Inverts And Betta

[Lady J]

You're welcome.

Regarding the rummynoses, that was my thinking too. But, that's just their behavior so I can't be upset---I just don't want this happening in my tank as most people don't want it happening in theirs.

Here's a kind of strange thing I guess: I wanted this tank to be "quiet" if that makes sense. With all of this activity (which obviously is normal with the fish I chose), it's making me feel a bit stressed. Maybe I'm just weird.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

There are other "calmer" tetras like neons and cardinals but there's still a risk that they will nip your betta Harlequins are def. more chilled out than rummynoses though.

 

[Lady J]

Ok, thanks for that. Maybe I'll get those. Can you think of any slow swimmers that would work with my betta?

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

The only thing I could suggest is maybe a dwarf cichlid of some kind? They tend to be bottom dwellers and aren't overly active fish.

 

[Lady J]

Really? I was under the impression that any type of cichlid would beat the crud out of a betta.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

lol well the dwarf cichlids like rams and apistos are pretty peaceful and if you only have one then you avoid aggression during spawning periods.

Having said that, I've had a problem in my tank with my betta and rams and the betta has some nasty fin damage. I don't really know what happened. The thing is, it's often trial and error with bettas as I think mine was probably not a total victim in the situation.

I've got three Bolivian Rams and there is a little aggression between them so my betta probably got mixed up in it.

Bettas are nice but it is a challenge to have medium/large community tanks with them. You've just got to be willing to try (sensible) combinations and then be prepared to re-home or isolate fish if the situation arises.

 

[Lady J]

lol well the dwarf cichlids like rams and apistos are pretty peaceful and if you only have one then you avoid aggression during spawning periods.

Having said that, I've had a problem in my tank with my betta and rams and the betta has some nasty fin damage. I don't really know what happened. The thing is, it's often trial and error with bettas as I think mine was probably not a total victim in the situation.

I've got three Bolivian Rams and there is a little aggression between them so my betta probably got mixed up in it.

Bettas are nice but it is a challenge to have medium/large community tanks with them. You've just got to be willing to try (sensible) combinations and then be prepared to re-home or isolate fish if the situation arises.

Well, if my store has one dwarf I could try that. I've also noticed that the julii corys are a bit more mellow than the sterbae (sp?) I have no idea why that is. I had originally wanted the german blue balloon rams but also had my heart set on a betta. After reading I felt that might not be such a good idea.

I'm willing to rehome which is why the rummynose are going back to the store. They're just too crazy and going after my betta yesterday was enough for me--they're gone.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Well do some reading up on the different kinds before doing anything I'm no expert so don't just take my word for it German blue rams are quite sensitive to water conditions so you'll want to check that you can provide the correct ones for them. Also I don't recommend the balloon rams, they are a bit controversial as they have been bred to produce the "balloon" effect which isn't their natural shape.

How many do you have of each type of cory? They are happier with their own kind so if you don't have good sized groups of both it could make one seem more withdrawn.

 

[Lady J]

I wasn't considering rams because I don't want to fight with water conditions. And you sure are correct about the balloon rams--I don't want that either.

I have 3 julii and 3 sterbae and was told these are ok because they will school together, which so far they are.

almostawesome, I just tore my reef tank down about 6 weeks ago after running it for 8-9 years. My goal was to run a fairly simple freshwater system with plants a few fish. I have ~ 2.5w. of t5s over my tank so started dosing Flourish and Flourish excel. So far the plants are doing great, it's just the fish thing that's causing me headaches. I know that corys are just the sweetest little things, but about 15 minutes ago 2 of them zipped up to where the betta was resting and the betta moved quickly and ended up getting stuck on the intake tube. I doubt he would have been able to pull himself off so I was glad I saw it very gently pushed him off of it.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Hmmm he sounds to be a very skittish betta. I do wonder if he's 100% healthy though as he shouldn't be getting stuck to the filter intake if i remember corectly, you don't have a mega powerful filter for your tank right? Also, bettas that have been kept in very small tanks their whole lives will take some time to build up the muscle tone to swim around in the current of larger tanks.
I can assure you that the corys will not hassle your betta intentionally so just give everyone some time to adjust i think

Regarding the corys, my preference would have been for 6 of the same species but it is your tank afterall!

 

[Lady J]

I think the betta is healthy but perhaps a bit skittish. I'm thinking exactly what you are regarding the corys. I've decided to return the rummynoses and the 3 sturbae and get 3 more juliis. The juliis aren't zipping around like the sterbaes. I'm not sure about the harlequin rasboras yet. They're kind of dull looking; IDK, I'll just wait till I get to the pet store and make some final decisions.

 

[Lady J]

Quick update: I returned the rummynoses and the sterbaes but kept the 3 jullis. I added 3 panda corys and 1 more snail. The corys are investigating everywhere (and schooling together) but aren't psycho nuts and the betta is out almost constantly. The difference is incredible and I'm really happy with this change. And, yesterday I saw an amazing betta at the store. It has kind of a dark green body with orange fins. Oh my goodness it was beautiful and I have never seen one that color. If I didn't have my halfmooon irridescent light blue finned betta with a red/light blue body I would have taken him home in a heartbeat!