Betta Fish And Guppies?

[GuppieGurl]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site and the big fish tank world. I just purchased a 37 gallon tank that I am currently cycling with 3 platys. I was going to do a fishless cycle but the girl at the fish store said it's better to have a couple fish in there to help the cycle along (not sure if this is true, but so far the fish are doing great). I know I have a couple options, adding a couple more platys and doing guppies but I've had male bettas for years, but unfortunately there was something wrong with my water (some caught a parasite) and they all died. So I am thinking about having bettas again...either 5 or 6 female bettas (not sure how many is good for a 37 gallon) or 1 male betta fish and some guppies.
 
I have researched bettas with guppies and haven't really gotten a concrete answer. Are they good together? The pet store that I go to has a male betta in a fish tank that seems really calm and doesn't attack the fish so I was thinking about buying him and seeing how he does with my platys first than start with a couple guppies? Does this sound good or just plain crazy? I would love to have both bettas and guppies in there but if I were to choose, I'd chose bettas. I know having a male betta with female bettas is a big no no, even though I have heard a couple stories where it worked. I still have to heavily plant it, right now I only have 5 live plants, some plants that are floating, a big piece of driftwood, a moss ball and a fake decoraction that has hiding places. Should I wait until it's heavily planted to add more fish? Please give me some advice. Thanks!

 

[BerryAttack]

welcome, you fish died because your aquarium wasn't cycled and that is why they died. i would advise to do a fishless cycle and imo having fish in the tank during this process is cruel. cycling always involves high levels of ammonia and nitrite. ammo and no2 are both extremely dangerous to fish, and even if they survive the process they can be permanently damaged and exposed to having their gills burned and scarred. their quality of life will be greaty reduced by putting them through that. 
 
you can choose to heavily plant your aquarium (live plants) and this will help change the ammo and etc that is safe for your fish. ... heavily plant your tank fish before adding any fish and take it from there... oh and make sure you have the proper lighter

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Yes, I also recommend silent cycling if you are insisting on having fish in while cycling. I would recommend starting your cycle with ammonia for the first 2 weeks and fill your tank with plants that thrive on processing ammonia (they can be temporary plants, and lots of them... such as hornwort, java moss, moss balls, etc...), after the 2 weeks has shown a significant growth in your plant (the sign that they are doing their job), you can add 1 small fish per week safely.

The safest way for fish, however, is fishless cycling (see the beginners section for instructions)... either way, it takes a lot of water testing to make sure the cycle is progressing.

Not having a cycled tank means that organism living on your fish sort of "come to life/activate"... such as parasites like you experienced.... it is like the unbalance causing the nasties to surface.

 

[Aviici]

Depending on the personality of your betta, there's a chance he could end up killing the guppies. However, if the guppies are dull coloured, and have smaller tails they stand more of a chance. I've found that my betta hates all guppies, and sadly can't be kept with any adult guppies, male or female. He rips their fins to shreds and ends up killing them through stress. I'm not sure with the females, but I think they'd be a better option without guppies. A sorority of bettas will look good, just be sure to add lots of plant cover and places for them to hide out when they are sorting out their pecking order.
Same with the Platys, my friend has a betta in his community tank, and it gets along great with his platys, they all hang around together quite comfortably. I had a betta in my community tank for a bit, but since it's going to be a more aggressive tank now he's been taken out and rehomed, because any nippy fish are a bettas worst nightmare; eg. Tiger barbs.
In a 37G (140l) you have quite a lot of options stocking wise, if you wanted to go down the peaceful community route, if it was me I'd avoid bettas all together, but that's just me

 

[GuppieGurl]

Thank you for the great advice! I just bought a kit that checks pH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Carbonate & General Hardness and everything was within normal limits. Does this mean my tank is cycled? Unforunately I don't have another tank to put the fish in so I hope they're okay...

