8.2 Gal Help!

[kha]

ok iv got a 8.2 gal tank i got the gravel and water in it im going to wait like 3 -2 more weeks for that cycle thing to finish or sumthing like dat and den im going to put loads of plants and a rock and wood den im thinking of gettting a nice pretty siamese figter fish (yay) but im thinking that its going to look plain what other fish/creatures can i put in there with my betta?
im thinking crab/lobster/shrimps will that work? or 1 or 2 bigger fish if possible will 1 or 2 bettas in there work?

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

If you divided it you could have two male bettas in the tank. Alternatively you could have a single male with dwarf cories, so long as the tank is fully cycled. Lots of live plants will be an excellent addition too.
Hugs,
P.

 

[flautist]

My suggestion would be to put in a divider and get two bettas.

However, if you REALLY want tank mates, there's a good sticky on that.

 

[OohFeeshy]

My suggestion is to have just one betta, with lots of plants.

 

[l.michelle]

Get corys, i haven't got any (YET) i am preparing for them, but they are apparently very very active, and if you get the pygmy ones (the smaller ones) you can get a bunch. But check with the cory people first, because I am very new to corys.

 

[soritan]

And just FYI, the more common crabs and lobsters need quite a lot of scurrying space, and are omnivores... which means they'll probably eat your betta.

If by "that cycle stuff", you mean the actual product called "Cycle", it's bunk. It's generally agreed that it simply doesn't work. If by "that cycle stuff", you mean a different product called "biospyra", which is a previously frozen, living culure of beneficial bacteria, it's instant. If you added Biospyra and didn't add fish immediately after, all the beneficial bacteria is dead already, and you have to start over again.

The FAQ in this forum covers your tankmate options, as well as other very handy information that'll make betta care much easier for you. I'd strongly advise that you don't buy any fish until you know the basics of betta care (for instance, you can't have just two bettas in the same tank, without some kind of divider).

 

[Sp3nc3r]

ever think about gettin a few females??

 

[soritan]

ever think about gettin a few females??

It's generally accepted you should have at least 4 females to spread aggression, and put them in a cave-y tank that's at least 10 gallons big. He can get away with it being slightly overstocked if he's diligent about his cleaning and etc., though. But when a tank is overstocked, there's less margin for error (it can go from happy! to suck! very fast. I know. )

 

[lisie]

School of white cloud mountain minnows, or five or so otocinclus.