Really Upset

[Romany]

Please please don't have a go at me or tell me i've been stupid, i feel bad enough already.

As i mentioned in my first posts, i've just got my first tank, set it up as advised on here and got 6 guppies from a friend. They did really well and i only lost onewhich i'm assuming could of been shock.

A friend took me to a garden center the other day to get me a couple of neons. They had some siamese fighting fish & said they're really beautiful so why don't we get one of those as well as the neons. Anyway, i explained my set up to the guy there, told him i know pretty much NOTHING so could he advise me whether a siamese would be suitable, i made it clear i was going to spend my money there so if a siamese wasn't suitable with guppies then what would be. He told me a female siamese would be absolutely fine with the male guppies and 2 neons.

Both my neons are dead, 1 guppy and the others have had their tail nibbled. I've been watching her tonight & she sits in the corner of the tank then pretty much launches herself at the guppies.

I'm so upset & feel so so stupid. I don't want to get rid of the siamese as my friend bought her for my birthday . I really don' know what to do.

I can't understand why i was advised this way even after telling him of my ignorence & asking for advice

 

[Meggie :)]

Don't feel bad...I've made plenty of mistakes before. It's nothing that you could have helped; you only got the fish because you honestly believed that a betta would be compatible with your tetras and guppies; in some cases they are...I don't know where if you live has one but i know a store near where i live that takes in unwanted fish, for whatever reason they are unwanted (besides being sick) and your friend should understand if you say that your betta was harming your other fish. (and if you get more fish in the near future, i would highly recommend mollies. The balloon mollies or a.k.a. pot belly mollies are my absolute favorite ...They are very hardy, more so than guppies i believe, and are very entertaining and can live up to 5 years in good conditions. Just don't any females...it's a disaster if you are not into breeding fish )

Best of luck!

 

[AquaJason]

Most pet shops sell males with long beautifully coloured fins and females which have short fins and are suppose to be a lot duller. When i first started i bought 3 females, 2 which turned out to be males with short fins, over a period of time people have bred fighting fish to have long fins for fighting purposes and because they look 'better'. Perhaps you have a short finned male! Females have a white spot under their abdomen called the ovipositer.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Is there any way you could get a second small tank for the betta?

 

[Sandalphon]

Is there any way you could get a second small tank for the betta?

Totally second the second small tank idea. There's a reason why Betta's have been called by the name of, and sold as "fighting fish". Don't feel bad, for awhile I was naming all of my fish "floater"!

 

[Romany]

Thank you everyone!

I can't find the white spot, is there any chance it could ba a young female?

Now that she picked the smaller guppies off she doesn't seem to be bothering the larger ones. Shes a bit of a loner, is this normal?

 

[This Old Spouse]

Thank you everyone!

I can't find the white spot, is there any chance it could ba a young female?

Now that she picked the smaller guppies off she doesn't seem to be bothering the larger ones. Shes a bit of a loner, is this normal?

I just stole this so you could see what it looks like:

 

[Romany]

Ah, ok, i have a male

 

[Romany]

 

[Romany]

Does it look male ?

 

[colleen0309]

Hello and welcome!