A Few Questions! :)

Aethanyc · Mar 12, 2011

Hello everyone!
I'm sorry if this is in the wrong board, but I have some questions and I'm hoping for some advice from you!

I currently have a little 25L tank with a male Betta, 5 neon tetras and 3 mollies (2 female, 1 male). All of the fish get along incredibly well (the Betta was bred and raised in community tanks so he's one of those special blokes who's easy to get along with, he's my little star!) no fin-nipping or bullying in sight, and are happy and healthy. I've had them for just over a year now, and I'm upsizing to a 200L tank. I've got an Emperor 400 power filter for the new tank, as well as a 300W heater, so as far as maintenance goes, I'll be alright. I'm hoping I can keep all my babies and also get some more fish to fill the space, which is what I'm hoping I can get some advice about.

First of all, I'd like to get 5 more neons so they can chill out in a decent-sized shoal. I'm not worried about them and my Betta...like I said they've been coexisting for over a year and I've had no problems with them. My Betta really is a cool, calm little dude. <3 I'd like to keep my 3 mollies, and also get some Angelicus Loaches, since they're pretty little things and I highly doubt they'll get any trouble from my Betta. The tank will be very well-stocked with hiding places and plants for any needed alone-time!

Now here's the tricky question! I'm aware of the awful claims going around about the incompatibility of Bettas and Angelfish, but I have heard those few success stories about it. I'd love to get 2 angelfish, and I know pretty certainly that my Betta wouldn't go after them (he's displayed no aggressive behaviour towards any other fish in the past as a result of being raised in a community), but I WOULD worry about the angelfish bothering him. Is this likely to happen? In the stories I've read, it seems the Betta is always the one to start the trouble, but honestly I'd be worrying about it happening the other way around. I'd much rather keep my Betta happy than have angelfish, but if you guys think it sounds as if he'd get along with them, that'd be fantastic!

Thanks for reading guys, I look forward to your advice!

-FighterFishh · Mar 12, 2011

Aethanyc said:
Hello everyone!
I'm sorry if this is in the wrong board, but I have some questions and I'm hoping for some advice from you!

I currently have a little 25L tank with a male Betta, 5 neon tetras and 3 mollies (2 female, 1 male). All of the fish get along incredibly well (the Betta was bred and raised in community tanks so he's one of those special blokes who's easy to get along with, he's my little star!) no fin-nipping or bullying in sight, and are happy and healthy. I've had them for just over a year now, and I'm upsizing to a 200L tank. I've got an Emperor 400 power filter for the new tank, as well as a 300W heater, so as far as maintenance goes, I'll be alright. I'm hoping I can keep all my babies and also get some more fish to fill the space, which is what I'm hoping I can get some advice about.

First of all, I'd like to get 5 more neons so they can chill out in a decent-sized shoal. I'm not worried about them and my Betta...like I said they've been coexisting for over a year and I've had no problems with them. My Betta really is a cool, calm little dude. <3 I'd like to keep my 3 mollies, and also get some Angelicus Loaches, since they're pretty little things and I highly doubt they'll get any trouble from my Betta. The tank will be very well-stocked with hiding places and plants for any needed alone-time!

Now here's the tricky question! I'm aware of the awful claims going around about the incompatibility of Bettas and Angelfish, but I have heard those few success stories about it. I'd love to get 2 angelfish, and I know pretty certainly that my Betta wouldn't go after them (he's displayed no aggressive behaviour towards any other fish in the past as a result of being raised in a community), but I WOULD worry about the angelfish bothering him. Is this likely to happen? In the stories I've read, it seems the Betta is always the one to start the trouble, but honestly I'd be worrying about it happening the other way around. I'd much rather keep my Betta happy than have angelfish, but if you guys think it sounds as if he'd get along with them, that'd be fantastic!

Thanks for reading guys, I look forward to your advice!

That's a very overstocked 25L! You'll needing to be getting that tank ASAP.
Just put the mature filter media from your current filter into your new filter and your current fish can go straight in.
I personally wouldn't put angelfish and a betta together. I think that would cause problems to your betta. That said, you may just be able to leave the betta in the 25L (if you have space for it) as it has been said that they can get stressed when in a big tank. That would leave you open to pretty much any fish (as long as they will fit, and they can coexist nicely!) as neon tetras and mollies should be okay with angel fish.
Hope that helps! :good:

Aethanyc · Mar 12, 2011

-FighterFishh said:
That's a very overstocked 25L! You'll needing to be getting that tank ASAP.
Just put the mature filter media from your current tank into your new filter and they can go straight in.
I personally wouldn't put angelfish and a betta together. I think that would cause problems to your betta. That said, you may just be able to leave the betta in the 25L (if you have space for it) as it has been said that they can get stressed when in a big tank. That would leave you open to pretty much any fish (as long as they will fit, and they can coexist nicely!) as neon tetras and mollies should be okay with angel fish.
Hope that helps!

