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Odd question

1K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  Meggie6347 
#1 ·
Hey everybody! I have a quick question for you all...(actually, probably not so quick....:oops:)

So I rescued a baby betta a few weeks ago...I think it was on the 17th of last month. Anyway, she is still here with me, getting brine shrimp most of the time, every now and then blood worms. (It is all I have right now...they are frozen, not freeze dried).

She has been hanging out inside a breeder net in my ten gallon since I got her. (Don't worry, I raised the temp to about 82). But he/she (I will just call it a she) has grown a bit (YAY). But I feel like she would like it better to not be stuck in a breeder net inside a bigger tank with just a few floating plants for her.

Today I wanted to completely redo my ten gallon. Move the wood I have in here down to one of my male betta's tank (because he only has one small piece) and put some new pieces of wood in this ten gallon..

The ten gallon has one half grown balloon molly (she is adult, but never grew to full size..I think she was the "runt of the litter"), 3 pygmy cories, 7 assassin snails, and 3 amano shrimp.

Just some quick information on my halfgrown balloon molly: She seems very lonely :cry: almost my entire tank was wiped out a long time ago by a parasite brought in with another fish. Every since then, she has been pretty much alone. However, with that said, she does not seem territorial AT ALL. When I added the pygmy cories (after being COMPLETELY on her own for a few months) she swam right up to them immediately. After watching them nose around in the sand looking for food for a few seconds, she then pretended to be a cory...no joke...she pretended to nose around in the sand just like them. She wasn't looking for food, she was just copying them. And she followed them around EVERYWHERE. We have also gotten to the point now where she will only eat what food they eat. :lol: Another instance: I cleaned out my old science teachers horrid aquarium about a month or so ago. I decided to bring home a sick platy and try to save him (no parasites or bacterial anything, just very unhealthy, lethargic, skinny, etc from horrible conditions). Anyway, the platy would just kind of hover in the same spot moving his body back and forth a certain way. Well....as soon as I put him in, what else did miss molly do but swim right up to him and watch him for a few seconds, then start copying him? She swam up right next to him, and started doing the same strange wobbling movement as him.

I shared that annoyingly long paragraph to show the fact that the balloon molly seems extremely friendly, almost desperate for some company. She and this baby betta have been seeing each other through the net for a few weeks, so they have gotten used to each other I think. On top of that, like I said, I am planning on changing the entire layout of the tank today, so there will be no territorial business going on...

With all that said, now comes my question (about time right?!) What do you all think about me releasing her into the tank and seeing how it goes? Of course I will keep a hawk eye on the tank. But I really wanted some opinions on this.

Thank you for any suggestions you can give me, or I can ask any other needed questions.

I am really sorry for such a long post, I just really don't want anything to go wrong. I love this little betta and I ADORE my balloon molly. :love:

Thank you all!
Meg
 
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#3 ·
Thank you very much for the quick reply! The balloon molly is barely bigger than the betta (besides the stomach on her that looks like it could burst at any moment....they are about the same length I believe).

I think I might try it then. I am also worried about feeding. I currently am feeding the betta about 3 times a day out of one of those medicine syringes...But I am sure I can find a way to still feed her in the tank.

If it doesn't work, for how long will she be okay in the net?

Thank you very much!
Meg
 
#4 ·
I would either cup one or the other for feeding-those small temporary cups some Betta are sold in work great for this-since they are usually small enough to float in the tank. I would cup the Betta-let her float and target feed her and once she is done-release. Soon you would have her conditioned to swim into the cup-especially with food rewards....lol....

As for how long she could live in a breeder net in the tank itself.....Forever, but not recommended....
 
#5 ·
Thank you so much for your help! And that actually sounds like a good plan, the cupping her to feed...because the balloon molly is also a pig and would eat anything I gave the betta...plus I don't want the balloon molly eating that much brine shrimp/blood worms.

I wasn't planning on leaving her in the net forever, so no worries on that ;-) I was just wondering because if the ten gallon doesn't work out for her, I will have to keep her in there until I give her a new home with a friend. But I would want her to grow out a bit more before I did that :)

Do you think that perhaps the fact that they have been seeing each other through the net for a few weeks, or even just the betta growing up in this tank, will maybe affect the betta to tend to be docile in this tank? Whether it's male or female? If it's male, will I have to remove it? Or once it's grown up for that matter?
 
#6 ·
we have a female crowntail in our molly/platy tank. she was barely big enough to sell when we got her, but she held her own just fine in there. she spent the first day or so flitting around flaring at everyone, but when they ignored her tiny little threat displays, she calmed down and just started harassing the pond snails. we never had a problem feeding her, she always got her fill, and never got bullied by anyone. she's now bigger than all three platies and one of the mollies, and is pretty much queen of the tank. long story short, if your fish have the right temperament, it's totally doable!
 
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