Bettas

[hives]

hi there, ive got a 10g tank, 4 days into cycle.. fluval 1,heater and an undergravel filter.. it currently is going well, i have a few amazin sword plants and a few rocks,slate and a large peice of bogwood. 2 adf (spend most of there time hiding in the wood). im thinking of getting 1 betta and 5 neons would they all be ok together.. i wont be buying any other fish and ill be keeping at that for a longtime, with my ph of around 8 now what do you think to this. thanks

 

[Ben]

Bettas and Neons do not go well, as neons will rip the betta to shreds.
very nippy fish.
Why not get 8 Neons instead
OR
get 6 FEMALE bettas, which can live with eachother.
For mroe info, ask in the Betta forum.

HTH
DD

 

[hives]

thats a really good idea actually, will they give alot of pollution?

 

[Ben]

6 females?
Not if you keep up weekly water changes.
And please dont add fish during a cycle.

DD

 

[hives]

well im thinking my cycle is nearly complete, ive had the undergravel filter running for around 5 days, and then added my fluval on the second day (fluval running 4 days) in which i did the wrong thing to add my frogs at first (i was wrongly advised) but now there looking healthy and so it my tank, i added a bit of fish flakes at first to get the ammonia up and they did rise a little, not much thou... my ph is fine and i added a bit of poop from a healthy trusted tank today to help it speed up abit then once it goes back down ill add the bettas. also ive been doing 10% water changes everyday, you can see my tank here by the way, thnx

http/www.geocities.com/feelthewraith/hjv

 

[Ben]

It takes a few weeks for a for cycle to complete on most occasions.
Amonnia should be at a complete 0
NitrIte and NitrAte should also be at a complete 0 (unless you have live plants then the Nitrate should be somewhere around 20-40ppm.

HTH and Goodluck
DD

 

[thapsus]

Betta and 6 cardinal tetras would be better because cardinal tetra likes warm water like betta. Your pH is quite high thought. Maybe 6 x-ray tetras?

I've never seen nippy neons?

 

[kimbowee]

Your cycle is no where near complete. It can take up to 6-8 weeks. Do you have a water testing kit? If so, what are your exact test result for Ammonia, Nitrite and nitrates? I wouldn't add anything until it is finished cycling.

Adding dirty water from the LFS usually won't do anything. You would really need a piece of mature filter media or some used gravel. Even then your tank won't be instantly cycled. It will just help your tank establish the bacteria needed.

Just give it some time. You don't want to kill off any new fish you buy.

 

[hives]

i do have a testing kit yet, its one of those strips of paper type ones (expensive and rubbish) but its all i have for nowmeasures the following:

ph: 7.6
kh: 10
gh: 16
no2 : 1
no3: 50

I am fimiular with some of these results such as ph, no2 i belive is nitrate? hmm there my reading ive just this second taken anyway, thnx

 

[kimbowee]

Ammonia = NH3/NH4
Nitrite = NO2
Nitrate = NO3

So you currently have a nitrite reading of 1 ppm and nitrates of 50 ppm. What about ammonia or NH3/NH4? If you don't have an ammonia test I would suggest picking one up right away. If you like the strips they can be picked up for around $4. Next test kit you buy try to get the liquid test kits, far more reliable.

Your nitrite reading is highly toxic to fish. Nitrite to be as close to 0 as possible. I recommend doing a water change of at least 30% right away. Don't forget the dechlorinator. You also want to keep your nitrates below 40 ppm.

Your tank is still cycling and you can not add any fish at this time. You will need to do daily water changes of 30% until your tank is finished cycling or you risk losing your frogs and starting all over. Like I said, cycling usually takes upto 8 weeks with fish. You will also need to test your water daily.

 

[hives]

Ammonia = NH3/NH4
Nitrite = NO2
Nitrate = NO3

So you currently have a nitrite reading of 1 ppm and nitrates of 50 ppm. What about ammonia or NH3/NH4? If you don't have an ammonia test I would suggest picking one up right away. If you like the strips they can be picked up for around $4. Next test kit you buy try to get the liquid test kits, far more reliable.

Your nitrite reading is highly toxic to fish. Nitrite to be as close to 0 as possible. I recommend doing a water change of at least 30% right away. Don't forget the dechlorinator. You also want to keep your nitrates below 40 ppm.

Your tank is still cycling and you can not add any fish at this time. You will need to do daily water changes of 30% until your tank is finished cycling or you risk losing your frogs and starting all over. Like I said, cycling usually takes upto 8 weeks with fish. You will also need to test your water daily.

Thanks for thats a reall big help, now i understand alot more of what these reading actually are. Cheers




im doing water changes now, hard though i only have a 2 litre bottle and i have to work it out from there, 1ml to every 2 litre`s, my measurements on the bottle are in 10ml nothces ;[ so im just trying to add drips ofit in to get a 1ml, if i put to much of this aquasafe dechlorinator in will it harm the frogs? or is it best to be safe. thx

 

[kimbowee]

If you are a little over it will not harm the frogs. What you may want to try is adding half of the recommended amount of the dechlor to the tank before adding any new water & then adding the remaining 1/2 after you have completed the water change. That way you don't have to guess how much to add to every 2 litres