Thanks for your reply! I know it's overstocked, which is why I've decided to upsize as soon as I can...up until 2 weeks ago I only had the one male molly, but my friend at Uni needed to get rid of her tank to move house and was just going to flush her molly girls! I felt so terrible that I agreed to take them off her hands, but as you say now my tank is pretty crowded!

I have been thinking about just keeping my Betta in the 25L on his own, but I don't think I'll have room, so I'll probably just skip out on getting any angelfish until he dies in a couple of years...you think it's likely he'll be bullied by the angels, then?

-FighterFishh · Mar 12, 2011

Aethanyc said:
-FighterFishh said:

That's a very overstocked 25L! You'll needing to be getting that tank ASAP.
Just put the mature filter media from your current tank into your new filter and they can go straight in.
I personally wouldn't put angelfish and a betta together. I think that would cause problems to your betta. That said, you may just be able to leave the betta in the 25L (if you have space for it) as it has been said that they can get stressed when in a big tank. That would leave you open to pretty much any fish (as long as they will fit, and they can coexist nicely!) as neon tetras and mollies should be okay with angel fish.
Hope that helps!

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply! I know it's overstocked, which is why I've decided to upsize as soon as I can...up until 2 weeks ago I only had the one male molly, but my friend at Uni needed to get rid of her tank to move house and was just going to flush her molly girls! I felt so terrible that I agreed to take them off her hands, but as you say now my tank is pretty crowded!

I have been thinking about just keeping my Betta in the 25L on his own, but I don't think I'll have room, so I'll probably just skip out on getting any angelfish until he dies in a couple of years...you think it's likely he'll be bullied by the angels, then?

Ahh, I see. Good to see that they're all in good hands then! :lol:

I think that since the angels and the betta are both territorial fish, no matter which way round the fish go in, there will be fighting for space in the tank. Maybe just try to create a new stocking that would work around the betta? That's what I've done with my new tank.

Aethanyc · Mar 12, 2011

I'm more than happy to create a new stocking for the new tank to accommodate my Betta...he's my little baby and in my mind he gets priority! ;P I'm not too sure how to go about that, though...most internet sources just shout 'NO NO NO' at the suggestion of creating a community tank with a Betta in it, but like I said he's really a community fish so I'm left at a crossroads!
Could you possibly help me figure out some ideas for a new stocking? If I need to start completely fresh I know a good home my mollies and tetras can go to, so it's not a problem to start new with my Betta. If you could give me some ideas or a list for my new tank, the 200L one, I would be really grateful.

Thanks for being so helpful!

-FighterFishh · Mar 12, 2011

Aethanyc said:
I'm more than happy to create a new stocking for the new tank to accommodate my Betta...he's my little baby and in my mind he gets priority! ;P I'm not too sure how to go about that, though...most internet sources just shout 'NO NO NO' at the suggestion of creating a community tank with a Betta in it, but like I said he's really a community fish so I'm left at a crossroads!
Could you possibly help me figure out some ideas for a new stocking? If I need to start completely fresh I know a good home my mollies and tetras can go to, so it's not a problem to start new with my Betta. If you could give me some ideas or a list for my new tank, the 200L one, I would be really grateful.

Thanks for being so helpful!

That's okay

Glad I can be of some assistance! I'm usually the one asking for it! :lol:

For my 64L, I was thinking of a stocking along the lines of this..
Male Betta
4 Platies
6 Endlers
6 ember tetras

The ember tetras are just a nice peaceful shoaling fish, which also add some nice colour to the tank. Another good species would be harlequin rasboras, as they're both peaceful and colourful, too!
Endlers are nice and peaceful, too, and having already got 3 myself, I can say that they're nice characters. Nicely coloured, and they look similar to guppies just without the tail, which I was afraid my to-be-betta would mistake for another male, and kill.
Platies are just nice hardy starting fish which were the first I put into my tank, but they have really nice personalities, too.
The betta should help me keep the levels of fry down, as I have lots of livebearers in there! :lol:

Other good species would be bottom dwellers like corydoras. My personal favourites would be corydora hastatus. Hastatus are dwarfs, and so can be kept in bigger shoals than maybe the larger cories. The dwarfs get to around 4cm long where as normal sized cories can get from 6-10cm. To be kept really happy, these should be kept on a sand substrate. This is why I don't plan to get any myself, as I wasn't allowed sand! :lol:

You could also try putting in some shrimp. The betta may mistake these for live food, but it's always worth a try!

