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lock_chan

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Hi! I hope i posted in the right area. I have a 30 gallon tank and was wondering if its too stuffed:

1 Red crayfish
1 golden wonder killi
1 red wag swordtail
1 male betta
1 cory catfish
Couple of feeder guppies.
Golden snail and pond snails.

Is that too much or can i add anymore fish??? Thank you!
 
Its not full by any means, but rather than getting some different fish, it might be better adding to the numbers of the ones you have, particularly the cories. Also be careful if adding small fish as the golden wonder killie has a habit of eating them. (you'll have noticed it has a rather large mouth. I also (from what I've read) don't think the crayfish will be the best choice for a community tank. What are the dimensions of your tank?
 
The tank is 30in long, 12in wide, And about 18in tall. It used to be a turtle tank.

How many more cories should i get? The killifish are okay with the guppies besides eating a fry or two which is okay. He likes to use the cory to find food on tbe floor. Haha
 
Not a good idea to keep a betta with guppies and swordtails, I'm afraid. Even if you haven't noticed anything yet, betta fish are easily stressed by these active livebearers, not to mention a guppy's flashy tail can remind the betta of other betta fish which can lead to aggression. Both of these livebearer species would appreciate harder water than the betta, and at cooler temperatures as well.
 
If you have gravel substrate, switch to sand before getting any more corydoras. You'll need at least six to eight of the same species to see this specie at its best. Smaller cory like the pygmy or hastatus or habrosus should be in larger groups. Take care that the cory you have can tolerate the high temperatures the betta fish will require. You should take a look at water hardness levels and temperature compatibility as well. You'll see some issues there further down the road. May be best to invest in a second tank to have a soft, acidic tank and a hard, alkaline tank or to choose the fish best suited for your source water (I'm assuming tap water). It's easier to choose stock for your water than manipulate your water for your stock. 
 
attibones said:
Not a good idea to keep a betta with guppies and swordtails, I'm afraid. Even if you haven't noticed anything yet, betta fish are easily stressed by these active livebearers, not to mention a guppy's flashy tail can remind the betta of other betta fish which can lead to aggression. Both of these livebearer species would appreciate harder water than the betta, and at cooler temperatures as well.
 
If you have gravel substrate, switch to sand before getting any more corydoras. You'll need at least six to eight of the same species to see this specie at its best. Smaller cory like the pygmy or hastatus or habrosus should be in larger groups. Take care that the cory you have can tolerate the high temperatures the betta fish will require. You should take a look at water hardness levels and temperature compatibility as well. You'll see some issues there further down the road. May be best to invest in a second tank to have a soft, acidic tank and a hard, alkaline tank or to choose the fish best suited for your source water (I'm assuming tap water). It's easier to choose stock for your water than manipulate your water for your stock. 
Sorry, accidently quoted your post. My 30 gallon is an unheated tank and the betta actually got sick in its own heated tank with fin rot and stuff. So i decided to try putting him into the bigger tank. After a couple days the rot stopped, fins grew back quickly, scale colors got brighter than before! He's okay with the feeder guppies and others. I expected him to have beef with the killifish since its really shiny gold and red, but they're chill. My tank does have gravel but i worry if somthing bad will happen if i switch to sand?
 
Hi Lock_Chan, your tank is not overstocked at all: the issue is with compatibility.
The male betta and crayfish have no place in this tank I'm afraid.
All those fish are tropical and you should definitely heat their tank to around 24-25 degrees.
 
I agree with what other members have posted.  Betta are not community fish and best on their own.  And crayfish should never be included with any fish.
 
I accept that so far you may not be noticing anything, or so you may think, but assuming these fish are not stressed out they will begin to behave as nature intended and then trouble will suddenly appear.  It is always wisest to expect the normal from fish, rather than risking things and hope it works.  By the time we see it isn't, the fish may be stressed beyond repair, so to speak.
 
Byron.
 
