panicFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Sorry if this is in the wrong section Ok i have a 20g tank that has been running for a bit over 6 months. It currently has an albino bristlenose pleco and 6 white cloud mountain minnows (going into an outside pond). I have to admit, i've caught the betta bug . Because of this, i was wondering how many female bettas could i have in this tank? I would like to put some other smaller fish in the tank aswell, maybe some neons or something like that and possibly 3 or 4 corys. Would a setup like that work? Oh and the tank is heavily planted and has some caves in there aswell. Also if i put female bettas in the tank, do they have to have the same tail type? Or can they be different? Thanks :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Hey PanicFREAK Depending on the filtration and the rest of the setup, I'd say around about 6-8 (once the WCMMs are gone), but I would add slowly and see how you go, you may find that with 4 personalities in there that it already seems full. With cories and neons, I'd say maybe 3? It might be a bit squishy, so perhaps investigate pygmy cories. Your thought of 3-4 is good though, you get much more natural behaviour with 3 or more. Tail types are irrelevant Bettas generally don't care what sort of tail the other ones have (unless it looks tasty ) so you could have any tail types you wanted and any colours you wanted :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Thanks for the reply Ok so say i was to get 6 female bettas. Could i then get 3 or 4 panda cories and a school of ember tetras? I thought that maybe the bettas would be the 'centerpiece' fish. Or should i get something else that would stand out? Does that make any sense? Anyway i was thinking something like these numbers 6 female bettas 6 or 7 ember tetras (only grow to 2cm) 1 bristlenose pleco Possibly 3 panda cories or pygmy cories if i can find some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leela Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I've had 20 female bettas in a 80L tank before without any problems. You just need to keep the tank fairly clean. IMO, having only 3 females will lead to in-house battles. You need more numbers to keep the disputes to a minimum. Cheers O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I wasnt planning on having only 3 female bettas. Im pretty sure i said 6. I dont want a tank full of just bettas though. Thats why i was asking about whether i could keep 6 females along with the other fish i mentioned above. Thanks for your suggestions though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 The numbers you listed seem fine to me. But cmon.... get 8 bettas... you know you want to I like ember tetras. I saw some just the other day and wondered which tank I could put them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 The problem with it all is that Albino BN, as that just tips the bioload too high. Without that, you could go a bit crazy, but with him there you need to keep in mind that he's outputting a fair bit more than the comparable amount of inches of other small fish. I personally like 5 for female bettas (odd numbers seem to work well both visually and for pecking order), but I'd be hesitant to say that you could add that many with a school of cories and a BN and a school of tetras, because each of those species is going to want some space to themselves, and the ember tetras and cories are a bit sensitive to water quality issues. The last thing you want is to overstock to the point where the fish get tetchy and stressed and you spend most of your spare time cleaning (tried it, its exhausting!) If you ditch the cories, 5-8 probably wouldn't be too much of a stretch. To be honest, I'd be tempted to use a dwarf gourami or a male betta as your centrepiece. Single fish, no schooling or pecking order problems, and it might even make the tetras school a bit tighter as it will be a bit more predatorial in appearance/behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I have about 12 female bettas in a 20-25 litre tank and they're fine :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I would love to have a male betta as a centerpice fish, but id really like more than 1 betta in the tank. Unless...... ..... unless i can somehow bring another tank into the house without my parents noticing and use it for a betta sorority . The problem with that being that i have no more powerpoints/sockets in my bedroom so i wouldnt be able to filter/heat/light the tank, and my parents wont let me put tanks in any other rooms . Yeah the bristlenose is a real mess. Not sure if hes even cleaning algae anyway . maybe i could trade him in at my lfs for some store credit and then i can get some fish for that tank . Maybe i will just get a school of tetras, the cories and a male betta as the centerpiece. In that case, would it be a good idea to get another tank just for some female bettas? I have got a spare 10L tank but doubt that would be big enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 i think that if you put a nice filter on that 10L tank you could probably get away with 3 or 4 females bettas. but you need a minimum of 3 or they'll fight (not too much but a lot more than if there was 3 - that way they can set a heirachy/pecking order much easier) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Hmmmm. The only problem is that theres not really any place to put it other than my room and as i said i have no power sockets to run any more electrical things. The only other places i could put it get direct sunlight. In my room i have a powerpoint with 2 sockets, and to them i have attached a powerboard (to each socket) that has 5 sockets. So unless i buy another powerboard and attach it to one of the other power boards, though i think that might be a bit dangerous If i did a 50%-100% water change every 2 or 3 days would i be able to keep the females in the 10L tank unfiltered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 What sort of filter are you running on the main tank? If it is powered by an air pump you could be in luck :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 My smallest tank which houses 2 male bettas is run by an air pump. I was actually wondering whether you can run 2 air tubes off the one pump to filter 2 