Betta And Goldfish Toghether! Yeah!

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I tested my bettas non-harmful side last week.
Well I want to get tropical saltwater fish so I decided that Id put my betta in my goldfish tank. I was kinda nervous. The betta didnt even touch them for one whole week! Is this surprising or what! Now I can get saltwater fish!


Im so happy!

Well you've probably read everyone elses comments on bettas and goldifsh, which i have to agree with in general, but as for brackish or marine tanks i would definatly not advise you start up either a brackish or marine tank. A 10gal tank is realy too small for a saltwater tank of any sort and saltwater tanks are very difficult to set up and maintain in comparison to freshwater tanks.
For a newb, i'd stay well away from saltwater tanks, you will most likely fail if you havn't got adjusted to keeping freshwater tank successfully for at least 6months, and that doesn't mean putting goldfish and bettas together. Keeping saltwater fish is almost an entirely different realm to freshwater fish keeping and is an even more costly and time consuming experience, on top of all the extra researching involved.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Bettas are sensitive to filthy water.

Lol, your joking right? Bettas are Known for being able to live in a green slimey puddle. I seriously hope that was a joke!

Absolutely not. The circulation at the ends of a male long-finned bettas fins is very poor, which makes them prone to finrot. Finrot can progress up the fins and become lethal bodyrot. Bettas aren't the most sensitive fish in the world, it's true, but they are prone to bacterial infections that can become a serious problem if they are left untreated in filthy water. This is especially true of pet store bettas, as their immune systems are often compromised due to inbreeding.

I have to agree with Synirr here. I don't think you quite understand the difference between what is dirty to a human, and what is dirty to a fish. Yes, a rice paddy is a muddy, ugly, swampy thing. But there is a difference between that and an overstocked, ammonia laden environment. Bettas are very low level ammonia producers, and their system is not used to living with high levels of it. They are also not used to a massive overload of bacteria from decomposing fecal waste, as once again - it is not something they come across too much in their environment, and in fact, many aspects of their water conditions have mild bacteriacidal properties. A betta kept with goldfish would most certainly suffer as a result of both the ammonia and bacterial output of goldfish.
In short, "bettas can be kept in lousy conditions because they live in something that looks gross in the wild" is basically a shoddy excuse used by pet stores to justify small tanks and poor cleaning protocols. I think anyone who has owned a betta and seen what happens from something as simple as infrequent water changes can attest to the sensitivity these guys have to ammonia and waste.

Was I hard on Ihave2goldfish? Yes. But as I noted, she posted a thread on this once before, and every single person told her before even doing it that it was a bad idea, the fish would probably die, the species had totally different requirements, etc. It really bothers me when people get good, sound advice, and completely ignore it to experiment. So yes, I did rant and rave and act rudely, but frankly, I'd rather drive an agressive message home than have her come online 2 days later saying her bettas fins rotted off. I can see that this girl cares about her fish, but doesn't have the knowledge to always know what is right for them. It is great that she is coming here asking for help, but the whole point of getting advice from more experienced people is to learn what is best, and follow it. I do not want to see Ihave2goldfish's pets get hurt, and I think it would hurt her if anything happened to them. So, if I have to be a bit blunt to make a point, I'll take that risk

 

[Maroonostrich]

You want to make a 10G a salt water tank?!
Not gonna work
Keeping a Betta with Goldfish won't work either. Explanations as to why are above if you care to read them.

I hope either you listen and act appropriately to the sound advice you are receiving, or I don't come back in my next life as one of your fish!

 

[Ethos]

You want to make a 10G a salt water tank?!
Not gonna work

Just out of curiousity, why not?

 

[Regina]

You want to make a 10G a salt water tank?!
Not gonna work

Just out of curiousity, why not?

To small?

 

[Ethos]

You want to make a 10G a salt water tank?!
Not gonna work

Just out of curiousity, why not?

To small?

Not if he knew what he was doing.
We all have contridicting ideas on what fish keeping should and shouldn't be.
I think if he wants to spend the money on it, go for it.
It does cost a pretty penny though. So if he's ready to make mistakes and learn through them, go ahead.

