Sudden Change?

[tomorrowforgotten]

Hi, I posted a couple of days ago about my new fish Lyla. Anyway, at first Lyla was a friendly, non-aggressive fish. However, she refused to eat anything. Since then, I started giving her bloodworms and that is all she will eat. So since the food change, Lyla is a lot more active -- she's even making bubble nest! The sad part is, that now she is a lot more aggressive than she was before. She has two tankmates and if either one goes near her bubble nest, she tries to bite them. Any thoughts on the sudden change in behavior? Below is a pic of Lyla and her 'roommates':

[PewPewPew]

Firstly, what sized tank are they in?

[tomorrowforgotten]

Five gallons.

[PewPewPew]

There's your problem.

I wouldnt put a betta, even a female, into a shared tank of only 5 gallons. She cant get away from them! Theyre not as aggressive as males, per se, but the females still arent fond of company.

Also, platies need a bigger tank than 5 gallons just for themselves. I would upgrade to a 10 gallon just for them. That many large fish in a 5 gallon isnt a good idea :)

[tomorrowforgotten]

Thank you! The *knowledgeable* worker at Petsmart said it would be okay; he even RECOMMENDED I get the platies. I guess I should have known better. Anyway, no problem; I'll just simply have to go get a bigger tank or move the betta out.

[PewPewPew]

That would be great :)

Yeah- they uh...they dont know anything.

I would get your platies a 10g, no less. I dont really know how many platies should live together (some fish need a certain number of friends), so perhaps ask tropicalfishkeeping.com (youre a member, just use this site's name and password) and ask there.

You can keep the female in that tank, too- but if shes really aggressive in it, I would remove her.

For right now, in that 5 gallon with so many fish (a 5 gallon should really only have 1!) do a water change every 2-3 days of a decent size. Ammonia builds up quick when badly stocked!

Also, Idk if she s a female. Idk, theres just something about it that seems...male. Like, really male. I dont know.

[tomorrowforgotten]

I just did a tank change today, and added the water conditioner that was recommended by the same guy. (Let's hope he knew what he was talking about then at least) I have had quite a few bettas, but this is my first time housing them with another fish.

Also, I believe she is female. I can see a egg -- or something that resembles one -- poking underneath. The cup also said female, but we both know how reliable they can be. Maybe it's time I introduce her to my male Crowntail...who knows.

[PewPewPew]

introduce her? As in breeding? No, I wouldnt do that.

That's good- I would keep up with frequent changes until you can get a new tank. Any conditioner is fine, really- the biggest issue is the price per drops and if its just conditioner or dechlorinator.

The best price for the drops is 2 drops a gallon... which is what topfin and prime are. If youre using something like 10 drops for 2 gallons, its a bad bang for the buck.

Also, dechlorinator only removes the chlorine...not the damaging heavy metals, too. Conditioner does that :)

[tomorrowforgotten]

You're right. The last I attempted to breed bettas, the female almost destroyed the male. So, no, I shall not attempt that again. I also had mollies, who seem to just have babies out of nowhere. >_>

Anyway, I have tap water conditioner that says 1 drop per gallon to remove chlorine and detoxify heavy metals. 3 drops per gallon to detoxify chloramines.

[PewPewPew]

Not bad. :) That sounds like a good one. Good luck to you!