Betta And Cichlids?

[ParadiseGuerrero]

Sorry i keep asking so many questions and keep changing my mind but I'm very grateful for all the help I've gotten!

In my tank I have a betta, a guppy, six black ruby barbs and two platies. (yes the betta gets along with the guppy ) I was planning on adding some bronze corries (so ok with tropical temps) and bleeding heart tetras in the future but this can be changed if one of these isn't a good choise.

I was wondering if i could have a (or a group of- no sure quite how they like to be kept) cichlid in there. Something like a Ram or a type of Apisto. In particular I do like the rams my LFs has (I hve only seen pictures of apistos but they do look good- just pictures can't compare to an actual fish).

My reason is- as lovly as my betta is- he really isn't a very good center piece fish ;p.

so the tank then-
40Lx12Dx15H inches (120L?)
PH- 7.6
Hardness- 15 dH (i don't have a test for this, however this is what the water supplier has said)
Plants- not many at the moment but increasing as i get the money for more plants.
tap nitrate tends so be about 50 but with the lack of fish to plants at teh moment in the tank it's about 5-10.
24 C (this can change a bit if need be)

My consern is more that my betta will be picked on- he doesn't bother the other fish at the moment so i don't think He'll bother any others i add. The only time he does do anythink is if they come into his territory when the lights are on and it's not feeding time (he's quite happy for them to sleep and eat there- funny thing) when he goes off on his rounds around the tank he doesn't bother them at all(and he does travel all over the tank- including the bottom). His territory consists of the top right corner where i stuck some javafern to the wall so they grow out horizontally (I couldn't find any floating plants).

Also If i where to get a male and female or a group of rams/apistos how likely are they to spawn? I heard theat they can get particularly agressive when spawning(or don't i need to worry about that?).

And if these aren't a good idea can you think of any other center piece fish i could look into? ( I really hate looking into fish i can't have so I've only done some basic research into rams and apistos.)

thankyou in advance for any help you can give and I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes

oh and one quick question- are corydoras aeneus and corydoras schultzei both Bronze Cories? (some sites just have one while other list it as both)
Thanks again

 

[soybean]

Before getting into the specifics of possibilities and suitable stocking, would you be open to the idea of homing the betta in its own tank? If you were to add a pair of Bolivian rams, or a trio of a type of apistos, etc, there's every chance your betta will object to them, or them to the betta. I think it's best to approach this with a view to having a betta OR cichlids, not both - or at least have a backup tank in place for the betta if they do clash. They're all territorial fish.

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

Before getting into the specifics of possibilities and suitable stocking, would you be open to the idea of homing the betta in its own tank? If you were to add a pair of Bolivian rams, or a trio of a type of apistos, etc, there's every chance your betta will object to them, or them to the betta. I think it's best to approach this with a view to having a betta OR cichlids, not both - or at least have a backup tank in place for the betta if they do clash. They're all territorial fish.

I would love to have him in his own tank- the problem is I'm not allowed a third tank - even a smaller one(or atleast I'm still working on convinsing my mum to allow it). So is there no way of having either of them? If there isn't then i won't; it was an idea because i like them but if it'll upset my betta then i won't get any- thankyou for helping

 

[soybean]

I'm not saying there's no way it will work - the problem is not knowing until you do it.

While not the same as a betta, dwarf gouramis are similar in some ways in terms of being territorial and intolerant. Mine tolerated a duo of apistos no problem. When I added bolivian rams, he turned into a psychopath. He now lives in his own tank!

It's an unpredictable area. Cichlids are just as unpredictable.

If you're after some new fish for a bit more life to the tank, and you have a smooth substrate, go for corys (I believe those you listed above are different types). They need to be in a minimum group of 6. Bronzes are a good hardy choice.

One day you may be able to have a shuffle around of tanks and stock, moving the betta and adding some rams etc, but for now they may have to stay on the wish list.

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

okay thanks

 

[KittyKat]

In my tank I have a betta, a guppy, six black ruby barbs and two platies. (yes the betta gets along with the guppy ) I was planning on adding some bronze corries (so ok with tropical temps) and bleeding heart tetras in the future but this can be changed if one of these isn't a good choise.

