I own four betta fish. A three year old male who is doing just fine, and three females who share a decent sized tank. I have never used a filter with my male, so I figured that I wouldn't need one for the females. Am I right or wrong to do that? Some people have told me that all fish need a filter, but I can't really say I agree because of my male. Now, I'm wondering if I could put any other fish in the same tank as the females. Depending on your opinion of the use of a filter, what fish could I put in? Are there any fish besides bettas that don't require a filter? I'm sooooo confused at the moment.
I'm not sure about what fish would go well as i've always had mine seperated.
but with the filter part -- you dont need a filter for them, but if you dont use one you must be willing to do water changes often.
What size is the tank and how long have the females been in there? You shouldnt have any less than 10 gallons and should have 5 females in a sorority to cut down with the agression. Why dont you just add more females into the tank??
If you are looking for a companion for the male, i hear african dwarf frogs, shrimp and snails are good buddies for them, and im pretty sure dont require a filter either, and depending on his tanks size and substrate, you could also do some cory's.
You definitely need more females to make a proper sorority, but if you don't have at least 10 gallons you are going to need to just separate the females you do have or upgrade your tank.
I thought that african dwarf frogs were known tail biters? I might be wrong on that though...
I have a four gallon tank. The females have been getting along really well based on what I've been hearing. I actually bought 4 females in the middle of August. I put them in a tank together and the one I don't have anymore was really aggressive, and significantly larger.than the fish I have now. She used to nip at their fins and chase the others a lot. She jumped out of the tank as I was feeding my fish, and died two days later. I know how aggressive females can be from that experience. The three I have now are acting like community fish. Even when they pass by each other, they seem to not notice at all. I've never seen them chase each other or do anything aggressive for that matter. When I have the chance to observe them, I notice they spend most of their time swimming at the very top of the aquarium. The 4 gallon tank was just supposed to be a tank I was going to upgrade later, but my current seems to be fine. Now, I have been noticing my fish sometimes use the middle of my tank. I never thought it would take this long for my fish to become comfortable in the aquarium, but I can tell they are using more of the tank as time passes. Would I need a larger aquarium?
I put a filter in for my male, and he is in 29 gallons. but if you don't mind the water changes, then you don't need a filter. me? i just don't like hauling alot of water around so i filter it and haul less often.
I have been thinking. Since I would like to get more fish, I have made the decision to buy a 10g or maybe something slightly larger (I don't have that much room). Do you have a specific recommendation for an aquarium or a brand. Petsmart has a 10g for $12.99 made of glass. I feel as if the price is an indication on the quality. Most of the other tanks are above $30.
I only use glass tanks and have been for over 12 years now. I only use glass, I don't like to use anything else. There isn't anything wrong with acrylic or plastic, I just have a strong personal preference for glass. $10 for 10 gallons is about average. Not sure why 10 gallons would be over $30 unless they were a kit with a filter/lights/etc. If you can find a Petco $1 per gallon sale you can easily pick up a 20 gallon long, the ideal tank for a sorority.
As for their aggression, they still are not that old or probably even full grown yet. You can see in my siggy how big my girl got in a year. Those aren't two different fish, that is a before and after picture! So even for just 3 fish, even if they always get along, 4 gallons is going to be very cramped.
Thank you so much for that information! Sorry, but one last question. I'm used to a fairly small tank and I completely change the water every other week. With the 10g, how should I clean it? I'll have a filter at that time. I just think it would be unreasonable to completely change the water...
ADF's don't harm bettas on purpose they are basically blind and have tiny claws no teeth. My betta and adf get along, but if the frog thinks there's food infront of him/her he/she will try and snatch it. So it is possible but they def don't go looking for the betta. Also as they age they lose their claws I think..from digging in gravel
How often do you do partial water changes? With that many fish, you need to be doing partial changes at least every other day and a 100% once a week unless this tank is heavily planted.
Get a gravel vacuum and 5 gallon bucket and clean about 25%-50% a week and atleast one 50-80% change/month.
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