betta tank ideas

[LincolnS]

I have a 29 gallon at the moment that i am cycling and was wondering as to what type of fish i can put in with female bettas. I came up with the following idea and would like your input on it (size/behavior issues):

(Still need help on the numbers)
Female Bettas (hopefully a decent amount of them as I have been infected with betta fever)
Corys (keep bottom of tank clean maybe a school?)
Snail (maybe 1/2 for variety probably apple)
fiddler crab (1)


could i put some pleco of some sort with them? or any other pretty/relativly active fish that would work?


Also its a fake planted aquarium..im not sure if that makes a difference

[willow]

hello and welcome.
the only input i can give is to stay away from the crab.
it will attack bottom dwelling fish,or anyother fish
that it can get it's pincers on.

[SeaSerpant]

I wouldn't get a pleco because they grow relativly big. i would buy an oto. they won't grow bigger than 2 inches.

[rustyness]

female bettas as the "showcase" fish

a small school/shoal of corys for the bottom

maybe some danios or tetras that won't be too nippy? they would help to give the center of the tank a bit more action and won't take away from the beauty of the bettas. or indeed otos.

[LincolnS]

thanks for the help. How many Bettas would you get? I heard 5+ was required for any sort of coherence in the tank.

What kind/how many tetras would you suggest(ive already had neons)

Otos should be in 3+ right?



So say

10 female bettas? just a guess
7 corys
3 Otos
1/2 Snail

that sound good behaviroly and stock wise? :) thanks again

[rustyness]

10 bettas in a 29 gallon tank seems like it may be a bit too much for me, but then again i dont really know a whole ton about how well they get along in difference sized tanks since ive only ever had males..

[Falina]

Originally Posted by LincolnS

thanks for the help. How many Bettas would you get? I heard 5+ was required for any sort of coherence in the tank.

What kind/how many tetras would you suggest(ive already had neons)

Otos should be in 3+ right?



So say

10 female bettas? just a guess
7 corys
3 Otos
1/2 Snail

that sound good behaviroly and stock wise? :) thanks again

Stick with perhaps 6-8 bettas. And go for a full snail, rather than a half.

[tophat665]

Go with more ottos if you can, particularly if you can site the tank so that it gets some sunlight and you can get some algae growth. Two reasons for this: 1) Ottos are shoaling fish every bit as much as cories. They even behave a bit like cories in a large enough (5 to 7) group. Even breeding is similar. 2) Ottos can be delicate. If you put a dozen in the tank, you can be pretty sure you'll end up with between 6 and 8 unless you are very very lucky.

So, 10 female bettas, 7 cories, 5 to 7 ottos, 1 whole snail (Go with Mystery rather than Apple if you can manage. Mysteries stay under golf ball sized, but apple snails can get apple sized) not 2 unless you want to either breed them or regularly pick the egg mass off the tank walls (it's like a lumpy piece of chalk).

I'd be sure to add some driftwood to the tank - the Bettas, Cories, and Ottos all like slightly acid, lightly tannin stained water, and plant it well. Use Crypts, sags, pennywort, hygros, java moss, Java fern, and/or anubias (those last three need to be attached to rock or driftwood rather than planted). Those all handle low to moderate light well, are easy to grow and plant, and are easy on the wallet. Having a well planted tank will improve your water quality and make your bettas and ottos feel more secure, and therefore more likely to be out where you can see them. Finally, make sure that you hardscape so that there are at least two, preferably more places that your cories can get under hard cover (caves, projecting rocks or wood, flowerpots, pvc pipes) - the security of having cover will make them less likely to hide.