Eternalx Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 Hello, I'm really new to this and I want to start my own Betta tank. I've been researching and I think I might set up my tank like this: 5 Gallons Tank with heater + filter 1x Male Betta 1x Mystery Snail 2x Otocicluc Catfish (some article said they need a mate) 5x Ghost Shrimp (the internet said they should go in groups of 5+) Plants: Java Fern & Java Moss Petile Nana Chinese evergreen Rosenervig Questions: 1) Should I get a male and female catfish or 2 males/2 females? I don't want any reproduction 2) Do I need any other plants? Also if there's any changes need to be made please let me know Like if I have too much stuff etc Thank you =] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyarlla Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I think your shrimp might become the bettas snack tbh... Tank size sounds good for the betta though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 It helps if you refer to litres rather than gallons here. I agree that bettas will probably eat glass shrimp. IME they also hassle mystery snails (they try to eat the feelers). I doubt you could sex otos even if it mattered what ratio you had them in, but no, it doesn't matter. I couldn't get a colony of 6 to breed in a 6' tank so I don't think the chances of a breeding pair in a 5 gallon (?? litres?) would be very high! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbites Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Re plants - the anubias nana and the java moss will be plenty in a small tank. The Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema sp) are not aquatic plants and will eventually either rot or grow far too big for a 20litre tank. The Limnophila Polysperma 'Rosenervig' (if that's what you mean) can be quite nice and gets bushy when you cut it back - a small planting of it should be fine for the Betta to hide in at times (it might also suffer if there is not enough light over the tank). The java fern will grow fairly slowly so won't be a problem if you start out with a small piece (make sure you don't plant it into the gravel - it prefers to be attached to a rock or a bit of wood to grow best). All of these plants apart from the rosenervig will grow well in low light conditions. The tank size would be perfect for a single Betta but be careful having too many fish in that size tank. As others said - the ghost shrimp could get eaten but a single red cherry shrimp that found its way into my tank of female bettas has grow to be the largest RCS I have! Not sure if it had friends and they were eaten though! What type of Betta are you going to get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefyingGravity Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Don't really have much to add, except that 5 gallons is about 18-19 litres. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eternalx Posted January 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 (edited) Oh yea O_O I'm getting a 20L tank .. Anyways, A HM betta =] or a Crowntail Also what other plants do I need? Also, I went to the shop and couldn't find a dam snail or shrimp >_> what the hell Edited January 11, 2010 by Eternalx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghengis Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 Don't really have much to add, except that 5 gallons is about 18-19 litres. Correct. 1 gal = 3.8L 5galx3.8=19L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyarlla Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 How long have you been cycling your tank for? If you get shrimp you will need to get moss first. If you get a betta you will have no shrimp Be really careful about mixing shrimp with fish. I know it might seem "cool" but with a lot of aquarium stores selling shrimp around $4-5.00 per cherry red shrimp, thats an expensive fish meal.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghengis Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 (edited) I have never kept shrimp, but I know what Lyarlla says is true. One day at an LFS, I was looking at a Platinum HM girl that I wanted to buy...she was in a tank with various fish and some glass shrimp (I think that's what they were). In the ten minutes I was watching, I think she swam to the bottom to gobble up a little shrimpy maybe three or four times. I do hope those shrimp didn't cost the proprietor too much, cos they were getting picked off like sitting...well, shrimp! Edited January 13, 2010 by ghengis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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