Cleanup Crew For Betta

[loraxchick]

I've only just noticed you snails don't seem to survive.

Try MT snails, usually if your LFS if they have any(and usually they do, cause they clog thier filters up)

You can get them free, I've done it

ive also gotten them for free at the lfs. they happily picked out a bunch (i love the snails in my tank. i suggest everyone have snails..they are a good indicator of a lot of things).

in a small tank such as a 3 gal, snails are the best option. apples snails may get a bit too large after a while., but im sure you could find someone to take them at that stage (which could take a long time depending on amount of available food(ie not overfeeding the tank).

and i also agree that you dont need to buy everything at once. 2 of my tanks dont even have a hood.

the oily film you have noticed is likely from the natural oils in the fishfood whether pellets, flakes or freezedried. a filter disturbs the water and mixes it in, or polishing pads in a filter would likely remove it as well. also from hands in the tank if you dont wash them beforehand. there is more oil on our hands than one might think. always a good idea to wash hands before and after going into the tank.

to the OP-get the biggest tank you can afford and have room for. you can even make a simple filter yourself for whichever size you choose. very easy and they work much better than small commercial filters. if youd like advice on how to, id be happy to pass some instructions along. i use them in all my tanks.
cheers.

 

[Kitty_Nin]

To loraxchick and anyone else who attempted to answer my question rather than tell me I'm an animal abuser, thank you.

To Honeythorn, please deflate your ego, it's impeding upon my personal space. And, as you said, that's inhumane.

 

[rdd1952]

Honeythorn, as has been mentioned, you have every right to your opinion of what the minimum size tank is but please don't state it as if that is set in stone and the only way to do it. This thread is not about minimum tank size. The OP asked what could be added to the tank to clean up left over food. So everyone, please stay on (get back on) topic.

Back to the original question. There aren't a lot of fish or inverts that you can add to a 2 gallon tank. Corys are great scavengers but need to be in groups which rules them out. Most plecos, even dwarfs, will be too large. I would think the best option would be ghost shrimp. They create very little waste, are relatively cheap and should get on fine with the betta. Of course, bettas have diferent temperments and some may try to attack the shrimp but if that is the case, he will most likely try to attach anything you add.

If you feed him properly though, you really don't need a left over scavenger. It has been a long time since I kept bettas but when I did, I fed them the Hikari betta bites. There was never any left over food as I fed them one at a time and watched him eat each one. When I did feed live food such a blood worms, it was at the same time as my other tanks and once again, I would drop a blood worm in and watch him eat it so never any left over food.

 

[loraxchick]

ghost shrimp are a good choice but beware (at least here in the states)that there are many shrimp species sold under this name. their care requirements can be quite different in regards to salinity as some are truly marine species, some brackish and the odd freshwater species.
so this leads to a dilemma- say you get 6 shrimp to go in with him. some may die pretty quickly (if LFS shipment was new and those particular shrimp were marine shrimp)...the remainder might take a while longer to succumb as they are brackish and can survive fresh for a little bit longer. if you are lucky, one out of the batch will make it as that particular shrimp is truly freshwater. of course, if you buy from someone who raises freshwater ghost shrimp you will not run into this problem.
just giving a head's up if you do decide to get some ghost shrimp and wonder why they are dying, even if you have perfect water stats. a few cherry shrimp might be a better choice. a bit more expensive, but are 100% freshwater-so not setting yourself up for potential heartbreak when you think you cant keep (ghost) shrimp.
id personally try a snail or two and see how he reacts before getting shrimp (as snails are a bit more protected then shrimp in the way of him harassing them. a few pecks here and there is expected upon introduction as the betta tries to figure out if its food, enemy or what
and as far as tank size, it goes round and round. while a 5 gal gives you more options i have kept (and currently keep) many bettas in 3 gal tanks (of course with heaters and homemade sponge filters) and have never had any issue with disease or water quality. there is more than enough swimming space (the dimensions are longer rather than tall, as mentioned above) and are every bit as active and healthy as the betta i have in a 6 gal.
the most important thing in a smaller tank is to monitor water stats when setting the tank up (hopefully you can have an already cycled filter), and getting a feel for maintaience routine. i do waterchanges once a week-every 10 days. my tanks have lots of plants (which a betta tank realistically should as they love them and help with water quality) and my nitrates are never above 15 at time of waterchange (i test every waterchange on every tank).
if you have a cycled filter, they are not much more work than a larger tank. just have to know the tank's chemistry, and you do this by testing often until you get a feel for the filter capacity and how quickly nitrates build up.
not really saying one way or the other (im over that and the banter that will inevitably ensue), just giving some tips for caring for a smaller tank.
have fun with your fish
cheers!

 

[Kitty_Nin]

Thanks, you're very helpful I was thinking of getting some shrimp for my community tank anyway, so maybe that is what I'll do, and maybe give snails yet another go.

 

[loraxchick]

Thanks, you're very helpful I was thinking of getting some shrimp for my community tank anyway, so maybe that is what I'll do, and maybe give snails yet another go.

what was wrong with your snails in the past that you are giving it "another go"? just curious.
make sure you have lots of plants and/or wood in the community tank if you want shrimp. they need to eat food too, and depending on the stocking in the community you may find it hard to keep them fed(sometimes "leftovers" arent nearly enough for them). just to make sure they get enough food.
cheers

 

[Haych]

what is so different to ghost shrimp and cherry? are these a smaller breed?

sorry for hijacking, i could do with knowing too lol

and Kitty, glad you got something sorted

 

[loraxchick]

what is so different to ghost shrimp and cherry? are these a smaller breed?

sorry for hijacking, i could do with knowing too lol

and Kitty, glad you got something sorted

one thing about ghost shrimp is that there are many species sold under this label (in the US at least). some are strictly freshwater some salt and others inbetween. so say you have got a load of ghost shrimp, something like 10 to start. a few might die right away (As they cannot tolerate fresh) some will linger longer (a month at best) and if you are lucky, you will get one healthy shrimp out of the lot that IS a freshwater species. cherries are strictly fresh so no chance of salinity sensitive die-offs. if cherries are dying in your tank there is another explanation.
for ghost shrimp id only buy if i knew 100% that they were tank raised in freshwater. but like i said, in the US anyway. dont know how they are shipped to others (from wild stock which could be any number of species with differing requirements as it is here, or from farm-raised truly freshwater species).
just to clarify.
cheers