have my tank setup is favorable for a Betta fish. Can the other fish live in similar conditions (low current, 80 degrees)?

Most importantly, are these fish compatible? What should I look out for? Also are the any of these fish schooling fish?

Please feel free to offer constructive criticism and suggestions!
 
#2 ·
Mollies are very much schooling fish and get sick easily when not in large groups. I kept 6 together in a 20 gallon. Balloon mollies are deformed and live only around 6 months because of such bad inbreeding, and regular mollies get to be 2-3 inches generally. Keeping just 5 together you'd need a 15 gallon to themselves. The rule for mollies is minimum 20 gallons because of their size but also because they're very, very messy. Messy as in poop a whole lot! ;) I wouldn't add these fish.

All of the platies I have seen are way too bright/flashy to live peacefully with a male betta. I don't know anything else on them because I haven't owned them nor done research, so someone else can give you more info. I think these are schooling fish, too, though, someone can correct me if I am wrong.

Ghost shrimp should be fine, but your betta may want them as a snack! I would highly suggest moss, I have java moss, so your shrimp can hide and eat until they are larger than your bettas mouth so they'll live and survive. I didn't know I had mine, then one day, a couple emerged and were huge o_0
 
#3 ·
Alright then, Mollies are out of the question then. Any suggestions on what kinds of fish can work with my setup?

I was under the impression that since Platies don't have long fins the Betta wouldn't be aggravated as much.

What about a small school of tetras?
 
#5 · (Edited)
Awesome, tetras are cool :)

I've read that some tetras (neons) like to nip on Betta fins. What kind of tetras should I be looking for?

I will probably have some pictures of my tank up soon to give an idea of how the setup will look like.

How do you guys setup your community tanks with Bettas? Please share your experiences!!
 
#6 ·
Some neons will nip and some won't. It depends on the individual fish. You can also look for other kinds of tetras like bloodfin tetras or x-ray tetras, black neon tetras work too. Harlequin rasboras also are good community/betta tankmates. I think a big enough school will keep the tetras occupied enough that they won't be so tempted to bug your betta.

I quarantine all my new fish for at least a week in a small tank, then introduce them in. Right now I have four panda cory cats in my 10g with a female betta. I have four guppies and two more panda corys in quarantine. I may move my female betta out though because she doesn't seem to like the big tank. She gets stress stripes. Silly girl.

Cory cats make wonderful betta tankmates because they stay on the bottom and don't bother anyone. Only problem you might have is keeping your betta from eating all the corys' food. You could easily put four bronze or albino cory cats in your 10g. And they don't actually eat algae wafers, they're more carnivores so feed them things like shrimp pellets and Hikari sinking wafers.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Not many small fish are non schooling fish, see my 29g list? They are all schoolers, hence why I am moving them to the 45g lol

I have Swordtails, much like Platys. They are a wonderful LOVELY fish, I adore them with all my heart. But the one thing I would have concern with is.... Platys are too peaceful and are not fast on the swimming chain. Platys can be of nice colors, which might make them a target for Betta. They are so dopey, they would never be able to swim away from a Betta attack in time.

But they are a small fish, only 2" adult size. I am not seeing anything about them having to be in groups, I have 4 female swords and a male in my tank, they are quite happy at 5.

Tetras are a nice idea too, they can be fin nippy so be careful of types you look into. My Black Neons are sweethearts, as well as my Harlequin Rasboras. Glowlights Tetras are sketchy. My Red Eyes are fast and chase. Thankfully I have 6 and they only pick on eachother lol I am unsure of other tetras as I only learn as I go.

My Harlequins (the ones out of focus)


My Black Neons (top of picture, black/white stripe)
 
#8 · (Edited)
Cory Cats look stunning! I love the panda ones :D The rasboras are beautiful! They look like schooling fish like tetras, could be wrong :p

My tank has a pH of 7.8 (forgot to mention that >.>) I hear that tetras prefer neutral to slightly acidic water. Will they be able to adapt?

Also, I'm interested in Platies. If I get some less flashy looking Platies, will they be alright? Not sure if they're schooling fish either o_O

EDIT:

Your fish look gorgeous PitLuvs O.O

In that case, can I get swordtails with my Betta instead of Platies? I'm guessing swordtails are schooling fish too?

Also, what is a good school size? 4-6 fish? More?
 
#9 ·
Glowlight tetras!!!! Get them!!! I absolutely adore my glowlights. You can see one in Pitluv's 2nd picture - the fish with the orange stripe. I admit, they don't seem like much to look at, at first. But when they school, it's magical! They also have the smallest bioload of all tetras, so you can get a good number of them.

As for the water - my water has a very high PH and is very hard. They do fine. Most store bought fish can adapt to a variety of water types.
 
#14 ·
Your tank looks PERFECT for tetras! They'll love it!

Black neon tetras are gorgeous fish when schooled, especially against dark. They're cheap and stay small, too. Easily you can do 6-7 and a male betta. They have the cutest habits, too.

If you want cories, I would switch to sand. They like it better and they wont get cut up on the gravel.
 
#15 ·
I know right? Black Neon Tetras are beautiful!!

I was wondering how you would go about calculating how much fish a tank can hold. I know about the inch per gallon rule but the rule seems iffy to me.

I might have 5-6 black neons, 1 male betta, 2 or 3 ghost shrimp and MAYBE 2 or 3 Platies. Would that be too much?
 
#16 ·
I did some research and decided Platies are not the way to go :(

In that case I might just get a bigger school of Black Neons. So here is my new plan:

6-7 Black Neons, 1 Male Betta and 2 or 3 Ghost Shrimps.

I'm currently doing research on Swordtails and Harlequin Rasboras. If anyone has any suggestions or advice on these 2 fish please feel free to give them :)
 
#17 ·
The inch a gallon rule is a loose guideline, I actually don't use it much. And I have some aquarium books written by longtime hobbyists that have stocking options some 1 inch per gallon people would freak out at. But when you stop and think about it, a lot more goes into stocking than just space.
Temperament: aggressive fish need more space to be away from other fish.
Bioload: herbivores and omnivores have a smaller bioload than carnivores.
Schooling: schooling fish need big groups but comparatively little space because they stay together, not spread out like non-schoolers.

All that said, 6-7 black neons, 1 male betta, and 2-3 ghost shrimp sounds perfect.
 
#23 ·
With my cories and only one female betta, I feed her when I feed the rest of the bettas and around 6ish PM, I drop the cories' sinking food in so that it is soft enough for them to eat by the time they get moving around - they are diurnal/nocturnal so they are most active early in the morning and around evening through night. With my guppies, who are currently in QT, I sprinkle a few flakes on top and eventually they notice. Still perfecting how to feed them, I'll let you know if I come up with a better method.

Your tank sounds good. You could even drop down one or two degrees in temp if you needed to for the other fish. They'll be happy fish.
 
#24 ·
Well I visited a few pet stores today and none of them have shrimp or black neons :( I asked when they would get some new shrimp and neons; the employees had no idea.

So again, my plan needs changing a bit. I plan on getting 5-6 Rasboras, 1 male Betta and I'm thinking about 1 Panda Cory?

Again its a 15G tank, so I'm worried I might be pushing it. Will 1 Panda Cory be fine or do they prefer to be in groups? Also is 5-6 Rasboras enough to be a school?
 
#25 ·
Panda cories like to be in groups, so with 5-6 rasboras and 1 betta, you could easily have 3-4 pandas. And you should be fine, I don't think you're pushing it yet. All the fish you've chosen have pretty small bioloads and aren't aggressive or territorial (except the betta and usually only with another betta).
 
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