Personally, I would be more interested in getting the barb numbers up to 10 before adding more species. Corys would be lovely, again a group of 8-10 would do well. The bleeding hearts are one of the larger species and can grow over 3 inches long, so if you go for them (and as schooling fish, they should be in a group of at least 6), you'll be aiming at the top of your full stocking by this point. The tetras may also be prone to nipping in such small numbers, you should investigate.

I was wondering if i could have a (or a group of- no sure quite how they like to be kept) cichlid in there. Something like a Ram or a type of Apisto. In particular I do like the rams my LFs has (I hve only seen pictures of apistos but they do look good- just pictures can't compare to an actual fish).

I recommend you pass on the rams. I have had Bettas with Apistos in a tank that size before with success, but it would be pretty much hit and miss as to whether this will work for you. If you try Apistos, go for 1m 3-4f of one species (from one of the harem species) and be ready to remove them or the Betta.

Hardness- 15 dH (i don't have a test for this, however this is what the water supplier has said)

Is that KH (carbonate hardness) or GH? Anyway, the hardness will probably be ok for the Apistos, but you should make sure to (drip) acclimatise them properly.

Also If i where to get a male and female or a group of rams/apistos how likely are they to spawn? I heard theat they can get particularly agressive when spawning(or don't i need to worry about that?).

Very likely unless you are doing things very wrong and it depends on the set-up and individual fish.

oh and one quick question- are corydoras aeneus and corydoras schultzei both Bronze Cories? (some sites just have one while other list it as both)

Different, you might want to look at http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/genus.php?genus_id=1

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

okay thankyou both I guess I'll be leaving the ram/apisto idea for a differant tank at a differant time.

the hardness is 273 mg/l for CaCO3 and 109.s for Ca the dH was the other hardness i think they called it german degrees I'm not sure which one its for (not a helpful site really)

and thankyou for the link, very helpful

 

[KittyKat]

the hardness is 273 mg/l for CaCO3 and 109.s for Ca the dH was the other hardness i think they called it german degrees I'm not sure which one its for (not a helpful site really)

Degrees and ppm are interchangeable for hardness, you just need to multiply or divide by 17.9. So your KH, for example, is 273 ppm, which is 15 degrees.

The second number is permanent hardness: 109 mg/l, which would be 6 degrees.

Basically, your water is medium-hard with quite good buffering capability so you're unlikely to get pH crashes. It's also very similar to mine Aquarium tests give the GH reading as KH + permanent hardness, so your GH on an aquarium test would be 15 + 6 = 21 degrees GH.

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

the hardness is 273 mg/l for CaCO3 and 109.s for Ca the dH was the other hardness i think they called it german degrees I'm not sure which one its for (not a helpful site really)

Degrees and ppm are interchangeable for hardness, you just need to multiply or divide by 17.9. So your KH, for example, is 273 ppm, which is 15 degrees.

The second number is permanent hardness: 109 mg/l, which would be 6 degrees.

Basically, your water is medium-hard with quite good buffering capability so you're unlikely to get pH crashes. It's also very similar to mine Aquarium tests give the GH reading as KH + permanent hardness, so your GH on an aquarium test would be 15 + 6 = 21 degrees GH.

thanks good to know i shouldn't end up with wacky PH any time soon

funny thing- since I've put this thread up my betta's decided to be a good little centerpiece fishy and start swimming in the middle of the tank instead of the back ;p psycic fish

 

[soybean]

Yes, try to enjoy your betta - you're lucky to be able to have him as a community fish, doesn't always work. If you want to liven him up a bit or get him patrolling a bit more, try showing him his reflection every now and then.

 

[ParadiseGuerrero]

Yes, try to enjoy your betta - you're lucky to be able to have him as a community fish, doesn't always work. If you want to liven him up a bit or get him patrolling a bit more, try showing him his reflection every now and then.

Definatly a lucky find with him- he didn't even mind being kept with 15 fancy guppies ;p

haha i have tried that a couple of times, it's the only time I've seen him get agressive with the other fish- it's quite suprising how fast he can actually move