My First Fish Aquarium And My Betta Is Chasing The Molly Or Platys Occ

[the_lock_man]

Hey all guess you all are sleeping till now, its just the time zone thing. No problem my betta is a real possessive male. So went and returned the platys to the bum. That shopkeeper omg, I could write a story on him in shortt those fish are really unlucky. Anyways he said he will refund my money in the evening. I asked him all the things I learnt from this forum, the fish there are just hanging on I guess. Not many customers so guys shop is pretty beaten up.
When I was there I saw a tank filled up with fish I think they where like tetras only had zebra like stripes and base was silver blue. All were fighting and chasing each other. I am thinking of buying the smallest one or two. So that they may survive.
I read that platys go with betta. It maybe my tank size also that the platy had flowing tails which made the betta think its another male .

Anyways should I get the small fish? They are half an inch or slightly longer maybe. What say. Also the name of that fish is long and stars with h I guess they where in the tank with tiger watevers.
I am just afraid that they dont nibble mu bettas fins. I really wish I could add some more small fish in the tank.

I think you've done the right thing taking the platies back, I'm so glad you didn't put them into a pond. It seems to me that you've got a particularly feisty betta, my current one is quite aggressive too, the one I had before that was as docile as pussycat, wouldn't even flare at a mirror.

I strongly suggest that you don't buy ANY more fish for your 20l, as I said before, Bettas are a solitary species, they live alone in the wild, and they won't get lonely in your tank. You MIGHT get away with some small freshwater shrimp in there, but the betta may also think that they are food - again, that's something that has happened to me.

It sounds like the fish you were wondering about buying are Zebra Danios - they aren't fighting, they're playing, that's what they do. They grow to be about 2-2½", they need to be in groups of at least 6, and preferably more, and need a long tank so they can zzzoooooomm around. Lovely fish, but not in your 20l.

Your next priority is to get testing kits for ammonia and nitrite (maybe nitrate as well), so you can tell the quality of the water. Make sure you get liquid-based test, not the strips, as they are SERIOUSLY unreliable.

Have a look down the forum at the Members Tanks section - get some ideas about creating a nice enriched environment in your tank. The betta will like lots of plants to weave in and out of, and to sit on. They really are wonderful fish.

 

[fishyfeet]

sounds a lot better, if you need any plants let me know and i will send you a few which might help, im sure other members might have a few surplus to help you out as well, di

 

[Tizer]

What? all the way to India? ........ pigs might...

 

[laura120381]

hi m8.

just got your message. glad to see that you have sorted out the tank issue. sorry to hear your betta was badly behaved!! i am sure he will calm down now he is on his own!! i wouldn't add anymore fish to your 20l. i know you would like to help the tetras that you saw but putting them in the tank with the betta really wouldn't do them or the betta any good! tetras are shoaling fish and should be kept in groups of at LEAST 6+. i'm afraid you just don't have the room in your tank. hows about saving for another tank, checking out the threads on fishless cycling and stocking and get another tank??!! your betta will be perfectly happy on its own...wouldn't deal too well with a group of tetras anyway!!

just something to think about. seriously though, i really wouldn't add anymore fish..the filter in a 20l will never cope and the tank is really not big enough for anything else. feel free to pm me if you have anything else you want me to help you with, or post on here. we're all happy to help you.

L

 

[fluttermoth]

I didn`t get the aquatic wool and i used cotton instead of that. the person used gravel, our soil type is muddy and there is hardly any beach or gravel nearby, so i used sand after cleaning the sand for twenty times. PLus I add cut small piece of Scotch Brite (the dish cleaning hardened sponge remember) and some normal sponge.And the top layer is made of tissue papers.

I think the problem with your home-made filter is you've got the wrong sort of stuff in it. The cotton, sand (and the tissue paper) is too fine and won't allow the water to flow through. I'd put a stone in the bottom to weigh it down, and fill the rest with sponge; either the normal, or the Scotch Brite, as long as that doesn't have any soap impregnated in it.

 

[crunch7]

What? all the way to India? ........ pigs might...

