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Danios not a good match?

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  paxt0n 
#1 · (Edited)
I have read that it really depends on the betta, but according to Petco's compatibility sheet (if that means anything, coming from them - it's attached), they are "generally compatible."

Well, I brought three zebra danios home Friday night and I only have one left. :cry:

One of them was bigger than the others and bullied them around. I think he thought he could bully my betta, but quickly found out otherwise. After a short while, I noticed that one of his fins was ripped. I wish I would have taken him out right away, but I thought he could easily get away from my betta. Apparently, that wasn't the case. I found him floating around, but still alive. By the time I got a container ready to put him in, he had gotten sucked up against the filter intake and was dead. :-(

I guess the attachment is too big, but you can see the sheet here:
http://www.petco.com/caresheets/Fish/FreshwaterCompatibility.pdf

My betta had been harassing the other two, but they easily got out of his way before he could hurt them. Apparently, he must have snuck up on one of the others, because I came home tonight and another one of them was dead. This one looked like it had been eaten, as there was a big hole in his stomach.

I feel horrible about "sacrificing" two poor little fish to my betta, but I have taken the last one out and put him in a container by himself.

I would like to have some other fish in my 10-gallon, but I don't really want to keep "feeding them" to my betta.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what fish to get? I was going to get an ADF, but a guy at Petco told me they aren't good for new tanks. I'm about to head to The Fish Store. Hopefully, they will be knowledgeable and be able to recommend something.

If you have any suggestions, please reply ASAP, as I'll get an email on my phone when I get a reply.

Thanks for your help!

:)
 
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#4 ·
I just got some white cloud minnows from The Fish Store. They were surprised that my betta could catch the danios, but they said I "could try" the white clouds. These people actually seemed pretty knowledgeable. However, they recommended 50% water changes every week, for the first two months. One guy told me that ANY ammonia can kill a fish!? Yet the book I'm reading says it could spike to 4.0 before the nitrogen cycle takes care of it?

Re: dividing the tank. I already have it partially divided, to create a calm spot for my betta. For whatever reason, the danios just kept hanging out there, which is where my betta "chills". Even after repeatedly being chased away by the betta, they would come right back..

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on the minnows and "save them", if needed.

I will definitely divide the tank, if the minnows don't work.

Thanks for your replies!
 
#5 ·
he must be very territorial, and bettas are slow and graceful swimmers.........they dont usually tend to do well with fast swimmers such as danios and minnows........i think the fast movement really stresses them out

your guy sounds very aggressive, id expect to take them out before he attacks them as well.

if he can catch a danio, he can definately catch a minnow........might be fine a couple more days ........till his belly is empty that is
 
#6 ·
The minnows seem to be doing fine, after spending the night with the betta. He definitely doesn't want them around, or wants to eat them. He seems to be trying to hunt them. He'll "hide out" somewhere and then "jump out" at them, bu they dart away before he even gets close enough to bite.

Maybe the two danios that he got were slower than others, but the minnows seem to be MUCH faster than the danios were. They can do a complete lap in about half a second. I still have the lone danio in a container with just water. I might try to reintroduce him today.

I don't think I'm worried about the betta getting the minnows now, but I am worried about the continued "hunting". Will this be horribly stressful for the minnows and/or the betta? If so, then I'll definitely divide the tank.

I think it provides good exercise for the betta, and maybe he'll give up after awhile. I'm assuming the minnows don't like it too much, but it isn't a constant, ongoing chase...

I'm going to post another thread, sometime today, about some other things. I'll be looking forward to your advice there, as well.
 
#7 ·
Yes, I think if the 'hunting' goes on for much longer it will stress out all of the fish that are involved. I strongly suggest dividing it if things haven't quieted down in a little while... and I would probably give the betta a third of the tank and let the others share the other two thirds.
 
#8 ·
Just a quick update about the danio situation. I went to The Fish Store and purchased four white cloud minnows. I decided to put the sole surviving danio back in the tank with them. Everything was fine for about 24 hours, then I came home from work and the danio was dead. Same thing as the previous one - his stomach had been ripped open..

The white clouds are doing just fine, even though my betta still chases after them every once in awhile.

I also added two ghost shrimp, which are doing fine. He doesn't seem to bother them. When he gets anywhere near them, they poke him with their tentacles and he goes away.

The problem now is that I'm dealing with high ammonia levels, which is my own fault, for adding so many fish to a new tank. I've been chatting with some folks in the "other fish" section and seem to be getting it under control.

So, anyway, I guess danios are NOT compatible with my betta. He doesn't seem to like the minnows, but he is not constantly chasing them. I'll keep an eye on the situation and see how things go. I'll divide the tank, if necessary. (The Petco near me only sells tank dividers for 55 gallon tanks, for some reason!? I think I can just buy another one of the pieces of glass that I'm using to block the current and make a divider.)

Oh yeah! This morning, my Betta was laying down on the bottom of the tank, which I thought was odd. When he swam up, it looked like he had a pebble stuck between his pelvic fins, until it started moving and broke away. This is when I realized that he had just taken a big dump. LOL The thing was almost the size of his head! Is this normal? I'm used to seeing the string dangling behind a fish, until it finally breaks off. This was more like a big lump!?
 
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