Compatible Tank mates.

[Nu2Fish]

I just lost one of my Bettas, Perriwinkle. It looked like she was injured on her backside. I had segregated her when I saw she was gimpy, but she died tonight. The other fish seem to be doing okay...three Platies and one Betta, Penelope.

I think the probelm is that the fish I get are from WalMart. I work there and see the terrible conditions the fish are kept in. We just got someone in who now cleans the tanks and helps to take care of them, but it is a bit too late.

We have lost all the Green-Spotted Puffers (they got sucked into the filtration system and died), most of our Plecos, alot of our Goldfish and most of our small Black Moors have the Ich so bad the meds aren't helping them.

I think when I intriduced the Platies to the tank, it gave something to the Bettas.

I think I will never buy another fish from WalMart. I've even had customers complian that the fish they buy from us are sick and die within days.

quote=emeraldsky;909835]I would take one out, females bettas are a bit wonky, they can behave totally fine then snap one day and kill the other girl. Ive had my sorority established for almost 2 months and just lost a girl yesterday because they decided they didnt like her anymore.

Definitely read up on sororities since thats what youre planning on doing, you need a TON of hiding places and specific ways to introduce your girls to the tank.



For your platies, do you know your male to female ratio? They work better if they are in 1 male for every two females. Its all good if you got 1 male and 3 females, but if you have more than one male, then the females may be harassed by them for breeding.



Ive been using play sand, its super easy to clean and you can get a 50lb bag at store like home depot or lowes for 5$

MUCH cheaper than pet stores X)[/quote]

[Sena Hansler]

I've moved my females. I put the two sisters together and the other two sisters together, just for the short 5-10 minute drive. But the closest sisters, Marge and Tina had a scaff and Marge now has a wonky dorsal fin x.x lol just shows doesn't matter if they get along they can always have a problem depending on environment, territory, stress factors, etc :)

[Nu2Fish]

My bettas died. Perriwinkle went first, then two Platies, then two other Platies, then my last Betta Penelope, died today. They were WalMart fish and the WalMart in Sheridan, AR doesn't keep their fish well, so it's not surprising all my fish died.

My Bettas seemed to do well in small 1 gallon fish bowls, but I couldn't keep them heated to the right temperature, so I moved them to a 10 gallon tank with a heater. The pH was at 8, but I added a neutralizer fizz tablet to balance the pH and that still didn't seem to balance the pH.

I do not think I will get any more Bettas.

[Sena Hansler]

well, I never bothered with messing up the PH. I do suggest, if you ever get a betta get one from a reliable person... people on here have healthy bettas, and depending on your area you can buy or get one shipped. I personally adopt out rescue bettas who are from the pet store or people who do not want them and would rather flush them. And all my rescues have always been extremely healthy when given to new homes.

I also would avoid walmart and such places. They do not have experienced people. if the store here ever had a fish section again, I personally would see to it that people like me, and my manager would be in that area because we know what we are doing. I've also found, Platies and Mollies are super prone to diseases, which can attack bettas.

If you ever give bettas (one of the users on here might be able to get you a healthy one if you are willing to pay a bit more than a walmart price) another try, PH can be lowered with driftwood, and raised with certain rocks. natural way is safer :)

and I am very sorry your fish died.

[LittleBettaFish]

Originally Posted by Nu2Fish

My bettas died. Perriwinkle went first, then two Platies, then two other Platies, then my last Betta Penelope, died today. They were WalMart fish and the WalMart in Sheridan, AR doesn't keep their fish well, so it's not surprising all my fish died.

My Bettas seemed to do well in small 1 gallon fish bowls, but I couldn't keep them heated to the right temperature, so I moved them to a 10 gallon tank with a heater. The pH was at 8, but I added a neutralizer fizz tablet to balance the pH and that still didn't seem to balance the pH.

I do not think I will get any more Bettas.

Was the ten gallon cycled before any livestock was added to it? It could have been ammonia or nitrite poisoning that caused your fish to die. You only need trace amounts present, particularly at such a high pH to cause death or serious health problems.

Like Sena said, you can bring the pH down with the addition of things such as dried Indian Almond Leaves or natural wood.

However, the best buffering product I have found is Seachem Neutral Regulator. It maintains a steady pH of 7.0 by adjusting the KH of your water. I use it on my tanks and my bettas are thriving.

The main thing you want to avoid is pH fluctuations. They can cause all sorts of problems, and this is why a lot of people tend not to recommend using chemicals to adjust it. Bettas and most other fish can adjust to a less than ideal pH as long as it is stable.

[kfryman]

One problem that seems to be over looked is s/he had only 2 bettas which means one probably bullied the other a bit and caused the wound, not sure about the others though.

[Sena Hansler]

Yeah I think the low number caused damage to one girl - and possible death. Then, decay and ammonia build up (depends on cycle and when fish were added together or apart) could have gotten the platys which then decay causes a huge poisonous amount of ammonia. Even a 10-15 minute span causes a lot of ammonia :o