Adding Fish

[disasterfullife]

I have a ten gallon tank with two Swordtails, the tank has been up and running well for almost a month. Does anyone have any suggestions for some more fish I can add? I have a LifeTech AP120FC filter and the water looks great. Any ideas will be great, thanks!

 

[dixaisy930]

There's a Fish Index in this forum, and that's a nice place to get some ideas.

Do you know the sexes of the swords? Usually, it's better to keep two females with one male, but it's not a neccesity. If they're getting along, it's probably fine.

Livebears are always nice fish to go with (mollys, platys, guppys, swords, etc).

Dwarf gouramis are also popular...cory catfish are also good choices.....otos are also neat little fish.

In a tank that size, you need to try and stick with fish that don't get bigger than 3 or 4 inches, IMO.

 

[disasterfullife]

I didn't even see the fish index until you pointed it out, thank you for that. The swords are both males and get along very well. Thank you for the advice on the size of the fish I should keep, I have been following that and just wanted to see if anybody else could suggest some new additions to the tank. Thanks.

Oh and one more thing I also have a betta and am very confused at the moment. I was told by my LPS guy that that they thrive in very small areas and somewhat unclean water. I know that they originated in very small bodies of water and are use to living that way, my betta is living in a bowl now, guessing it's 1 gallon. I hate having him in there, I have read so many different things about how to care for a betta and now I'm more confused that ever I would love to get him a larger tank but simply can't afford it, can he be placed with the swordtails? Will this cause problems??? Thank for any replies!!

 

[dixaisy930]

I have a betta in my 60 gallon tank right now and he's doing great. I have a pair of swords (m/f) and they never both him. There are also other fish in there, so the swords attention isn't only on the betta.

Some bettas do fine with other fish, but occasionally there will be one who'll constantly harass other fish. That's never been the case with any of my bettas, however. Also, you'll have to be real particular of fin-nipping fish. I know danios can be nippers, but if they are in a group (around 6) they just pester each other and leave everyone else alone.

I wouldn't say they "thrive"...it's more like tolerate. I have three other bettas, and they are all in atleast 2 gallon tanks. I think the more room, the better.

Personally, I would either try putting the betta with the swords and keep an eye on everyone...or get one or two more fish to divide up the "attention" a little bit, and then add the betta.

Hope this helps

 

[princeegrl]

you should make sure your ammonia is at zero or low before adding more fish that way you dont risk them dieing

 

[disasterfullife]

I tried putting the betta in with the swords, the first few mins went fine. After awhile though the swords began snipping at the betta's fins and I had seen enough, I got him out of there and he is back in his old tank.

Maybe if I get some other fish in there it will distract the swords but for now they are going to remain seperated.

Thank you very much for the help, but I did have one question, I was told my by LFS guy that having too clean of water will kill my betta. I know all about cycling and the dangers of putting a fish into uncycled water, does this mean I not do water changes as often or what? If I do should I use the water from my 10 gallon in my betta's bowl to keep the bacteria going? Thank you again for the help!

I'm going to try and get some cash to scrape together a new house for my betta, is there an ideal size I should be looking for, and what are the rules on filtering for a betta?

 

[dixaisy930]

That's too bad about the swords nipping the betta....if you really like swords, maybe you could get them a couple of females to keep them occupied...

Well, as far as having "too clean" water for bettas, that's not quite right. It depends on the size of tank. When I had mine in 1 gallon containers, I changed 1/2 of the water once a week. The beneficial bacteria mainly lives in the substrate and some on the tank decorations, there's not alot in the actual water. Someone can correct me, because I may not have this 100% correct, but there's no such thing as water that's "too clean"...especially for a betta in a 1 gallon tank. As for cleaning the gravel in the betta's bowl, I just use a turkey baster to suck up waste and any left over food, this way I don't disturb too much of the bacteria. If you'd want to upgrade the betta, I'd say a tank between two and five gallons would be fine....I know they have a hex 2 gallon tank with an air pump for around $20 (that's what my other bettas are currently in).

All of my 2 gallons just have UGF and they seem to do the job. But the one in my 60 gallon, never seems bothered by my filter....he'll even swim in the current with my danios sometime.

If you haven't yet, go to the betta and gourami forum here, and you'll get a better variety of tips and advice.

 

[Discus]

a grate place to look for fish is at this web site http/www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/default.asp

 

[turbotiber]

I have my betta in a 1.5g bowl and when i clean it out I take all the plants out and just "clean" the gravel with that same water (dont have one of those baster things yet). Then I add the clean conitioned water and voila. As for having too clean of water... that's not true! The cleaner the better cause you avoid nasty parasites and diseases

Oh yeah, i do 50% PWC every 2-3 days and once a week do 100% change

 

[sinistral]

I tried putting the betta in with the swords, the first few mins went fine. After awhile though the swords began snipping at the betta's fins and I had seen enough, I got him out of there and he is back in his old tank.

...

Thank you very much for the help, but I did have one question, I was told my by LFS guy that having too clean of water will kill my betta.

In my opinion one of the reasons for dixaisy's success with keeping swords and bettas is the size of the tank. Territorialism is an issue, and a few swords just can't cover a whole 60 gallon tank. Also, if the swords are in a community tank with a variety of other fish, in my experience they will more readily accept newcomers.

My guess is that the two swords in the 10g had developed the sense that entire territory was theirs. It's possible that they might grow accustomed to a new betta, but I think you did the right thing by removing him. If you do add a new species of fish I'd make sure first that there were a good amount of hiding places and things to break up sight lines, and turn the light off at first. In time (assuming they're compatible) they'll develop a tolerance to the new species.

In terms of the other point about bettas, this is, again in my opinion, not correct. I agree with turbotiber and dixaisy. Bettas will do better with clean, fresh water, particularly as their long fins are just as prone to fin rot (if not more so) that other fish. Bettas are very tough and hardy, and they do breathe air, meaning they can tolerate poor water conditions. But, just because they can tolerate it doesn't mean that they will thrive or live happily.

You might consider buying a 10 gallon tank (around 10 US dollars), a small filter, and some dividers, and putting three bettas in, each with their own section. This provides them effectively with 10 gallons of water and will prevent them from fighting, though they will get some stimulation from their neighbors.

 

[disasterfullife]

Thank you all very much for all the support and help. It is too bad the swords didn't take well to the betta but I understand why. Thank you for clearing up the issue of having too clean of water, that never made any sense to me. The turkey baster is a great tip, I never even thought about using that, thank you. Whenever I find money, which isn't very often I will defiently be upgrading the living conditionds for my betta. I would also love to get the swords in a bigger tank but I don't have the cash now. Anyways thanks again for all the help!!!