 

[Aviici]

You should get a Liquid Ammonia tester, and you'll need to test your water daily (at least) to see how quickly the healthy bacteria is breaking down the ammonia. The tank will be ready for fish when the ammonia is being processed and gotten rid of within 12 hours. Some fish can tolerate small amounts of ammonia, but few fish will survive and lead a healthy life with ammonia present. The fish should be alright together, but it's just a something you'll have to give a go and find out However if you are keeping guppies, and you have a 1M:2F ratio, be prepared for babies, and even with just two females you can get up to 100 fry every 28 days, and a second 10G(ish) tank would be really useful for them. Having a second smaller tank is also good if you get a sick fish, so you can take them out and treat them
 
Anyways if you take your water to get tested, or buy an ammonia test kit and it comes back clear, test again within 12 hours. If it's clear you're good to go with adding your fish!

 

[GuppieGurl]

Okay, I will definitely do that. I think I will probably stick with female betta fish, I don't want to overstock my tank. How many female betta fish should I get once my tank is fully cycled? Will they get along well with the 3 platys? I have 1 male and 2 females.

 

[Aviici]

They should be fine with your platys, as you've got plenty of space for them, and you'll be using live plants for extra cover. You could keep more than 10 Female Bettas, however probably around 6 or 8 is best, it'll give you the option of adding some bottom feeders such as cory cats, that will pick up any of the food that drops to the floor and clean up. You'd probably be able to add an algae eater, and a good one for a 37G is a Bristlenose Pleco. 3 Platies and 10 Female bettas only makes your stocking about 40%, so got loads of room!

 
 
Edit: You using US gallons or UK gallons? I should of asked! my bad!

 

[phoenixgsd]

read the link in my signature on cycling with fish, a liquid based test kit will be a lifesaver, literally, the test strips are very unreliable, which do you have?

 

[This Old Spouse]

Sounds like test strips, especially considering there's no test for ammonia.
 
What's just as bad as ammonia is nitrite. Even if your ammonia readings are 0, you may still have nitrite in the water which can kill your fish if daily water changes aren't done.
 
Do get a liquid test kit ... well worth it.

 

[GuppieGurl]

Yes it is 37 US gallons and yes I got the test strips. Is it just easier for me to bring samples to the fish store? They said they'll do it for free...when should I do water changes? And how much? 50%? Sorry I'm new to this and thought I did a lot of research and my dad also had big tanks when I was growing up (hence my love for fish) but its totally different when you're doing it on your own. I've also noticed that the water is a little murky, is this normal? I can still see the fish and plants perfectly fine but the water isn't crystal clear.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Liquid test kits are always better and more accuate than the strip ones so I'd advise you go out and buy one of those. A good one is the API master test kit which you can get for about £20. Personally, I wouldn't trust the store with testing your water after what they have said, it's more practical to have your own kit too!
 
Water changes should be done on a weekly basis, usually around 25%. If you read the begginners resource centre, paying special attention to the cycling sections you will learn more or less all you need to know to get started. Then you can start thinking about stock
 
Oh... I've just re-read your post... "I can still see the fish and plants perfectly"
You really do need to get a test kit to make sure you don't end up with high levels of ammonia or nitrites and if possible, take the fish back to the store. Otherwise, you're going to end up with dead fish pretty soon
 
You should do a 50-75% water change (with dechlorinated water, I'd like to presume you already knew) immediately and get a test kit asap. Or get rid of the fish and start a fishless cycle which would be your best option!
 
Hopefully that was easy enough to read, even if it was written at 2:40am 

 

[GuppieGurl]

Thank you all for your wonderful advice! I bought the API master test kit. My pH is 7.6, High Range pH is 7.4, Ammonia NH3/NH4 is 0 ppm, NO3 is 0 ppm, and NO2 is 0 ppm. Is this good, bad?

 

[This Old Spouse]

Looks good, but a word of advice. Make sure you shake the heck out of the NO3 and NO2 bottles before doing the test, especially the NO2. Smack it against your hand a few times like you can't get the ketchup out of the bottle. Try it now and let us know if it's still 0.

 

[GuppieGurl]

Yes, I did that with all of the bottles before I used them. Should I test it every week? I was also wondering if anyone knows of a good, well-known website to buy female betta fish. I googled it and found a couple but I don't want to spend money until I know they are legit and sell healthy fish. I do not want to buy them from Petco and Petsmart-lately both stores near me have been lacking in keeping the water clean and they look sick or malnurished and some are even dead. My tank has cleared up and is almost crystal clear now! I am so happy with how it's coming along. The fish are doing great, I tried to return them but the pet store said they wouldn't take them back so hopefully they survive!