I Bought A Betta!

[joeskandal]

Hi folks, just after a bit of advice.
I bought a lovely new betta for my tank which consists of 3 dalmation mollys, 4 neons, 4 glowlights, a plec, a rtb shark, and 2 danios.

The danios have always been totally hyper and i was worried the behaviour would be stressing the betta.
I was told they were pretty subdued, albeit boring fishies, but pretty to look at.

Anyway, after a day i noticed them chasing him around and putting him out of his comfort zone.
So i went to Pets at Home (woo!! my saving grace) and bought a little 17 litre tank. No time for fishless cycles etc etc, so i basically used some water out of my tank, along with a bit of mature media, and washed my sponge from big tank in the water of the little tank.
Rather than risking putting the betta in there, i put the two more hardy danios in there.
They are still mental, chasing each other round, but this is just their nature.
I hope i have done the right thing, and i know that i maybe should have waited, or done a fish in cycle, but this was absolute state of emergency, i didnt wany the new addition to the family dying of stress, or being fin nipped.

All the others seem great with him, and just allow him to get on with his life.
Is it normal behaviour for him to pretty much just chill at the top of the tank? He prefers to be in the dark more than the really bright spots, until feeding time.
All comments welcome.

 

[Jenste]

you have multiple incomplete shoals there - -
4 neons - - should have 6+, preferably 8+
4 glowlights - same as above
2 danios - - same as above

you have 10 tetras, with 3 incomplete shoals. Also, tetras are known for nipping flowy fins like your bettas.

your best bet for a happy tank?
exchange the 2 danios for 4 for fish, 2 neons and 2 glow lights. then set up the 17 liter for the betta

 

[Andeekaii]

It's very normal for bettas to be still and not really do much. They're pretty lazy fish, and try to keep themselves to themselves in a community tank (in my experience anyway) He would probably be happier in the 17L on his own.

I'm not sure if what you did was correct, but its definetely better than adding fish to a tank full of tap water without adding cycled media. Did you de-chlorinate the water?

 

[joeskandal]

i de-chlorinated it, yes.

 

[mattlee]

a happy betta should patrol its tank guarding its zone. idealy kept on their own with maybe a few shrimps and a snail if anything must be kept with them. i think 17L is still too small for a single betta and i agree with whats been said about the group numbers of the tetras, the more in a group the happier and more stress free for the fish.

 

[BethK]

17ltr isn't too small for a single betta, it's fine.Make sure you havea few plants and a hiding place and he will be happy

 

[joeskandal]

okay, tomorrow i will ring the local fish shop and see if i can swap the danios, nice and healthy and big for some new neins and glowlights...

 

[PDSimon]

what do you mean you de-chlorinated it. Your tank is cycled right?

 

[joeskandal]

the big one yes, but the smaller new one is not.

 

[Andeekaii]

what do you mean you de-chlorinated it. Your tank is cycled right?

How is that relevant?
You still de-chlorinate water, whether its cycled or not?

 

[Ryefish]

what do you mean you de-chlorinated it. Your tank is cycled right?

they used mature media

 

[fishnovice]

the big one yes, but the smaller new one is not.

As the small tank has not been cycled, keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite levels with frequent testing. You need to do regular big water changes like 20% daily or 50% twice weekly to keep your danis alive and well until the tank is cycled

 

[joeskandal]

what do you mean you de-chlorinated it. Your tank is cycled right?

they used mature media

yup!

I will keep on top of water changes and ammonia and nitrate/nitrite testing etc...
Theres bound to be better chance of survival though, due to mature media and washing the sponge in the water, right???

 

[hamfist]

I was told they were ...... boring fishies.

Lol. You were told wrong. One of the most interactive and characterful fish around. Just let him settle in and get to know you. He'll be feeding from your fingers in no time !

 

[Andeekaii]

I was told they were ...... boring fishies.

Lol. You were told wrong. One of the most interactive and characterful fish around. Just let him settle in and get to know you. He'll be feeding from your fingers in no time !

True, they are characterful fish. But they're not particularly active, compared to say danios.
Depends what you count as "boring" really. I found mine interesting to watch, but very lazy.