Did you cycle the betta's tank before you dropped him in there? Fin rot usually comes from bad water quality. 
 
Nothing bad will happen if you switch to sand. At most, you'll lose some of the bacteria that complete the nitrogen cycle, but in a healthy, mature tank (how long has this tank been set up, by the way?), these bacteria will recover. 
 
Sand will be a lot better for your cory, as they like to root around its a lot gentler on their little noses, and I'd say a group of 4+ corys would be a good number. Julii corys are my personal favourite :)

And I also have to agree with the beta and guppies, they may live quite happily together for a few months but will almost certainly end up fighting. The beta often mistakes the long flowing fins of the guppy for another beta. I found this out the hard way when I set up my very first tank. I didn't research properly and just bought fish I thought were pretty!
 
Oh no.. Then I have been misinformed. I was told that all these fishes don't need a heater. :(

Attibones: Yes, I have cycled the bettas tank way before I even bought him.

I have had the 30 gallon with the fishes for about a year now. The temp is always around 75-80 and I live in SoCal if that helps? And again, the guppies are feeders. Really plain, no colors, no flowy tails and are NOT fancy guppies. ^_^

I guess I'll switch to sand soon. Any tips on how to change and what kind of sand?

Thanks everyone and sorry for the trouble!

I'm also worried that if I do add a heater, the fishes might not like it..sounds dumb I know. But I used to have a betta for 6 years without a heater; but once I got the heater, he got sick and passed away. :( So I am pretty cautious about this one add in...
 
Oh no.. Then I have been misinformed. I was told that all these fishes don't need a heater.

I have had the 30 gallon with the fishes for about a year now. The temp is always around 75-80 and I live in SoCal if that helps? And again, the guppies are feeders. Really plain, no colors, no flowy tails and are NOT fancy guppies.
 
 
Before you jump into things...different fish have different "preferred" temperatures in which they will function best.  If your tank temp never drops lower than 75F, I would not bother with a heater.  Not all fish will manage, but aside perhaps from the Betta, the rest you mention will be fine around 75F.  In the winter, if the room temperature does not get much lower, you will be fine.  A lower night temperature will not cause issues for these fish.  As for the Betta, it really needs to be on its own, but even here the temperature should not be an issue; Seriously Fish gives the range as 22-30C or 71-86F.  As always, one should not keep fish at either extreme (low or high) permanently, so around 75-78F should be fine.
 
I guess I'll switch to sand soon. Any tips on how to change and what kind of sand?
 
 
I prefer play sand.  It is very inexpensive, extremely safe for all fish, fine for plants, and it is natural in appearance.  Avoid other "industrial" sands as they can be rough which is an issue for substrate fish like corys.  The aquarium sands should be fine, if you want to spend considerably more; just avoid any that will raise the GH and pH, like those intended for marine tanks or rift lake cichlids.
 
Byron.
 
Thank you,Byron! Although I am a bit sad to have to move the betta back to his own tank after seeing him doing so well. I shall trust your words. :)
 
I have a golden wonder too! See my pic below for the deformed cutie :)
I live in Florida and don't do a heater. Tank stays around your same Temps so I think that will be fine to go without as Byron said.
My stepson kept a cray in a community tank and woke up one morning to a bunch of chopped up fishes so I'd be careful with that.
For my *personal* and professionally wrong opinion on the betta, I've seen some do fine in community tanks and some not fine. I think fish can have different temperaments. It's wise to move him but if it's been a year and he's healthy with no stress marks and you see no fighting when you add a few new fish, maybe he'd be fine. But Byron is knowledgeable so I'd go with him on it. The killifish is also one suggested almost everywhere as a 'species only' fish and not suitable for community tanks yet I've had no problems with platy, tetras and even a tiny minnow he tanks with at the moment. I think you see your fishes behavior and can make judgement calls sometime. I'd be more worried about the cray trying to make sushi in the tank myself right now ;)
 

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