Divinityinlove
Fish Crazy
My female betta was in a community tank before with guppies and tetras.
She seemed happy and active. I saw no issues except for feeding times when guppies and tetras are happy to swarm to food, and she would shy away and hated being crowded and fighting for food.
I moved her to a 30 litre tank, cycled, checked with master kit, water is fine, same parameters as the main tank. She is with her floating and sinking log, zoomed leaf. It has a half-shady side and the other half bright with plants.
Whenever she sees me, she gets excited and swims over. She's an enthusiastic eater. She only really likes frozen/defrosted bloodworms and settles for defrosted brine shrimp, daphnia etc, but quite refuses dried bloodworms etc and definitely is aware of the quality of her food.
However, she does seem bored and perhaps lonely. She does float in one place often, not moving, as soon as she sees me, she starts moving and looking my way, she interacts, trying to understand what I want when I try to get her to chase something, or jump. So I know she is healthy. But I think she is bored. She only gets excited when I come over, and when she is eating! Other than this, she does swim around a bit but often I see her just floating with her fins kind of closed up.
I am unsure if it is the size of tank as before she was in a 90 litre, or if it's just being alone and lack of stimulation.
When I put her floating mirror in, she does expand her fins a lot and flutter her gills and gets defensive, so I know that she does feel territorial seeing her reflection. Therefore, I know she won't do well in a sorority. There were 3 other female bettas who looked exactly like her in the community tank before. They all died off 1 by 1 due to other mysterious reasons. 2 of them during a period of medicating the tank. I lost quite a few fish during the phase before to some parasite issue, and during medication cycle too. I am really unsure if there was any territorial nipping or chasing or stress when I was not looking as I never ever saw it from bettas to each other or any other fish. But with her reaction to her reflection, I don't want to get another betta in there.
I put a snail in there for her, she doesn't seem to notice it much. I took 1 amano shrimp from the community tank and put it in, she was chasing it right away so I put the poor guy back in the community tank. She never chased any amanos in the community tank, but I think it is maybe cause she was outnumbered.
My query is; I am not sure what companions I can get her. I think the tank is too small to add corydoras as they need groups. I'd like to try small bottom dwellers, but.. if she was chasing the amano, and nipping it, then I want to be very careful who who I add. I never SAW her chasing or nipping any other fish or amanos in the community tank and I reckon it is because she was outnumbered and more intimidated. But, are there any fish that are small, bottom dwellers, in a small group of max 3, and can live in a 30 litre with her and won't fight over food at the top?
She seemed happy and active. I saw no issues except for feeding times when guppies and tetras are happy to swarm to food, and she would shy away and hated being crowded and fighting for food.
I moved her to a 30 litre tank, cycled, checked with master kit, water is fine, same parameters as the main tank. She is with her floating and sinking log, zoomed leaf. It has a half-shady side and the other half bright with plants.
Whenever she sees me, she gets excited and swims over. She's an enthusiastic eater. She only really likes frozen/defrosted bloodworms and settles for defrosted brine shrimp, daphnia etc, but quite refuses dried bloodworms etc and definitely is aware of the quality of her food.
However, she does seem bored and perhaps lonely. She does float in one place often, not moving, as soon as she sees me, she starts moving and looking my way, she interacts, trying to understand what I want when I try to get her to chase something, or jump. So I know she is healthy. But I think she is bored. She only gets excited when I come over, and when she is eating! Other than this, she does swim around a bit but often I see her just floating with her fins kind of closed up.
I am unsure if it is the size of tank as before she was in a 90 litre, or if it's just being alone and lack of stimulation.
When I put her floating mirror in, she does expand her fins a lot and flutter her gills and gets defensive, so I know that she does feel territorial seeing her reflection. Therefore, I know she won't do well in a sorority. There were 3 other female bettas who looked exactly like her in the community tank before. They all died off 1 by 1 due to other mysterious reasons. 2 of them during a period of medicating the tank. I lost quite a few fish during the phase before to some parasite issue, and during medication cycle too. I am really unsure if there was any territorial nipping or chasing or stress when I was not looking as I never ever saw it from bettas to each other or any other fish. But with her reaction to her reflection, I don't want to get another betta in there.
I put a snail in there for her, she doesn't seem to notice it much. I took 1 amano shrimp from the community tank and put it in, she was chasing it right away so I put the poor guy back in the community tank. She never chased any amanos in the community tank, but I think it is maybe cause she was outnumbered.
My query is; I am not sure what companions I can get her. I think the tank is too small to add corydoras as they need groups. I'd like to try small bottom dwellers, but.. if she was chasing the amano, and nipping it, then I want to be very careful who who I add. I never SAW her chasing or nipping any other fish or amanos in the community tank and I reckon it is because she was outnumbered and more intimidated. But, are there any fish that are small, bottom dwellers, in a small group of max 3, and can live in a 30 litre with her and won't fight over food at the top?
