Betta Meets Corys; Corys Meet Aerator; Betta And Aerator Distaster Fol

[Channti]

You guys have heard a lot about Alpha II recently. Alpha II is housed in a 5 gallon tank furnished with the following:
-Elite Stingray 5 (flow pointed to the surface for minimal current in the tank)
-Elite Heater (can't remember the watt, but it's the right size for the tank)
-Your basic ornament & plastic plants (real plants are a little too impractical for me at uni)
-Tetra Whisper Air Pump (up to 10 gallons)****

Unlike his predecessor, Alpha II doesn't seem to mind tank mates, so I brought him home 3 panda corydoras. After having issues with the corys dashing to the surface too frequently for air (and therefore the resulting issues), I purchased the air pump & airstone for the tank. I placed the airstone in a corner. Alpha instantly dashed over to the air stone to examine the new addition to his tank, and then dashed away.

Problem is, I think the aerator is too powerful. Alpha has spent all of his time since the initial discovery hiding in his cave, or sulking around every corner except the corner witht he aerator.

Is there an easy way for me to decrease the power of the aerator? Preferebly a DIY way as I kind of went over the budget on my last trip to the pet store...

Thanks!
--C

 

[BryceHockey]

I use a TopFin aerator and have these little blue connectors (same brand) that let you adjust the air flow. I would assume that they would work with any brand of aerator since most use the same size of tube.

 

[Schmill]

Something like this would be suitable:

You feed the air in one side, and then you have 2 'taps' that let you adjust how much air comes out of the other 2 outlets. You can have one outlet attached to your airstone (via an anti-syphon valve), and just leave the other one bare.
You can get single ones that just fit inline, but as you close those off I have found that the back pressure can damage the pump diaphrams, so I prefer to use this style to allow you to bleed off the excess air.

Out of interest what were the 'resulting issues' you had with the corys? Dashing to the surface is in their nature and part of what they 'do', (as long as it wasn't a permanent thing that they did continuously), it doesn't neccasarily mean the oxygen content of your water was low.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Channti

While corys do sometimes dart to the surface to get a gulp of air, you are right to believe that they shouldn't be doing it very often. They are not regular air breathers in the way bettas are, but it's an adaptation they have to accommodate them when the streams and rivers they live in become stirred up and muddy. The air passes through them and oxygen is absorbed into their systems through their intestines.

If you have good surface movement from your filter there should be no need for an extra airstone to add oxygen. This could even give your betta problems since their long fins and tail are not designed for swimming in a current. It's a stress for them to swim in that environment.

What could be a problem is that warm water, which the betta requires, might be holding less oxygen then the corys need. They come from cooler waters and prefer temperatures between 71 - 77 F.

All is not lost, however. If you decide to set them up in their own tank, the air pump can easily run a sponge or box filter for them. They are fine little corys but often a bit more difficult to get established than some of the other species. Once they are settled they often breed readily too.

 

[Channti]

Something like this would be suitable:

You feed the air in one side, and then you have 2 'taps' that let you adjust how much air comes out of the other 2 outlets. You can have one outlet attached to your airstone (via an anti-syphon valve), and just leave the other one bare.
You can get single ones that just fit inline, but as you close those off I have found that the back pressure can damage the pump diaphrams, so I prefer to use this style to allow you to bleed off the excess air.

Out of interest what were the 'resulting issues' you had with the corys? Dashing to the surface is in their nature and part of what they 'do', it doesn't neccasarily mean the oxygen content of your water was low.

The corys were taking air too frequently and I guess they have swim-bladder issues becasue of it. Not a cory expert, all I know is mine where looking half dead... as in... floating nose-up, on their back/sides, unable to stay rightside up on the bottom of the tank. They're now fine... But they weren't the easiest to get a hold of, so I wanted to ensure that they had everything they needed.

 

[Channti]

Hi Channti

While corys do sometimes dart to the surface to get a gulp of air, you are right to believe that they shouldn't be doing it very often. They are not regular air breathers in the way bettas are, but it's an adaptation they have to accommodate them when the streams and rivers they live in become stirred up and muddy. The air passes through them and oxygen is absorbed into their systems through their intestines.

If you have good surface movement from your filter there should be no need for an extra airstone to add oxygen. This could even give your betta problems since their long fins and tail are not designed for swimming in a current. It's a stress for them to swim in that environment.

What could be a problem is that warm water, which the betta requires, might be holding less oxygen then the corys need. They come from cooler waters and prefer temperatures between 71 - 77 F.

All is not lost, however. If you decide to set them up in their own tank, the air pump can easily run a sponge or box filter for them. They are fine little corys but often a bit more difficult to get established than some of the other species. Once they are settled they often breed readily too.

The tank is heated to 78-80 degrees, I've been trying to bring the temperature down, but our residence rooms are so warm that even without a heater, the water still remains fairly constant in temperature. There isn't a lot of surface agitation in my tank as the filter doesn't disturb the water much. I'd planned to add an aerator at some point anyway as my betta likes to bite his own fins and its supposed to help them with boredom, etc.

I've got 5 panda corys in my community at home, and 3 peppered corys in my guppy tank. I find the panda corys to be easier to establish in an aquarium than the peppered corys to be honest. The pet store I get my corys from is really good about getting great stock. Its a little mom-and-pop store. I'd love to breed corys at some point, but I don't have the tank space available at home (and I'm pretty sure my parents would kill me if I suggested more fish tanks... apparently 3 is too many, but I was eyeing up a really gorgeous 50 gallon the other day). I'm getting off topic on my own thread... wow. lol.

 

[aly_starh]

hi, if your betta bites his own fins, introduce a mirror to him for (max) 10 minutes a day, he will flare and get excited, but will also excercise this way too.

 

[Channti]

hi, if your betta bites his own fins, introduce a mirror to him for (max) 10 minutes a day, he will flare and get excited, but will also excercise this way too.

Actually, someone suggested a permanent mirror attached to his tank, in an area that he can "get away" from (so he can hide from himself too)
I tried this, and it worked _REALLY_ well. His fins are healing up great, he's less aggressive, and he hasn't bit his own fins since. I'm trying to remove the mirror though as it was an eye-sore in my tank (lol). A friend of mine has a betta who has an obsession with her air stone, so I figured I'd give it a try with Alpha, hence the introduction of the cursed air pump.


UPDATE:
Alpha is no longer sulking in his cave and is actively moving around the tank as per normal. He's still investigating the aerator, so I may not have to worry about decreasing the power of it, but I'm planning to keep a close eye on it.

 

[aly_starh]

oh. LOL, just read that, i answered that post