As for the actual levels of fish, I'm not sure. Being that I actually have limited experience with large tanks (me only having a 30L and a 64L), that might be something that you'll have to look into yourself, but maybe it could be something like this?..
Male Betta
Shoal of 8 dwarf cories
10 endlers
5 male platies
Shoal of 8 ember tetras/harlequin rasboras
Maybe some shrimp?

I'm unsure if that would be overstocked, so again, you'll just have to look into it, but I hoped I've helped by outlining some peaceful, colourful fish to go with your betta

Aethanyc · Mar 12, 2011

-FighterFishh said:
That's okay Glad I can be of some assistance! I'm usually the one asking for it!
For my 64L, I was thinking of a stocking along the lines of this..
Male Betta
4 Platies
6 Endlers
6 ember tetras

The ember tetras are just a nice peaceful shoaling fish, which also add some nice colour to the tank. Another good species would be harlequin rasboras, as they're both peaceful and colourful, too!
Endlers are nice and peaceful, too, and having already got 3 myself, I can say that they're nice characters. Nicely coloured, and they look similar to guppies just without the tail, which I was afraid my to-be-betta would mistake for another male, and kill.
Platies are just nice hardy starting fish which were the first I put into my tank, but they have really nice personalities, too.
The betta should help me keep the levels of fry down, as I have lots of livebearers in there!
Other good species would be bottom dwellers like corydoras. My personal favourites would be corydora hastatus. Hastatus are dwarfs, and so can be kept in bigger shoals than maybe the larger cories. The dwarfs get to around 4cm long where as normal sized cories can get from 6-10cm. To be kept really happy, these should be kept on a sand substrate. This is why I don't plan to get any myself, as I wasn't allowed sand!
You could also try putting in some shrimp. The betta may mistake these for live food, but it's always worth a try!

As for the actual levels of fish, I'm not sure. Being that I actually have limited experience with large tanks (me only having a 30L and a 64L), that might be something that you'll have to look into yourself, but maybe it could be something like this?..
Male Betta
Shoal of 8 dwarf cories
10 endlers
5 male platies
Shoal of 8 ember tetras/harlequin rasboras
Maybe some shrimp?

I'm unsure if that would be overstocked, so again, you'll just have to look into it, but I hoped I've helped by outlining some peaceful, colourful fish to go with your betta

Thanks very much! That's really helpful information...I'll definitely have a look into those species and ask around my local tropical fish centres as well, but it's nice to have some species names to hand! I really appreciate it. I'm so excited about getting a 200L, I've had many people tell me I should get one and I just caved! If I have room and I can handle it, I don't see why not! ;D

I was wondering, though...I would still love to have around 4 Angelicus Loaches if I could...d'you think I could factor those into my new stocking? I love the idea of having a shoal of tetras too, and I'll definitely look into Endlers since I haven't heard of those before! :blush:

-FighterFishh · Mar 12, 2011

Aethanyc said:
-FighterFishh said:

That's okay Glad I can be of some assistance! I'm usually the one asking for it!
For my 64L, I was thinking of a stocking along the lines of this..
Male Betta
4 Platies
6 Endlers
6 ember tetras

The ember tetras are just a nice peaceful shoaling fish, which also add some nice colour to the tank. Another good species would be harlequin rasboras, as they're both peaceful and colourful, too!
Endlers are nice and peaceful, too, and having already got 3 myself, I can say that they're nice characters. Nicely coloured, and they look similar to guppies just without the tail, which I was afraid my to-be-betta would mistake for another male, and kill.
Platies are just nice hardy starting fish which were the first I put into my tank, but they have really nice personalities, too.
The betta should help me keep the levels of fry down, as I have lots of livebearers in there!
Other good species would be bottom dwellers like corydoras. My personal favourites would be corydora hastatus. Hastatus are dwarfs, and so can be kept in bigger shoals than maybe the larger cories. The dwarfs get to around 4cm long where as normal sized cories can get from 6-10cm. To be kept really happy, these should be kept on a sand substrate. This is why I don't plan to get any myself, as I wasn't allowed sand!
You could also try putting in some shrimp. The betta may mistake these for live food, but it's always worth a try!

