Tank stock

[craigi_a]

have had livebearers in the past, and fabcy something different really.

 

[Allix]

Cat fish? my ideal tank would be full of female bettas or id have several small tanks, one with puffers, a few with a male betta in each, and one with a crayfish

 

[earthmover]

How about some of the smaller tetras, glowlight, jellybean tetras etc, could probably put quite a few in

 

[craigi_a]

i quite fancy a tank with a betta in it at the moment, but want some other fish in there to, just for some extra movement, would any catfish or any bottom feeders go in well with them? or with no problems?

also like the sound of the dwarf puffers sound interesting, but not seen these about anywhere,

any one know if their available in the south of england anywhere? in particular portsmouth area or herts area?

 

[Torrean]

rubbernose pleco http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=34993

Not sure but aren't glowlight and jellybean tetra's dyed glass tetra's?

 

[fishwatcher]

Just know that dwarf puffers need at least 5 gallons each... not with each other, as they get aggressive as they get older. I'd love to have a dwarf puffer one day, just in it's own 5-gal tank. They are too cute!
I think a betta with a few ADFs and a few non-nipping fish (like the minnows) would be great looking.
When you get it set up, post some pix! Good luck!

 

[Torrean]

sir minion just informed me that rubbernose plecs get to 5" not 3". The index was wrong I guess.

 

[craigi_a]

ok at the moment im thinking of a betta

and maybe a few corys

does this sound like it would work to everyone?

cheers

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

A male or female betta and some corys would be fine, but just make sure you don't mix bettas with bettas unless they are all female and in a group of 4 or more

 

[craigi_a]

thanks, yeah was only thinking 1 male betta at the moment, know i woudl have to have bettas in a different tank if i wanted more,

just out of interest as read someone was keeping them together, do bettas and swordtails mix? or does it depend on the tempermant of each fish?

 

[annka5]

Re: white cloud mountain minnows - these need lower temparatures than a lot of tropicals, and I THINK (pls correct me) that betta's need higher temps -around 26C?

 

[Kazman]

Just going back to an earlier point, we live in Herts and have seen a few Dwarf Puffers around, def saw some in Maidenhead Aquatics, think it was in Basingstoke?. If you wanted to go that way give them a call, I think they're a great chain. B)

 

[OohFeeshy]

Since your local, I'd better say I haven't seen anywhere with dwarf puffers Or a particulary large selection of bettas. As for bettas with swordtails, I'd say no. Mainly because bettas tend not to like things with bright colours. With a betta, you can usually put anything not brightly coloured, not nippy or not with long fins.

 

[sylvia]

Swords with bettas would be ok but in a much larger tank. I would not keep swords in anything less than a 15 gallon and they can be quite nippy (swordtails that is) if stressed out or if they feel insecure. Platies make a good alternative though. Make sure you get all male or all female or get the ratio right - 2 females to every male. The only situation where you are guaranteed to NOT get fry is if all are male.

Glowlight tetras, BTW, are not dyed but jellybean tetras (actualy I've never heard of them but they are bound to be) are dyed so don't get them (unless you want to knowingly support this cruel practice).

I think the betta/cory idea is fool proof. These fish usualy get along absolutely fine.

BTW, someone mentioned the temp. requirements of white clouds as opposed to bettas. They were right but both species are very adaptable with white clouds being borderline tropical and often kept in tropical tanks and bettas having been bred several generations without any heating at all in some cases. Though I personaly would not encourage people to keep them together just because they can handle it, I just wanted to say that it IS possible and neither fish should realy suffer provided all other parameters are good and provided the temperature remains constant.

 

[craigi_a]

cheers, and yeah not noticed a great selection around here, i commute between herts and portsmouth quite a bit and know theres quite a few decent places around uxbridge so may check them out,

think im set on the betta and cory idea, and will just make sure theres plenty of hiding places to be on the safe side,

would it be a better idea to add the corys or the betta first? or both together?

just wondering if the betta might get teritorial then resent the new corys?