Bettas With Cardinals

[shepherd88]

Well the mrs bought a first tank from my local fish shop to house a male betta on its own....the owner said the 10 litre tank would be fine to house the single male betta..she also said the tank didnt need cycling and we could buy the tank and fish same day.
So got home and set the tank up with heater and filter and a plant.

Now i felt bad the day after and bought a 25 litre tank off ebay for her and she also purchased 15 cardinals as per the shops advice saying they will be fine together....only to come home to 6 left and all the rest with no fins or tails even heads...

Ive now transfered the remaining cardinals into my main tank and the 3 female bettas i have are trying to eat them.....

Anyone had this problem before was the shop right to give this advice?
Also is 25 litres ok for a single betta.. thanks
Tank now

I purchased a red male crowntail for my community tank but have him in the old 10litre tank for now....will he be ok?

 

[Nightfall]

25L is fine for a single male Betta, Anything over 20L is suitable. I wouldn't return to that fish store if I could help it, their advice is terrible and clearly they are either not knowledgeable or disinterested in the welfare of the fish.

Bettas are often aggressive fish and the list of compatible tank mates is pretty small compared to other tropical fish. Generally the small tetras are a bad idea as tank mates. The gentler ones will be bullied or killed and the feistier ones like Neons will use their speed to chase Bettas and nip at their fins (more so in males, who are encumbered by their long, flowing fins). I have heard of Bettas co-existing peacefully with Cardinals but I've definitely heard plenty of stories about them becoming expensive Betta snacks. I would not keep them together. Guppies and Tiger Barbs are other kinds of fish often paired with Bettas with disastrous results.

A good rule to follow is that if it's smaller than the Betta's mouth, the Betta will probably try to eat it. One of mine regularly tries to snack on the snail in the tank, which is half the size of his head. My less aggressive one happily co-exists with cherry shrimp, which Bettas often eat.

Amano shrimp make excellent tank mates for Bettas. They're lively, keep the algae down and are too large and fast for Bettas to bother with. Bristlenose Plecos can also work well with them: both my Bettas have had a Bristlenose tank mate, and they lived in complete harmony. Some people suggest African Dwarf Frogs, a completely aquatic kind of miniature frog, but you have to be careful and make sure they're not African Clawed Frogs. Apple and Mystery Snails are popular in Betta tanks, and often people keep Cories (Corydoras) with sororities of female Bettas.

Part of your problem might be that small groups of female Bettas tend to be quite aggressive and often fight amongst each other. Females should preferably be kept in groups of 4-6 to minimise aggression.

 

[shepherd88]

Girlfriend just rung saying my crowntail male has died in his 10litre tank before....was going to put him in my main tank tonight Darn! Im unsure why hes died...he seemed fine yesterday...gutted he was gorgeous

 

[372xp]

This 10 litre tank being the one you just bought?
Just guessing here but you probably didnt cycle the tank, this could have somethig to do with it.

 

[shepherd88]

Yes i was told by the local fish store i dont need to cycle the fighter tanks and we did the same for my gfs fighter and that seems to be going strong...bad advice im thinking