Tank Mates for Drax? (The Last Time I swear!)

[DormDrax]

When reading I'm worried about my future tank mates for Drax...

Cory's are bottom dwellers... and Betta's are top dwellers...

Yeah this I think MAY be a problem for Drax...

Why?

Drax actually goes all over... often at the bottom in his cave (If you've read other threads where I mention this... I think he's plotting something in there because it's angled weird and the Java Fern obscures the entrance so it's hard to see in from where I watch) Anyway... He is often AT the bottom exploring around (Not sick, he just seems to like looking around, plus I think my filter spits out enough bubbles to the bottom because of my sponge shoved in it so that the water must have enough O2 to stay down there awhile, he seems to get preoccupied with exploring). So... Drax is an ALL over the tank fish haha.

Could this be an issue with Cory's?

Also I'm thinking of testing Drax with maybe a few Ghost Shrimp (I HATE transparent fish because you can see their insides) but I just want to see how he reacts to other creatures... would I need to cover any holes in the tank like around the Submerged vine... WOULD they try to climb out? Is that only if they don't like the water? Aside from the eerie-ness of them being see through the few I saw at the store looked healthy, I heard if they are very vibrant and almost totally clear they are healthy (When they are smoky, dark, blotched it means they are sick.) I heard they molt as well etc. I just don't want to seal up the tank holes and make it look unappealing (I'm an artist It's gotta be cleeaaaan).

Could I just go for it and get a Mystery Snail? The tank has dozens of shells so I feel that must help with the Calcium think I keep hearing about... I saw some really REALLY ornate Mystery Snails at PetSmart and I got really REALLY curious of them! Some really big ones and then like some little baby ones slowly cruising around the glass haha.

ANYWAY... could I get a few Ghost Shrimp and maybe a Snail? Would I have to get anything else? I mean I got those horrid flakes, pellets, and bloodworm's (Freeze Dried). Should I pick anything else up? I got all those plants so I feel that the Snail would have plenty to eat. BUT I saw some images on another site of a snail that had a bad shell (Really sad) that was developing holes (Wasn't the owners fault he had just got the poor thing that way and tried to save it (It died sadly). So it's like... I want to give my future snaily friend a great home with Drax!


Then as time goes on and school finishes out for the summer and Drax and the shrimp and snail are healthy THEN I'll add a sand substrate and try adding Cory's... I plan to do it just... going back to school soon and don't want to do this then put ALL the pressure on my mom to feed them and care for them. She doesn't mind feeding Drax (I think she secretly loves watching him) and checking the temp and turning his tank light from day to night (the night one just has a few dark blue lights turn on).

So if Ghost Shrimp and Snails wouldn't burden her anymore, I'd like to add them to just see how the tank works with more sensitive fish since ... apparently it's cycled haha. If the shells don't do anything for Calcium I'll pick up... whatever my snail would need for healthy shell growth.

So it's like I'll do everything ya all say, like... a few tips of how to pick out 'THE HEALTHIEST' Snail and Shrimp. Aside from I guess... Glass Like Shrimp, and a Snail thats actively moving around instead of sitting.

Then... how many Shrimp... is one snail fine... etc...

WOW I REALLY only expected to write a few comments but it turned into this HUGE curiosity rant hahaha.

Also to just cement this fact: My mom really likes the tank (Reminds her of the 15gal her father took care of when she was a little girl and how much she loved watching her Loaches) So it's not like I'm throwing it at her and she doesn't want to haha. So yeah she likes feeding Drax, and if she had to add something for the snail or shrimp I'm sure if it was like "Add 2 of this or 3 drops of this" she'd be fine (She actually thinks I'm starving Drax since I stopped feeding him so much so I'm SURE he'd get fed well) . She just wants nothing to do with water changes and cleaning haha which I will do on weekends, so the tank will still get a weekly vac and water change.

Then in the spring... I SHALL HAS CORIES! WOOT!

I CAN'T STOP TYPING! ARGH! So many more questions I want to ask!

Like how long till I know if those stupid TopFin plant bulbs are ALIVE or... just rotting masses in my tank? They've all got this silky white fuzzy stuff wafting around them... but like... yeah.

OK I'M DONE! NO MORE WORDS! HAHA I'll leave it up to you guys to try and figure out what I'm getting at XD

[Alex09]

I dont think you will have issues with your betta & cories simply because he likes to stay on the bottom. My female betta think's she's a bottom dweller and she never ever bother the cories.