tanks. Does that make sense? I'll go take some pics the divided male betta tank to show you the filtration on it. It seems to work ok and the current isnt too bad. Ok off to take some pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 PERFECT we'll get this sorted yet I'll go find the pictures of the splitters you'll need. If the air pump is powerful enough then you should be fine, otherwise you might need to swap the current one for a larger one to run more things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Ok so taking pics was harder than i thought it would be However i managed to find a tank that is pretty much similar to the one i have and i found a pic of what the filtration looks like. Only difference is that the pump im using is an external one. The second pic shows how i've set the tank up. I've put some java fern in both tanks aswell as some floating hornwort on the right hand side section. Ok so i just found the box that the air pump came in. It says the following: - High performance - Air output 2500 C.C/min - Safe and quiet operation - Single outlet - Two speed control - 150L/hr Is all that info good? Or do i need a different air pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Most of my airpumps run more than one filter. I've got a single outlet air pump that's got 5 things running of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Ooooh ok. So i guess in that case, i have to buy some connector thingys? Any idea what they look like/ what ones i need to get? Also should i just get a small sponge filter for my 10L tank? Thanks for all the help guys :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 sponge filters are great :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Ok so i went to one of my LPS's today. I was going to go and see if i could get an air filter and some other stuff. The only type of filters they had were these types And i think they would be too powerful for a betta tank. Maybe i should just make a DIY sponge filter? Oh and i also got 2 of these Then as usual i went to look at the bettas. Well i got quite upset as they had 1 dead in a cup, and one almost dead and when i looked at it from above it was pretty much just bone. I mean it was so unbelieveably skinny. I told the shop assistant about both bettas and her reply was 'Hes pretty much dead anyway' and she just left both of them in there cups. Mind you the cups were pretty filthy with rotten food. I couldnt believe she didnt do anything about them. Anyway i then saw these 2 beautiful crowntails that i immediately fell in love with. They were being kept in an unfiltered, unheated, unlit divided tank that looked to be less than 1L with no plants or anything just this gross fluro pink gravel. . One was looking very depressed and was just sitting on the bottom of the container. I thought he was dead so i turned the container around so i could see his face and to my suprise we swam up and started flaring at me. I put my finger against the side and he started 'headbutting' it as if to say 'get me outta here!!' So i called a different shop assistant over and said i wanted that one, and then i was like argh ok i'll take both So at the moment theyre sitting in a divided breeding net in my 80L tank until i can set up another tank for them. I think its official.......i've definately caught the betta bug ps: Theyre getting a shippment of bettas in this afternoon so ill be back there 2moro :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Nobody name the aquarium. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 LOL, sounds like you are infected! Do be careful with rescues though, the last thing you want to do is bring home a sad little fish and accidentally introduce some fast acting disease that wipes out all of your other fish. Been there, done that, learned my lesson Make sure you quarantine, even if it is just in an underbed storage box or some tupperware containers. Here is the layout that you need for splitting First thing is a one-way valve, so if it cuts off or if some 'helpful' person unplugs it you don't end up with your tank syphoning very slowly onto the floor (also done that, not fun) Second thing is a T piece, which will split the airflow from one to two. If you can find a Y piece, all the better as it provides less resistance for the air. Third things are tap valves, and you will get very good at working these. The air will tend to favour one channel over the other, either because of a shorter tube or a less resistant filter on the end. The tap valves can be used to uncrease the resistance on the side that the air favours, forcing it to even out. DO NOT turn off both at once, that is the perfect way to bugger up your air pump. Hold your nose, close your mouth, and breathe out. Its a similar thing, the pressure builds up and the air will want to find a way to escape, and can blow the seals and sections of the diaphragm that makes the pump work. The other option, and this works well on larger air pumps, is a gang valve. You attach the air in one end, and the devices on each tap (technically I think they are cocks, but taps'll do). Adjust the taps as necessary :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 I inspected the fish as much as i could through the tiny container before i decided to get them. They look quite healthy actually. I decided to leave the real skinny one as i dont think im up actually treating such a sick fish. He also seemed to have some sort of finrot aswell. I think i have some spare T pieces somwhere, unless i threw it out And the things i bought today look pretty much identical to those tap valves except the ones i got are white. Thanks for all your help callatya Oh and did lilli mean for me not to say the name of the LFS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y2jdaze Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 yes she meant do not tell us the name of the LFS... get us some pics of your new aquisitions :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panicFREAK Posted July 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Shall do as soon as my camera charges :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 sorry I was so vague! was at work so in a bit of a rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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