 

[consp]

Not if he knew what he was doing.
We all have contridicting ideas on what fish keeping should and shouldn't be.
I think if he wants to spend the money on it, go for it.
It does cost a pretty penny though. So if he's ready to make mistakes and learn through them, go ahead.

But it really doesn't appear that he knows what he is doing. Keeping a betta with a goldfish doesn't relate to keeping saltwater tank in the slightest so I don't get the aim of this experiment.

As for if "he wants to spend the money go for it" I compeltely disagree with you. Someone can haqve all the money in the world yet still abuse the pets they buy to the extent that they die. Just because you've spent the money doesn't mean you have enough ccare to share.

 

[@ombomb]

Not if he knew what he was doing.

well I for one am guessing he doesn't...

yes you can keep a 10G nano reef, but it's pretty much the hardest type of aquarium to maintain and going from keep goldfish with a betta to keeping a successful nano reef is one hell of a bit step.

 

[Ethos]

yes you can keep a 10G nano reef, but it's pretty much the hardest type of aquarium to maintain and going from keep goldfish with a betta to keeping a successful nano reef is one hell of a bit step.

Your right, and its been over a year and a half since I started fishkeeping, and I feel like I know my fair share.
Just because I dont chose to use the information I know, doesn't mean its wrong.
There's a tallieing up post in the Nano section that says basically you can do a nano for about $500, and thats doing it cheap.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

cant you get some clowns into a 10 g?

 

[Ethos]

cant you get some clowns into a 10 g?

2, yes

 

[Synirr]

I actually saw a 1 gallon pico reef tank the other day when looking up info about nanos. It looked amazing, but its owner obviously had a LOT of experience in reef keeping to be able to maintain it.

A while back I tried saltwater (29 gallon,) and while I managed to keep the fish alive, it was a royal pain in the butt and I never even tried corals. I'm thinking about trying it again with a 5 gallon reef, but I'm going to start extremely slow so I have time to ease into it... Live rock only first, wait a few weeks, then add a small coral, wait a few weeks, and so on... I'll be lucky if I don't fail miserably, and that's with about 5 years of freshwater experience under my belt! Definitely not something I'd recommend for anyone who doesn't already know freshwater like the back of their hand.

 

[Ethos]

Definitely not something I'd recommend for anyone who doesn't already know freshwater like the back of their hand.

But something many experienced aquatists say is "There is a commen misconception that FW is easier to learn on than SW"

 

[IHave2Goldfish]

So then why can they last so long in those little quorter filled cups at walmart?
I've seen a betta there for atleast 5 days....
And in walmart, thats nothing short of a mirical.

But what if its right in the middle???

 

[Lynden]

Goldfish simply do not belong in with tropicals. The reasons have already been mentioned.
I am starting up my first nano soon. I am only 13, and have absolutly no problem with fish. I can keep even among the most difficult ones and have them live fine. The only handicap being younger has is the fact that you probably dont have steady income. I have almost three years of experience with me, however this is not alot. I am extremely adept at learning, and i have photographic memory, so that helps.

Yes, it is perfectly fine to setup a reef in a very small tank. No, it is not easy or cheap.
Synirr, please try it again! Here is why: although the world of freshwater is a big one, the marine world is a gigatnic one. Not only is there 5000 more marine fish species than freshwater, but there is almost two million invertebrates available to keep. Also, a mature marine tank is actually easier to maintain than a mature freshwater. Come on, I did it, and im just a kid who "does not know what hes getting into". It may seem hard, but it is very rewarding. All it takes is a bit of will and confidence (and alot of money!)

Bettas can tolerate alot of poison. That does not mean you should put them up against an arsenal. I have had many a betta die because of high nitrites. They all got a weird fungusy disease. Do not put tropicals in with goldfish, you will ruin both of their lives.

-Lynden

P.S., dont let age hold you back!
P.P.S., walmarts often add chemicals such as malactite green to keep bettas from getting sick. It often ends up hurting the betta insead after awhile