Please Please don`t Come to India Dear Tizer, We are well enough without you. Btw where U the one stealing soap in those London riot videos. We have great stuff we make in India but sorry we do not specialize in PIGGY Products, But yeah our neighbor China can produce anything you may even find yourself a Mate if not real then Plastic maybe? Best of Luck with That.

 

[crunch7]

uhh all this BS has diverted me from my topic. Newayz No more fish is getting near that Tank. getting the water test Kit Soon.
Also my filter is working yes. As correctly mentioned the filters are to dense so the water is taking more time to be filtered and quantity of output is also low. But on the bright side I have definitely passed the class One Right ?

 

[Greg_DS]

TBH I feel sorry for any fish you keep, that filter is a riot, if you can't afford proper stuff just don't have them, simple as that.

 

[crunch7]

TBH I feel sorry for any fish you keep, that filter is a riot, if you can't afford proper stuff just don't have them, simple as that.

Can you please elaborate ? If You can i.e.

 

[Fintastic!]

You need to get a proper filter crunch. The one you have sounds like it will do in an emergency until you get a proper one. It shouldn't just do, it should work properly for the sake of the fish, otherwise what's the point?

 

[CezzaXV]

I also agree, you really need a proper shop bought filter, not a DIY one. As fintastic said, it'd do in a pinch but not a permanent solution. Have a look on eBay for a cheap one. One of the upsides of having a small tank like yours is that you shouldn't need a very powerful one.

Please dont buy any more fish because you feel sorry for them. You don't really have the space for them in your tank, and you need to thoroughly research any species before you buy them to see what requirements they have. It's also worth noting that most fish in the shops are still babies and will grow quite a bit bigger than they are in the shop.

 

[fishyfeet]

why dont you post a wanted ad on here and see if any members have an old one they arent using, long as it works you can buy media for most of them easily, i havent unfortunatly i sold my internals once i brought externals but im sure others have one lying around. di

 

[crunch7]

Hey Guys, your suggestions are really nice and point perfect,

I did visit some local stores to check out the filter types and stuff, All you get there is a black sponge chinese filter costing 5 pounds, And I checked my filter ; believe me its working good if not great. I will add the link so that you can get a complete idea of how my filter is

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h02dIBLVQ8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL88697D13F0C90D6D

The guy used aquatic wool and gravel and made a filter with two layers. As for my filter I have made it up of five layers. From top to bottom : Tissue 20%;Sponge 10%; Sand 40%; Scotch Brite (Dense Sponge) 15%; and again Tissue 15%.

Also one question the Betta seems hungry and searching for food all the time . As suggested I am only feeding it a pinch of blood worms twice in a day. What say?

 

[fluttermoth]

There's nothing with those kinds of DIY filters; I've used them loads of times for emergency fry/hospital tanks and for one betta they'll do perfectly. You do need to sort out the media you're using though; sand and tissue paper just won't do.

Use the Scotch Brite sponge cut into discs to fit snugly inside the bottle, although the Chinese filter sponge would probably be better.

Remember never to wash the sponges out in tap water; only in old tank water.

It's common for fish to look 'hungry'; fish, unlike mammals, have no mechanism to tell them they're full, so will just carry on eating and eating if you put the food in. Don't forget, a fish's stomach is the same size as it's eye, and only needs that amount of food once a day

Bloodworm and nothing else is not a very good diet for fish; once or twice a week with flake or pellets on the other days, one day of lightly cooked, shelled and crushedf pea and one day a week with no food at all is the best regime.

 

[laura120381]

Hi Crunch,

+1 to what fluttermoth said. if you remove the sand and tissue, and follow her instruction, your DIY filter will be perfectly adequate for your betta. once again +1 to fluttermoth on your feeding regime (she is extremely experienced and knowledgeable - i would always take her advice). i remember reading up before i got my discus, that although blood worms are a fishy favourite (!) they contain very little nutritional value. a good tropical fish flake makes a good staple diet.

L

ps - don't let youself get rapped up in the BS!! we are here to help with fishkeeping issues...lets stick to that guys!!