6.5 tank + 8 fish + 1 snail please help

[xcalibreplcp]

Hi Everyone

We recently purchased a tank which we were told was 10 gallons only to find out its a 6.5.

Here's the situation

We cycled the tank 3 days.
Added 1M and 1F Betta (they get along great!)
Added 6 Harlequon Rasboras
Added one Snail
Planted 1 Lizard tail
Planted 1 jungle val
Planted 1 mayaca
Planted 1 Rotale Indica
Plantes 1 crypt
25% or 50% water change every 2 or 3 days.
Has 1 filter system and 1 airstone. I made mods to ensure there is next to no water disturbance and it works like a dream.

My concern is that we were mislead to believe it was a 10 gallon tank and we have a few more fish than I would feel comfortable having.

I keep a close eye on the water quality and thus far ammonia is at 0 and nitrates and nitrite are all but nil. But Im aware that can change at any moment.

My question is for the super experienced.

Should I change the water more frequently? If so, how often?

Considering how many fish I have and the general size of rasboras compares to bettas should I keep all 8 fish in the tank? They all seem happy.

Best


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[gabrielle7mc]

For now, the bettas may get along fine. Usually, due to stress, they take some time to become aggressive again. My first boy betta didn't flare at his reflection for a few days after I got him, and the other still doesn't (they are in separate tanks). But if you keep them in this tank together, they will almost certainly kill each other.
Male betta fish were bred for aggression towards other fish--this includes female bettas. Female bettas are often equally aggressive. Even after or during breeding, the male has a chance of killing the female. If they fight, there will be severe injuries to both, and they will die.
Harlequin rasboras are one of the only good choices for betta tankmates, but even so, they can still be killed. The snail is the safest member of this aquarium right now. You need to get some fish out of there, and fast, or there will likely be casualties.
I've done lots of reading on bettas, and while I've read about rasboras and bettas coexisting for months, it most often ends with a 'peaceful' betta turning aggressive and killing his or her tankmates in a span of hours. I completely understand the allure of finding potentially compatible tankmates for a betta, but it's a risk that I personally would not take.
I don't mean to come across as harsh; I just hope that I'm in time to prevent a tragedy.
My suggestion would be to get a second tank of equal size, and relocate the female betta and rasboras to it. She is likely to be less aggressive than the male. The male betta and the snail will live happily in their 6.5 gallon. Bettas are solitary creatures, and they will not be lonely in separate tanks. You are doing them a favor by keeping them apart.
Once you separate the bettas, you will have no problems with overstocking.
I know a lot of stores generally believe that it's only male bettas that are aggressive to each other, and that a male and female would be fine, but that's simply not how it works out in most cases. It seems illogical that they would fight, or suddenly turn on one another, but they do. Please, separate the bettas, or rehome one of them.
I hope this helps, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

 

[xcalibreplcp]

For now, the bettas may get along fine. Usually, due to stress, they take some time to become aggressive again. My first boy betta didn't flare at his reflection for a few days after I got him, and the other still doesn't (they are in separate tanks). But if you keep them in this tank together, they will almost certainly kill each other.
Male betta fish were bred for aggression towards other fish--this includes female bettas. Female bettas are often equally aggressive. Even after or during breeding, the male has a chance of killing the female. If they fight, there will be severe injuries to both, and they will die.
Harlequin rasboras are one of the only good choices for betta tankmates, but even so, they can still be killed. The snail is the safest member of this aquarium right now. You need to get some fish out of there, and fast, or there will likely be casualties.
I've done lots of reading on bettas, and while I've read about rasboras and bettas coexisting for months, it most often ends with a 'peaceful' betta turning aggressive and killing his or her tankmates in a span of hours. I completely understand the allure of finding potentially compatible tankmates for a betta, but it's a risk that I personally would not take.
I don't mean to come across as harsh; I just hope that I'm in time to prevent a tragedy.
My suggestion would be to get a second tank of equal size, and relocate the female betta and rasboras to it. She is likely to be less aggressive than the male. The male betta and the snail will live happily in their 6.5 gallon. Bettas are solitary creatures, and they will not be lonely in separate tanks. You are doing them a favor by keeping them apart.
Once you separate the bettas, you will have no problems with overstocking.
I know a lot of stores generally believe that it's only male bettas that are aggressive to each other, and that a male and female would be fine, but that's simply not how it works out in most cases. It seems illogical that they would fight, or suddenly turn on one another, but they do. Please, separate the bettas, or rehome one of them.
I hope this helps, and I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

Thank you kindly.

I've decided to move the little guy to a 5 gallon (for now). Ill let the little girl have the planted palace.

If I put them in a 20 gallon, would the same rules apply?



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[Essjay]

Yes they would. Male and female bettas should never be kept together unless you are actually breeding them, and even then they are only put in the same tank after they have been conditioned and the female is removed immediately after spawning. In the wild these fish live in huge areas of shallow slow moving water. There is plenty of room for the individual fish to be able to get away from each other. A male will defend his territory against both male and female bettas, only allowing an egg ripe female in for as long as it takes to lay eggs, then she's chased out again.
And as gabrielle said, bettas have been bred for aggression for hundreds of years in the far east; the few years that they have been kept as ornamental fish are not nearly enough to breed this aggression back out. This mean our aquarium bettas are more aggressive than wild bettas.
The last section in here explains betta behaviour.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/betta-splendens-caresheet.423362/
The 5 gall is fine for 1 male betta. If you move the other fish into the 20 gall, he can then go into the 10.
But you may find the female takes a dislike to the harlequins which will mean moving her out. In this case you will need to use both the 5 and 10 galls, a betta in each one, and leave the harlequins in the 20.

 

[gabrielle7mc]

Thank you kindly.

I've decided to move the little guy to a 5 gallon (for now). Ill let the little girl have the planted palace.

If I put them in a 20 gallon, would the same rules apply?



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As essjay said, the same rules would apply. There's simply not enough space for them to have territories and safety, and they are a hyperaggressive version of their wild cousins (who still need large territories). essjay's point about the female betta potentially needing separated from the harlequins is also something to think about--now that my betta has really come out of his shell (he was quite shy when I first got him), I wouldn't consider tankmates for him. Only time will tell if the female *needs* to be separated from the harlequins, but if she were to require being separated, there is not likely to be advance warning. Watch for any chasing if you do keep the female betta and rasboras together.
Thank you for moving the bettas apart--it is so much safer.

 

[xcalibreplcp]

Hey All, I bought another tank to separate the little girl and the rasboras. The Aqua One Betta Duo system but now Im having second thoughts. im worried the filter current and water flow may be too strong. Does anyone have experience with this system? (google was no help)

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