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When can I add more fish?

2K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  GreenTea 
#1 · (Edited)


Triton's new tank
10 Gallon Tank:)
attempting to grow real plants.. :|

he needs some friends....?
the local Petco had neon tetras for 99 cents and I was considering buying 4-6 of them but I was wondering if it is too late because I added the betta first?
 
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#2 ·
Hi, welcome to the forum! Male bettas don't need friends :)

What he DOES need is a place to hide/sleep, and something to rest on, minimum. Bettas don't like to be completely out in the open like that, they need some cover. I'd take care of those needs before adding more fish. You could add a lot of plants and a hidey house and he'd be much happier than in the tank as is with tetras added.

Some bettas, male and female, won't tolerate tank mates no matter what because they're an aggressive species. Once you add adequate cover to your tank, you could think about tank mates. It's important to have a back up plan for the tetras if they don't work, and be sure to quarantine them in a tank away from your betta for two weeks before adding to be sure they won't bring any illnesses into your tank.
 
#3 ·
So, your tank is completly empy, except for gravel, not recommended. I would suggest you add all your plants in first, and let them QT in the 10 gallon for 2 ~ 3 weeks, since I'm guessing that's your only tank.

After your plants are done QT'ing you can try 6 ~ 8 Neon Tetras, see if your Betta shows aggresion, wait a couple of days, if he's still showing agression, put him in his own tank for a couple of days, re-arrange your 10 gallons decoration/plants into new positions to make the tank look different, re-add your Betta in. If he's still showing aggresion by then your Betta isn't compatible for a community tank.

So be prepared by getting a spare tank for your Betta, or refunding the Neon Tetras. :3

Hope that helps.
 
#4 ·
you can't see it but I have 2 small silk plants in the corner and I planted seeds to try and grow live plants as well. idk how that is going to work out. I already started pricing out already grown plants at the local PETCo if they don't work out. any suggestions for plants? and my boyfriend and I are also looking at a "betta log" ( I think that's what they are referred to ) to put in there. we don't have much for the 10 gallon tank because Triton was previously in a 1/2 gallon tank. Yes I realize it was way too small, but I didn't know until I stumbled upon this site! :)
 
#5 ·
It's ok, those bulbs sometimes dont work and petcos aquatics plants are sooo expensive! I know. See if there are any local fish stores in your area. For now, a few mugs will give him a place to rest and hide. You should still wait until you have the tank set up properly before adding fish.
 
#7 ·
Well oddly petco sells many plants that are "semi - aquatic" - not aquatic plants.

Moving on - The plants I use (aka ones I havent been able to kill) are amazon swords and java moss. Uh lets see...Camboba, Hornwort, Christmas moss...Any freshwater aquatic plant should be fine.

Certain plants need certain light levels too. I only have low, natural lighting available to me, so I picked plants accordingly. Just google freshwater plants and read up :)
 
#8 ·
Some plants that will grow just fine as long as you have roughly a 10watt flourescent light:
- anubias (sometimes comes attached to terracotta pots, which make great caves!)
- elodea/anacharis
- lacefern
- ambulia
- java fern
- java moss
- cabomba
- rotala

With anubias and java fern, you don't bury them, you tie them to something. The other ones, stick the end in the gravel and let it do its thing. Some plants NOT to get:
- gold ribbon
- violet
- mondo grass
- purple temple
- bamboo
These are all semi-aquatic and will die.

Some great tankmates for a ten gallon:
- pygmy cories
- ember tetras (small, peaceful, non-nippy, relaxed swimmers, not at all frantic). In a ten gallon I prefer them to neons.
If you do choose to add fish after you have decorated, I would remove Triton first, add in the neons, then put Triton back in. If you can, re-arrange the decor. This should help him feel like it isn't his tank and hopefully reduce any territorial issues. It won't help if he just plain doesn't like company, though.

Hope this helps. :)
 
#10 ·
hello all, just wanted to post an updated picture! I took your advice GreenTea with a hiding/resting spot. He enjoys it a lot and I found him resting on it this morning when I woke up myself! :) He even created a bubble nest is the corner of the tank (it made me really happy)

 
#13 · (Edited)
I tried the betta bulb plants from petco and they didn't grow but got moldy instead :evil: SO i got some amazon swords and water wysteria instead. They were buy 2 get one free with a petco pals card. So far, they do pretty good and I do not add anything special for them to the tank, just give them light. I like the wysteria because you can float it in the tank and the roots will grow downward from the plant. It gives the tank a more wild look and the betta loves to rest in them. But do be careful as to which plants you get, because as greentea said many of the plants petco sells as aquatic are not real aquatic plants - they are bog or marsh plants - the bottom is under water but the leaves are above water. Bamboo CAN work but it has to be tall enough that the leaves are not underwater.

Personally, I would be on the look out for floating plants. Eventually they will go on sale again. I think floating ones would work good with your setup as the top of the tank is empty and they will give the betta something to rest on near the surface :D

Aquatic stuff is $$ here, so I slowly add things to my tanks. If you have an ebay account, sometimes you can find live plants or decorations for cheap
 
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