Just finished cycling a new 10g tank at the office. Added live plants today and will add more tomorrow, along with a hide-y hole or two. NO actual animals yet. Water tested 0 for ammonia, low for nitrites and nitrates, this morning, will test again next week before purchasing fish/critters.
I haven't kept a betta in years, the last time I did this, they were kept in the old 1 G plastic containers w/o heat or filtration, but I've learned some, and this tank should be fully equipped to prolong Mr. Betta-fish-to-be's life.
HOB filter(baffled w/sponge method), submersible heater, thermometer etc.
I'd like to get a few cleaner-like tankmates, but am somewhat confused by what I am seeing about cory cats and shrimp. If Cories get to 3", and I get the 6 I am seeing recommended, my tank is overstocked immediately.
I've never kept a shrimp, the closest I've come is the big freeze-dried krill we feed our featherfin cat every so often....how many/what kind should I get with them?
I've also never had live plants before, and am interested to see what/how they do, too. :)
There are different types of cories. You can get pygmy cories, which are about 0.75 inches long so you wouldn't be overstocked with six of those, but they might be hard to find unless you buy them online.
Julii cories are a bit bigger at about 1.5 to 2 inches. Albino cories are about 2 to 2.5 inches.
Ideally, you should have six or more in a tank, but they can do well in a group of four. I have three in my tank (had four, but one mysteriously disappeared), and they're doing great.
You can get a small number of shrimp, but some bettas are very aggressive, and will attack them immediately. Other bettas might not attack them right away, but once they taste one shrimp, they'll learn that it's a delicious snack. In that case you'll have to have plenty of hiding places, and be prepared for dead shrimp as well as an overfed betta.
If you're interested in getting more low-maintenance plants you can get amazon swords, anubias, moneyworts, java fern and such. They don't require much light, and little to no fertilization. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread....ht=plant+guide is a great guide right here in the forums for plants. I suggest you stay away from the hornwort as they shed like crazy, and make a huge mess in the tank.
I am also very interested in this, as I have an almost identical problem. I have one male betta, and a zebra snail. I'll soon have a cycled 10 gallon tank with heater, filter, all that jazz. In it will be my betta and snail, along with anubias, stem plants, and java moss.
I really want variety and color, along with cleaner fish (just like Schwannsee). I've read about neon tetras, guppies, shrimp, and cories, but it seemes I can only have one of those four, and even then I'll be over-crowding. What can I do? The tank is already purchased, and it's used so returning it is not an option. Do I just have to give it up? xD
(sorry to invade your thread Schwannsee, but my question was so similar to yours that it seemed wasteful not to.)
you can check out aqadvisor.com to see if your tank is overcrowded. i've never heard any complaints about this website's accuracy and i use it and have had no problems. you can do different scenarios of fish and amounts. I have a 10 gal office tank. I have on betta and a mystery snail. I'm thinking of adding some ghost shrimp next. My other idea is to buy a bigger tank and start up a sorority for the office. Who knows?!
Thanks for the input! My LFS had only the big cories...and since the tank is less than 6 mo old, REALLY didn't want to sell me any, LOL.
Instead, on Friday I acclimated 2 Oto's and a betta. I tried very hard to resist, as I wanted to wait a bit on the betta, but Fluffy was irresistable. He's a multi-colored SD or HM.
One of the otocinclus discovered the joy of algae wafers today, and you can almost hear him going nom nom nom on his wafer. The other little guy is sticking to plants and the glass for now. :)
Fluffy is mostly ignoring them, though he gets curious when they stick themselves to the glass. No bitten fins on either oto or Fluffy.
you can check out aqadvisor.com to see if your tank is overcrowded. i've never heard any complaints about this website's accuracy and i use it and have had no problems. you can do different scenarios of fish and amounts. I have a 10 gal office tank. I have on betta and a mystery snail. I'm thinking of adding some ghost shrimp next. My other idea is to buy a bigger tank and start up a sorority for the office. Who knows?!
aqadvisor isn't good for stocking help, only compatibility help. :/
Believe me, it pushed me into quite the corner at one point.
and you know, i've seen conflicting advice as far as compatibility! seems to me that there is no solid answers for fish! lol i just use aqadvisor as a nice starting point. i've only got a betta and a mystery snail in a 10 gal. i figure i'm pretty safe as far as overstocking goes! I think good advice would be to see what people and aqadvisor says and then cut a few fish out. That way you won't be overstocked. I like to play it real safe.
Hi and congrats on the new tank, ottos are GREAT just a bit of advice, get a veggie clip microwave a bit of zuchini for 60sec and leave it in there about 15-30mins ottos love it. You might want to grab 2more ottos, also if your ottos pass away its not your fault, since most ottos are WILD caught and i've heard they use a type of poison or sedative to catch them which damages them
GOODLUCK and pics please.
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