Co-habitation Problems.

[Amdonim]

Hello, I'm really not a fish hobbyist per se, as I don't really have the money or time to be serious about it, but a friend of mine is trying at it. He's has a B. Splendens for a while now, and recently the local pet store told him it wouldn't be a problem to add some tetras to his tank. It's 10 gallons I think. Anyway, I noticed one of the newcomers looked horribly roughed up, with large patches of scales missing and part of a fin nibbled off. I assume this was the work of the betta. Will this continue if they're kept together? Also is that poor tetra in question likely to survive in his current condition? Thanks in advance.

Edit: It's a male betta, by the way.

 

[Corleone]

Betta tankmates are a huge gray area. Some bettas are evil - I had one that would tear ghost shrimp apart and even had a good go at pulling the leg off a dwarf frog. Others can be in full blown community tanks and do just fine. If the fish wasn't hurt when it came in, it's possible the betta is responsible. If they're left together, it'll probably continue. Also, with tetras, watch the bettas fins for any signs of damage, as most tetras are nippy, though some far worse than others.

Colorful fish should be avoided, especially ones with long fins (the betta is prone to mistake them for a rival male), and any fish with the slightest nipping tendency, as the bettas fins are often irresistible. White cloud mountain minnows and cory catfish are common suggestions.

 

[Amdonim]

Edit: The injured tetra died. Not really sure what to do with the other three. They look uninjured and are getting along around the bottom. Any thoughts?

 

[Amdonim]

Okay, so after spending all night reading stuff on these forums, my friend and I decided that I would take the tank, as I doubt he would keep up with its needs. So I'm presented with this, a 10 gallon tank housing one betta and two tetras. I assume it is uncycled, as he had no clue what cycling was, nor did I really. I have the tank set up in my place now. I've been following the steps in the retroactive fish-in cycle as much as possible. I won't be able to purchase a testing kit until Tuesday, when I get paid, so for now I've just been doing 25% water changes daily. I also haven't really been feeding the fish, as the tetras seem pretty stressed with the new environment and completely uninterested in food and the betta was well fed before this, so he'll be fine for a few days until I can get a test and kind of know where I'm at. Hopefully so far so good, but please correct if I'm in err. I'm also going to see if the LFS will let me get some mature media, though I'm not sure if that'll happen.They wouldn't take the fish back, so I'm stuck with them. Any tips you guys can give me? I haven't really been a fish person, but I am for sure an animal person and would rather not have these fish suffer if at all possible. Also, I think I read somewhere that in a case like this algae can be beneficial to control ammonia levels. If this is true, should I refrain from scrubbing off any that grows? Oh also, I have an Eheim 2040 hang-on with new media. I really have no idea if that's appropriate for the tank or not. Any tips anywhere are MUCH appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Edit: I also found a tiny black snail like creature that must have gotten swept in to the bag with the tetras. Any special considerations for it? I.E. diet and such. Also, one FINAL note, I wanted to point out, in case there was any confusion, the betta did not live in this tank before, it is new, which is why I assume it is uncycled.

 

[Corleone]

Sounds like you're doing well with the water changes. What kind of tetras are they, by the way? Some species (neons in particular come to mind) are pretty sensitive, which would explain why they're not eating.

The snail could have come in on live plants if you have them, but they (or eggs) can end up in fish bags sometimes too. No real special considerations. Most snails will live on any excess food in the substrate, though they like lettuce and cucumber if you end up with more of them. Personally I like having some around, since they perform a useful service and don't really need any attention.

Depending on what kind of snail and wether not there's more hiding somewhere in the tank, it could breed rapidly, slowly or not at all. That can be controlled, though, since they need food to breed, so you'll only get an explosion if you're overfeeding. You can bait them by putting lettuce in the tank overnight if they do get out of control. Some people consider them pests, but I have three, possibly four species of snail breeding in my tank, and two species that aren't breeding. Aside from the apple snail and larger trapdoor snails, I rarely see any of them.

 

[Amdonim]

Cool, thanks for the tips. One last question. I can't really get my tank temperature down below about 84-85 degrees as my current residence (only 2 more weeks) only has window units. Is this too hot? There's an ac nearby I could turn on, but that'd be kinda expensive to leave on all the time. As for the tetras, im not sure. The 2 two that the betta didn't to like were silver-blackish in color. The remaining two, which I have seen try to eat a bit, seem much healthier. They're sort of a clearish salmon color. As far as cohabition goes with the remaining fish, the betta seems content to live in the foliage to the left side and have the tetras on the opposite side. Occasionally one will meander over to the bettas territory and he just chases it off, but he doesn't seem to have injured them. The betta is undamaged.

Edit: I lied, I have plenty more questions. They kinda just keep floating up to the top of my brain. I noticed when I did try to feed the lot of them, I found it difficult. The betta is very pigish and keeps trying to eat all the tetra food before they can get to it, even though I fed him his own food on the opposite side. I guess this problem may disappear when the tetras are more interested in eating. Again any tips are much appreciated.

 

[Corleone]

The first two tetras you mention sound like black skirt tetras. The others could be one of a number of tetras (though I'm guessing they aren't serpaes if your betta still has fins, heh), and there's white skirt tetras that are dyed pink, too.

If/when the tetras start eating again, the betta won't be able to hog their food - it may actually become a matter of them eating the betta's food, as tetras can be ravenous eaters.

Edit: Forgot your temperature question. Instead of running the AC, run a fan so it blows across the top of the tank. You'll get more evaporation this way, but the evaporation will serve to cool the tank. Whenever you have a lot of evaporation, remember not to top it back up with tap water constantly, since you'll raise the hardness over time. RO water works, but during the summer, I just do bigger water changes and use them to top the tank back up.

You can also take water bottles and freeze them, then float them in the tank. Personally, I've found it enough just to use a fan.

 

[Amdonim]

I've read a bit on the betta forums and I thought about using something to obstruct the currents, but is that something I should not be worried about right now? Also in the future would doing something like that be detrimental to the others, like cause a lack of aeration or anything?

Edit: I finally found a usb cable so I have some pics. I apologize for the quality, I have a cheaper camera and it was hard to get a focus on those little buggers.