I dont think that testing with ghost shrimp is a good way to test a bettas compatibility. I did that once back when I had my other male in the 10 gal and he killed the shrimp but he never ever bothered the other fish. Unless you have a heavily planted tank, i dont really think bettas and shrimp mix. Betta's just think shrimp are a snack. Snails should be ok.

I would get sinking shrimp pellets for the future cories. They can also feed your shrimp and snail I think. My cories LOVE Wardley's sinking shrimp Pellets. Pretty cheap too, a big container for only $4 at walmart. I only feed them ONE pellet a day. That single pellet expands in water and feeds my entire tank of ravenous fish: platies, betta, AND cories. So you have to be very careful to not overfeed with those.Just saying because from what I have read of your earlier stuff you are prone to overfeeding.

[shinybetta]

Shrimp and bettas make great tankmates! I have one shrimp who has lived 8 months and is Huge! Make sure to get a large shrimp, and shrimp love bushy things. I have a bushy live plant and the shrimp love it. The cories really annoy my shrimp by swimming strait at them. I put an algea wafer for the cories, and a betta tried to eat it, but the shrimp pulled it away too a cave

[DormDrax]

Um... how many shrimp and how do I deem healthy ones... this will be Petsmart and last time I was there (Getting the API Master Test Kit) I saw one and... he was crystal clear see through and seemed very active kinda big too... like probably an inch long. I hope it's still there haha

And yeah... the Anacharis is acting like a big Umbrella right now for a Quarter of the tank and part hangs down so thats a spot, the Anubias is good and the cave and Java Fern are good spots to hide if Drax gets devious.

And..... snail? Big one? Small one? Calcium stuff I need?

I plan on getting them tomorrow lol

[DormDrax]

Ok ok ok I just simply researched everything *Huffs*

Seems Ghost Shrimp seem pretty harmless and fool proof as long as I never use copper. Will keep the tank clean-er than it already is haha. Since Drax misses pellets now and again (And they fall to the bottom) seems they'll have plenty of chow (As long as they are quick since Drax does get wise and eventually search around the bottom and sucks up missed food. I plan on getting... well as many healthy ones as I can, maybe 10 (Read that some just don't make transitions well so always get more than you want). Also I read that if they have green spots... it means their healthy....... is this true? Because the one (well the only one I noticed swimming past the tank at the store) was very large, glass like and had a green area yet seemed very hyper.

May get 2 snails, I got DOZENS if not pounds of old shells (That arn't pretty but that was when I was little and when your at the beach you collect any shells ya find... cuz your a kid lol) So I read to help with Calcium, to crush some shells up and put them in a stocking. also... my PH 8.0 is prefect for them they like higher PH. I'll try to get 2 healthy ones *Researching as many pics as he can of how to spot healthy ones* So far it's... really to snag ones on the glass at the store which means their active and just... the safest to go for. (Even if inactive snails can also mean... they got plenty of food and don't need to move, or they become active at night. Or dead... hence active ones on the glass are best).

So yeah *Thumbs Up*

I also plan to get one of those Betta Logs I hear about, and I've seen them.

OOOH I'm gonna start thinkin up names!

Lets see... since I plan to stick with classy names... like Drax...

Heheh if I get 2 snails I'll probably try to get a male and female (I read all about breeding and that if your vigilant you can keep yourself from having a billion snails all over) I'd name them 'Lucy and Desi' LOL what? I Love Lucy was my favorite show when little! Maybe Lucy will get into Snaily shenanigans!

Shrimp names? Since they all look the same that may be hard lol but if any show any individualism I will.

[scootshoot]

I read a ghost shrimp article stating they will eat fish feces. *Sssurrrreee they did....*

But I am here to confirm they really help eat and break down waste. Just saw a glimpse of one of my ghost shrimp take a piece of fish feces and he was busy chowing, lol

[fishman12]

Snails: I would just really go for one snail. They can really reproduce, and you still don't know what they've been doing in the tank at the store...

[vaygirl]

Healthy shrimp are clear. If they're getting sick, or ready to molt, they turn white instead.

[fishman12]

Originally Posted by vaygirl

Healthy shrimp are clear. If they're getting sick, or ready to molt, they turn white instead.

What exactly is molting?

[shinybetta]

They shed their shell once thy get to large, and grow a new one. If they didn't molt they would outgrow their shell.