90% Tank Wipeout.

[VaegaVic]

Some of you may remember that I was buying a new filter for my 64L.
Well it arrived, an Eheim 2215. I hooked it all up, added ALL the old media from the last filter, but I didn't put the guard over the intake pipe as if I did, it would be in the sand and I was worried about getting sand in the filter (a valid worry I thought).

Anyway, fast forward to last night and at 00:35am I went to feed my lovely guppies. I only found 1 out of a possible 5.
I knew exactly where they were before I even looked in the rest of the tank and found them all in the bottom of my new eheim, dead.

So now I have a problem.
I love female siamese fighters and I'd love to keep a nice big group in that size tank, ideally about 9-11. My problem however, is quite simple, do I add the same amount of girls as I did have guppies and then add a new lot next week? Do I add them all at once and risk an ammonia spike?
I still have 1 guppy and a few babies (6) in the tank, should I let them grow up? or completely start fresh with the girls?

I'm really stuck here, so I've posted this in multiple sections as I know if I don't act quickly, I could lose the bacteria which kept the (dead now) guppies alive.

Edit: After some mods, the intake guard is now on, although it put up a fight.

 

[BethK]

wouldn't put female bettas in with guppies

 

[silverrabbit]

The female bettas might turn nasty on the guppy, but it depends on the personality of the betta. It's best to introduce more than one or 2 at the same time, as 2 will get nippy with each other and there's no other bettas to spread the aggression out with.

Maybe you could pop the guppy in a net, and then "feed" the rest of the tank with fish food to keep the filter going until you get your girls..

 

[Luimeril]

Guppies are a bit Maybe with Bettas, even females. if their fins are long, pretty, and flowing, they MIGHT work with female bettas. but, it depends on your girls. if they're mellow gals, then they might work.

 

[lilfishie]

ime females guppies work alot better than male guppies i have kept the 2 together in the past with no problems

i think 9-11 might be pushing it for a 64L though, i have a 60L and wouldn't put more than 5-6 in there

 

[Assaye]

I wouldn't mix bettas with guppies, even the females. A lot of people find their bettas (even girls) are really feisty and will have the fins off the guppy. I would rehome the guppy or pop it in a different tank.

As for the females - 9 would be the max I would put in that tank. I would add them in small groups, 2-3 at a time, over several days. Hopefully the bacteria will cope with the first addition and as long as you keep the subsequent groups the same size or smaller, the bacteria will catch up within 24 hours or so. In order to prevent bullying, I would re-arrange the decor each time and take all the old bettas out of the tank so that you can add them in again and with the re-arranged decor, it's like a new tank and they won't have such definite territories.

 

[Mauricia]

Well if you had somewhere to put the remaining guppies, you could feed the filter with ammonia until you get the girls, then you can keep the bacteria alive. I wouldn't put guppies with the female bettas though.

 

[Larkspur]

I have a female betta in a 10 gallon with 4 guppies. She does act rather nasty at times, mostly when feeding. As long as the guppy is fast enough they're "okay". Wouldn't say great, but at least less likely to be bitten. Mine are lucky to have short tails. Not too fancy. Mutt guppies actually. The only one whose had any issues is my lyretail male. He now has 3 tips to his tail. Noticed today it looked like my female betta finally caught him. The others though are fine and they are fast enough my betta can't get them.

Word for the wise though, betta's don't care about size. She attacked a goldfish in her tank that is about 10 times her size and held on to his dorsal fin for several seconds before releasing. Didn't damage the goldie, but spooked it. She's a little devil!!

 

[Oscar Betta]

I wouldn't take the chance. The female bettas could turn nasty on the guppy at any time.