Fish Combination Suggestion

[Jbbae]

Err... I just got a fish community (20 gallons I believe) that consists of:
-2 Bettas (1 male, 1 female)
-3 Guppies (3 males)
-10 Neon Tetras
-2 Bandit Cories
-1 Bristlenose Plecostomus
-1 Angelfish
-2 Swordtails (females)
-2 Platies (1 male, 1 female)

And Just like an hour ago, my Betta (its the biggest fish in tank) just bit a chunk of my favorite Guppy's tail...

As soon as I saw a section of the tail missing, I got my Breeding net and seperated the Betta from the tank.

It's what my instincts have told me, and now I'm wondering what I should do next...

Many things going in my mind, and my plans for this tank has been interrupted because of this unfortunate event...

-I was thinking of breeding either the Betta or the Platies, but now I'm not so much sure about the Betta, after seeing such aggressive behavior

-I have another tank, but its barely a 1.5 gallon one... Should I seperate my 1 betta/3 guppies there? Or just keep them together and hope it doesn't happen again?

HELPP!!!

 

[Mikaila31]

Did you cycle the tank prior to adding fish? If yes, what did you do to cycle it?

 

[bordercollie05]

Just to warn you, you will have a hard time not breeding the platies, they are livebearers and if their happy they should breed if they are together. Breeding bettas is difficult and takes lots of time and patience. If you are really interested, you can read about that in the betta section, the pinned threads are great. However, I'd recommend getting everything else straight before trying to breed anything. Is this a tank you bought as a set up or did you pick the fish? There could be a lot of problems with your fish combination.

The male betta would be better off in the 1.5 gallon on his own. That's an acceptable size for a betta tank and he won't work out in a community, especially knowing that he already took care of the guppy's tail. The female may or may not work out in that tank, but you'll need a smaller tank for her to be on her own if there are sings of aggression from her at all. I would personally not keep any bettas in a community, but my roommate has a female betta that grew up with other fish and seems fine.

The Angelfish will eventually outgrow that tank. It will need a tank that is at least 17-18" high as its fins grow vertically and it needs the space. I'm not sure if your 20 is long or high, the high one might be okay for now, but if you don't plan on getting a bigger tank in the near future, the angelfish might need a new home.

Also, I think your tank is generally overstocked, especially if it is new. Some fish will likely have to go, but read about each of your species in the Fish Species Index or on another fish index website. Write down how big they get, what fish they get along with, how many of their kind they need, etc. Then you can narrow down which to keep in that tank and which will need a new home; either in another tank in your house, back to the petstore, or to a friends/neighbors. This will help you learn about the kinds of fish you have and what they need. Also, you'll learn about what fish to pick in the future.

Most importantly, read about cycling, as Mikaila said. This is the most important part of setting up a tank. Without understanding the cycling process, your fish could be very uncomfortable if they don't die.

Don't feel discouraged, it is easy to be mislead by store employees and just lack of knowledge about a new tank, but if you do some reading and work to gain a balance with your fish tank, you'll quickly understand the reason we are all so addicted to this hobby! Its FUN!

Good Luck and keep asking questions!

Laura

 

[loachman]

Your stocking is pretty heavy and setup for some issues.

Bettas and guppies will not work. The betta will perceive the guppies as an opposing male and attack them. The guppies will loose. Bettas do not do well in any community setup. They either bully long finned fish, or get nipped by quicker fish.

Angelfish get large for a 20 gal, and large angels naturally prey on neons. Some people have had success if the angels are raised with neons, but it can go wrong.

Cories should be in larger groups.

You don't have to do anything to breed guppies, swordtails or platies. If you have females, they're probably already carrying. They're the rabbits of the waterlogged world.

As the above poster said, betta breeding is more involved and there are some FAQs on the betta forum.

 

[loubega]

as already stated, angels will outgrow your tank eventually and you may notice that they will predate on your neons as they are natural prey for them. Sometimes if the angels are bought small they can be ok with smaller fish, but its a lottery.

The Betta has been discussed already, and would do fine in a 2-3g tank, i have had one for almost ayear in there on his own with no worries.

Only other problem may be the neons, if they manage to survive the angel fish, they may not survice the tank, if its newly cycled. Neons are notoriosuly fragile when it comes to new tanks, however in mature tanks they look great and can be quite hardy. i have 8 in a mature tank for almost 8 months now.

 

[Jbbae]

Oh don't worry bout the cycle. It is a tank that is already 6 months old, initially with 3 male guppies and an angelfish. The others, I just added to the community..

Well, the angelfish is fairly small I'd say and doesn't really have a problem with the tank's size apparently, so tetras are safe for now.

As for the Betta, I will listen to you peeps and move it to another home

Err, now another question... If I see the the livebearers are about to give birth, should I use my breeding net, or just leave em be?
The tank at this point would be without the male Betta, but I fear other fish might eat the fries.

Well, also, with the current fish community, would introducing fries to the tank overpopulate the tank? (In other words, should I not use a breeding net and just let em survive on their own?)

Also, I don't know around how many guppies/swordtails/platies fries survive/come out when they are given birth... Can you tell me that as well?

Thanks a lot, been a great help

 

[kizno1]

male and female bettas cant live together and 3g is the min for a betta but 5g would be better

 

[bordercollie05]

I've had problems with guppies dying when moved to a breeding net prior to birthing. The babies could be moved safely, although I prefer to have a little ten gallon for my baby guppies. It's so fun to see them grow up! You'll enjoy it.

Please do move your angel when it gets a little bigger though, it will grow faster than you think!