Better Off Alone?

[Fruba]

Hello, relatively new to keeping fish and still learning ALOT!

I have a male fighter (Rufus) in my 10gal tank with 2 mollies 2 swords and 2 flame tetras. Someone in the newbie section advised i rehome my betta to his own little tank. Was just looking for guidance and opinions really.
I just read in one of the sections its not advised to keep them with these kinds of fish either?

My male sword had the end of his tail taken off once and now my female molly has a piece of her tail missing, do u reckon my betta is guilty?

If i was moving him, what would i need tank wise and would there be a suitable tank mate for him? Or do they prefer being on their own?

Thanks alot

 

[bronzecat]

Hi
he could be responsible for the damage, they will attack other colourful fish.
You could get him his own tank, minimum 2/3 gallons, or divide off a section of your exsisting tank?

If he gets his own place, then oto's seem to go well with ours

 

[Fruba]

If he gets his own place, then oto's seem to go well with ours

Pardon?

Id rather get him his own if anything. Id feel like i was imprisoning him if i cornered him off! Would i also need a filter and heater?

He seems to get on well enough with everyone as far as i can see, but im no expert

 

[Phoenixbaby]

well yeah all tropical fish need a heater

some filter, some dont, its personal pref really

Daz has some sponge filters for sale, which are gr8 for bettas

 

[snoopyfrench87]

your tank sounds over stocked as it is - and best you get the betta out he will keep chewing through the rest.
That is not enough space for two mollies.

 

[LosC519]

Your Betta will do best in a 5g with a heater and filter. I wouldn't go with Otos unless you have lots of algae as they need to be constantly feeding on algae to be healthy. In a 5g I would go with Corys, a couple pandas or dwarfs.

 

[tibby25731]

Yeah, get him his own little tank, I bet he will be much happier

 

[Fruba]

your tank sounds over stocked as it is. That is not enough space for two mollies.

My god, is this true?

It looks far from overstocked

 

[azag7]

Hi there i have recently got my 2nd betta and think some of the ppl are right about either keeping him alone or with bottom feeders such as corys etc...
But i dont think that 7 fish is overstocked for a 10gal tank as the fish you have are reletavly small so i think you will be ok there but maybe look at getting a small tank for your betta and i think it is always good to go with a filter and heater!!!

 

[Fruba]

A new small tank sounds like a plan.

wouldnt mind one of those small bowl shaped ones. would be suitable as long as it was a few gallons eh?

 

[newfishy]

as far as the over stocking, its more what fish you have, those mollys have the potentional to get between 4-5 inches, I have even heard of them getting bigger then that and if the swords are both male they are going to have some teratory issues. Also livebearers are best kept in groups of 1 male to 2-3 females, thus the male wont pester the one female for sex till she gets stressed and dies. I am also not real big on tetras care, but I think they also might like to be in a larger group then just two.

 

[LosC519]

Technically in terms of per inch per gallon, it is overstocked. This rule can be stretched a bit when it comes to small fish since they produce so little waste. When your fish get bigger, which wont be too long from now, you might run into problems with the bio-load so definitely do not slack on the water changes. Tetras should never be kept in twos, atleast 5 or 6 to be happy. I would get rid of some of the other fish you have and get more tetras.

 

[blue_betta]

a large vase, with a small heater, some sand, a few plants and a desk lamp can make a delightful desktop buddy. just make sure the vase is strong enough to hold the water and do small water changes a couple of times a week.