I am planning a sorority in my new ten gallon.
Would 5-7 betta girls be enough/too much?
I would like to know how many I can safely keep in a ten gallon so I can consider Amano Shrimp or Cherry Shrimp as the "house cleaners".
If all works out I am leaning more towards Amano since they are larger then the Cherry's, thus less edible.
Here is the set up. I still need to get a heater for it, which will happen this weekend.
5 to 7 will be fine, place more plants in the tank before you try this. I would get some Java Fern and rubber band/fishing line/wedge it in your big piece of drift wood and choose some stem plants that go from top to bottom, then get something to float with roots that hang down. This gives them plenty of room and ways to escape each others line of sight, plus it divides their territories. If you don't do this you could end up with a tank bully who decides to chase one around until real damage is done to them.
I would say 5-7 is a good number for your tank. I will warn you though, you'll want to upgrade eventually. I know I did after having my girls in a 10g for 3 months LOL No idea on the shrimp though, I have 6 in my sorority (6 girls in a 15g) and they are pretty new to me.
I will say though, you need WAY more plants. You'll have to have them from top to bottom, and filling the tank. With females, you need to block the line of view between each other and have places for them to hide from aggressors.
Thanks! You all have been really helpful. :D
The current setup is likely to change as I was unable to get any eco complete at the petstore the day I set it up. The 10 gal's hood/lighting will be updated, as well as the substrate to accommodate more plants and better growth.
I was thinking some low light plants like Wendtii's, Lutea, Java Fern and maybe some Vals.
I also have a planted 55gal community with 5 other betta girls. That tank is fully stocked, and since I am now addicted to bettas, I wanted to start a sorority. The 10gal has two Amazon swords and a water sprite because frankly my 55 has so many leafy babies that I had to move some out temporarily. They will get replanted once I have the new substrate.
the betta's and the sharks get along? i always heard that was a no-no.
Anyway the shrimp: I know OFL has Cherry shrimp in her NPT. But I wouldn't do it unless i was ok with finding them in pieces one day. a LFS has ghost shrimp at 8/$1 so i'm ok with them getting eaten. The last time i got some i put the biggest one in my CT male's tank. This shrimp was a good 2 or 2 and 1/2 inches and my Betta still killed him. I do still see a few in my community/ sorority tank, but there's tons of cover in it.
the betta's and the sharks get along? i always heard that was a no-no.
Anyway the shrimp: I know OFL has Cherry shrimp in her NPT. But I wouldn't do it unless i was ok with finding them in pieces one day. a LFS has ghost shrimp at 8/$1 so i'm ok with them getting eaten. The last time i got some i put the biggest one in my CT male's tank. This shrimp was a good 2 or 2 and 1/2 inches and my Betta still killed him. I do still see a few in my community/ sorority tank, but there's tons of cover in it.
Yep, blame my boyfriend for that purchase. He really likes big fish. Anyway, my bala sharks (Wallace & Earlstine) are surprisingly low key. When we got them we heard that the jump ALOT, but mine have never even splashed. They don't chase or try to eat the other fish either.
I don't expect them to stay that way, and we will upgrade as they start to get bigger. I also have another 10 gal sitting around just in case.
I have experience with amano shrimp in the 55gal, ive got three that are around 2-3 inches long. Never done Cherry shrimp but have always wanted to. Might stick to Amano since they are bigger.
If you provide a lot of TINY hiding places for them (big enough for them, to small for the girls) you can easily throw in a few shrimp (I would put more than three since one or two slow pokes will probably get eaten or jump out of the tank during a water change)
Shrimp are GREAT in tanks, I had them with my female Tihs before she passed away, she didnt like them at first, but after a day or two she ignored them as long las they gave her a wide berth, the two I had had their own little hiding spaces (seashells work GREAT)... I had three tostart but one jumped during a water change....the biggest problem I had was the last two did not do good duing a long distance travel (2 hour drive home) otherwise they are GREAT (SO cute) Im planning to get more if I can find someone who sells them (petstore stopped selling them :( )
If you provide a lot of TINY hiding places for them (big enough for them, to small for the girls) you can easily throw in a few shrimp (I would put more than three since one or two slow pokes will probably get eaten or jump out of the tank during a water change)
Shrimp are GREAT in tanks, I had them with my female Tihs before she passed away, she didnt like them at first, but after a day or two she ignored them as long las they gave her a wide berth, the two I had had their own little hiding spaces (seashells work GREAT)... I had three tostart but one jumped during a water change....the biggest problem I had was the last two did not do good duing a long distance travel (2 hour drive home) otherwise they are GREAT (SO cute) Im planning to get more if I can find someone who sells them (petstore stopped selling them :( )
My favorite local petstore sells Cherrys, Ghost and Amano. I think i will start with ghosts just to see how things work out, and perhaps add cherrys later.
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