Tank stocking

[Essjay]

I have just re-read the first post, and in that you say you have balloon mollies already and are intending to get a betta.

Mollies need hard water. Your tap water is perfect for them but if the tank really is 9 dH, that is far too soft.



One other thought has just occurred to me - do you use a water softener in the house? If you do, is the high GH from a bypass tap and the tank filled with 'softened' water?

 

[CatScott]

No water softener added, just straight from the tap with Aquasafe. Will def do another tank test over the weeend and report back.

The main guide I have been using for betta tank mates is this https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/betta-tank-mates/

 

[Essjay]

Unfortunately, anyone can set up a website regardless of how much knowledge they have. The truth is that there are no species guaranteed safe with a betta. Some bettas will accept tank mates, others will not, it is all down to the temperament of each individual betta.

But we can research the behaviour of species suggested in websites like this, and the best place to look is Seriously Fish. The profile on there for silvertip tetras says, as Byron said, that they are fin nippers, and while this can usually be contained within their shoal if there are enough of them when they are in a tank with a very long finned fish they just will not be able to help themselves.



We really do need to sort out the hardness issue here. Any fish we suggest based on a hardness of 9 dH will suffer if the hardness returns to the tap water hardness.

 

[Byron]

No water softener added, just straight from the tap with Aquasafe. Will def do another tank test over the weeend and report back.

The main guide I have been using for betta tank mates is this https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/betta-tank-mates/

I just read that link. While there is some general common sense, the advice concerning the "suitable" species is erroneous. I had a Betta in a 20g tank with some neons many years (read, decades) ago, back in my "infancy" in the hobby, and he ate them one at a time. Bettas are not community fish, and there is no way around this fact. I don't know how many times I have read this from biologists like Neale Monks answering questions in PFK and online..and anyone who thinks they know better than Dr. Monks should change hobbies.

There is a difference in approach between those who are willing to risk fish just to have the type of aquarium they want, and those who take the time to fully research a species and accept the wisdom of the professionals who know what they are talking about. All fish species have inherent needs and behaviours programmed into their DNA and none of us is going to change the science so we should accept the norm and provide accordingly.

 

[CatScott]

Yeah I seem to recall having a betta in a community tank in the past, although it wasn't long before I specialised in a central and south American Cichlids with a 6ft tank so can't really remember how it all panned out long term. The hobby has moved on so much since I last kept tropicals with a lot more things available. I'm still trying to work out my options as for me its bettas that made me get a tank again. I'm wondering if I may be better off having a female betta sorority tank?

 

[CatScott]

Ok so I have a more concrete plan forming after researching last night and this morning. Leave the tank with its mollie and fry inhabitants for now, they are hardy buggers and the tank can take its time maturing in terms of the water chemistry and filtration, and also allow the plants to establish themselves and grow in. Once its sufficiently jungle like in there I will move on its current inhabitants and make it a betta sorority tank. I have found a couple of great looking breeders and the tank is a great size for this. This way it can be a species only tank and I will not add any other fish. I'm also eyeing up a 4 gal BiOrb so I can still house a male

 

[Essjay]

I have never kept female bettas but I have picked up a couple of things.

Make sure the tank has a lot of decor to break up line of sight and provide hiding places.
Get all the females at the same time - but if this is not possible, when new ones are added remove all the bettas currently in the tank, rearrange the decor then put new and old in the tank at the same time.
Some females are just as aggressive as males. Have a back up plan in case one of them attacks the others. And be aware that plakat males are often sold as females, though buying them from a breeder should mean this doesn't happen.
Have at least 4. With a 123 litre tank you have room for more than 4.

 

[CatScott]

Yes, this is why I'm wanting to get the plants grow in more first, so I can have a good amount of cover. I'm thinking to get 8 - 10 females, stocking a bit like milawi chichids. It looks like my son will keep the mollies so he will have his own tank that can be used for emergency measures too if I need to separate a girl. I will contact the breeders ahead of time to see if they keep their females together, as it would be preferable if they are already used to being in a tank with other females