Went Betta Crazy

[doiser2]

Today, on a simple trip to Wal-Mart to look at aquarium supplies, my girlfriend and I ended up looking at Bettas. We found a white betta with a little red on his body and at the top of his back fin that looked really nice for a Wal-Mart Betta. We enjoyed him so much, we ended up buying him. After looking at him in better light outside the store, we discovered that he may have a little bit of ich right by his gills. We went back to her house and transferred him to a little fish bowl we found (about half a gallon) that we filled with healthy water from her 5 gallon tank. This was our 2nd betta.

After dinner, we decided to go look at the ich treatment at the other Wal-Mart location in our town. Again, we ended up looking at the Bettas. We now have 4.

The 2 newest ones are very nice dark-colored fish that are purple, blue, and red. We just couldn't let them die in a little cup at Wal-mart or with someone that would put them both in one of those microscopic divided Betta tanks they sell at Wal-mart. Right now they are in little Betta bowls not much better than the ones they were bought in, but we plan on getting some cheap plastic bowls tomorrow that hold at least one gallon.

It's really amazing to see how much our first one has changed. His fins were all scrunched up when we bought him, now they tend to stay very open, and his color has improved significantly. He also swims much more than he did at first. He is nearing the end of the first week in his new home and doesn't even look like the same fish anymore.

I plan on putting the white one in a ten gallon tank soon. Some questions I have are:

What other fish are both compatible with bettas and attractive? I know ghost shrimp seem to work well in the 5 gallon, and they clean up vitually all the food that the fish misses, so they are almost a sure thing with my 10 gallon. I like fan tail guppies, but I'm sure they wouldn't last long with a betta becasue of their colorful tails.

Can a ghost shrimp or two be kept in a 1 gallon bowl with a betta, provided there is gravel on the bottom and maybe a small shelter? I know this violates the 1 inch per gallon rule, but do ghost shrimp count since they are mostly bottom-dwellers and produce less waste than they clean up? I don't think they'll crowd up the bowl, but will the betta be more likely to eat them in such a small space? The shrimp in the 5 gallon are so fast that theyre at the opposite end of the tank before the betta can touch them when he does decide to chase them.

Lastly, does the fizzing ich treatment work well, and is it alright for the fish, or would the salt sold in the fish aisle be better?

Sorry about the long post, I just felt like telling people about our new bettas, and wanted some advice on the questions asked above.

Thanks to all who read/reply.

 

[cutechic]

First of all, congratulations on your new additions

There are many fish that can be kept with bettas, but it really all depends on how agressive the individual fish are. I'd actually recommend getting african dwarf frogs, corys, or otos as tankmates, instead of fish. I've heard many people say that they woke up on morning to find that their betta had attacked (and killed) the ghost shrimp.

Fantail guppies and any other brightly coloured or long-finned fish should not be kept with bettas, as you've said. The betta will most likely mistake them for another betta.

I believe that one or two ghost shrimp could be kept in a bowl with a betta, but remember that ghost shrimp should really have some sort of filtration. As I've already said, you need to be prepared to move the ghost shrimp if your betta is too agressive, especially since it's such a small bowl. A few ghost shrimp and your betta should not create too much of a strain on the bioload, but you must be prepared to do water changes at least twice a week- preferably three times.

I've never used the fizzing ich treatment. I've heard mixed reviews on it. The salt and an increased water temperature may be enough to cure the ich, depending on how advanced it is. However, with a 1 gallon bowl, it will be hard to raise the temperature of the tank. For my small tanks, I bought a heating pad (like one used for sore muscles), and put that under my tanks. It cost about $30.

Good luck, and hope this has helped