As for the actual levels of fish, I'm not sure. Being that I actually have limited experience with large tanks (me only having a 30L and a 64L), that might be something that you'll have to look into yourself, but maybe it could be something like this?..
Male Betta
Shoal of 8 dwarf cories
10 endlers
5 male platies
Shoal of 8 ember tetras/harlequin rasboras
Maybe some shrimp?

I'm unsure if that would be overstocked, so again, you'll just have to look into it, but I hoped I've helped by outlining some peaceful, colourful fish to go with your betta

Click to expand...

Thanks very much! That's really helpful information...I'll definitely have a look into those species and ask around my local tropical fish centres as well, but it's nice to have some species names to hand! I really appreciate it. I'm so excited about getting a 200L, I've had many people tell me I should get one and I just caved! If I have room and I can handle it, I don't see why not! ;D

I was wondering, though...I would still love to have around 4 Angelicus Loaches if I could...d'you think I could factor those into my new stocking? I love the idea of having a shoal of tetras too, and I'll definitely look into Endlers since I haven't heard of those before!

Ahaa, I'd love to have a big tank, but I've already put my 30L into the kitchen and my 64L into my bedroom, and my mum doesn't want tanks anywhere else, so I don't think I'll be getting any new ones for the foreseeable future!
I've just looked up the loaches and the info says that that can grow from 4-6 inches, and they also prefer a fast water flow in the tank as they naturally live in rivers. This would be a problem for the betta, as he'll prefer low currents, as otherwise he won't be able to swim very well (what with his long fins).
Here's a link I found to some info on the loaches, including what I said up there. Might just be worth a read before making any definite decisions :good:

Aethanyc · Mar 12, 2011

-FighterFishh said:
Ahaa, I'd love to have a big tank, but I've already put my 30L into the kitchen and my 64L into my bedroom, and my mum doesn't want tanks anywhere else, so I don't think I'll be getting any new ones for the foreseeable future!
I've just looked up the loaches and the info says that that can grow from 4-6 inches, and they also prefer a fast water flow in the tank as they naturally live in rivers. This would be a problem for the betta, as he'll prefer low currents, as otherwise he won't be able to swim very well (what with his long fins).
Here's a link I found to some info on the loaches, including what I said up there. Might just be worth a read before making any definite decisions

Haha, I know how you feel! I started with my 25L but it's been so successful and I've heard such wonderful things about 200L tanks. The only reason I can deal with it is because I'm getting my own place and it's going to be a bit of a centrepiece!

Your tanks sound lovely though, having one in the kitchen must be great! :fun:

Thanks for that great link...I'll definitely have to ask around and do some research into that, then...don't want unhappy fish! x) If all else fails, I'll stick to endlers, tetras and some little cories. I'll see if there are any circumstances under which I can have some loaches, though...they're such pretty little things!

You've been really, really helpful, thanks a lot! :3 I'll most likely be asking more questions in the future about setting the tank up and whatnot...and of course posting some pictures of my babies!

-FighterFishh · Mar 12, 2011

Aethanyc said:
-FighterFishh said:

Ahaa, I'd love to have a big tank, but I've already put my 30L into the kitchen and my 64L into my bedroom, and my mum doesn't want tanks anywhere else, so I don't think I'll be getting any new ones for the foreseeable future!
I've just looked up the loaches and the info says that that can grow from 4-6 inches, and they also prefer a fast water flow in the tank as they naturally live in rivers. This would be a problem for the betta, as he'll prefer low currents, as otherwise he won't be able to swim very well (what with his long fins).
Here's a link I found to some info on the loaches, including what I said up there. Might just be worth a read before making any definite decisions

Click to expand...

Haha, I know how you feel! I started with my 25L but it's been so successful and I've heard such wonderful things about 200L tanks. The only reason I can deal with it is because I'm getting my own place and it's going to be a bit of a centrepiece!
Your tanks sound lovely though, having one in the kitchen must be great!

Thanks for that great link...I'll definitely have to ask around and do some research into that, then...don't want unhappy fish! x) If all else fails, I'll stick to endlers, tetras and some little cories. I'll see if there are any circumstances under which I can have some loaches, though...they're such pretty little things!

You've been really, really helpful, thanks a lot! :3 I'll most likely be asking more questions in the future about setting the tank up and whatnot...and of course posting some pictures of my babies!

Aha, it is nice having a tank in the kitchen, though I have to go down every morning to feed the fish in there! The fish seem to love it when the microwave goes on.. :lol: