I love fish

[DutchMuch]

welcome

 

[Lorilab1962]

I suppose I could try a partial drain and refill, the weather loaches seem to keep the gravel clean. I was thinking about switching to sand bottom and I can't seem to find out where to get the sand and I have more plants coming I will be changing my filter as well

 

[DutchMuch]

when you change the filter make sure you use the media you have in your current filter, and let it spread on the other filters media.
Sand is good for loaches

 

[Lorilab1962]

Welcome to the forum!

I'd like to give you a heads up that the pictus will get large enough to (and might) eat the betta and neons, and they like to be in schools.

Can a 10 gallon tank hold for pictus catfish I'm thinking about putting my beta in a 5 gallon tank with a female because every time I go to the fish store they have these poor little fish in a little bowl I wish I could save them all I will probably put my Neons back in with the angelfish because they all got along too and there's plenty of places to hide

Welcome!

Quick Stats

Minimum Tank Size: 45 Gallons (205 Liters)
Care Level: Moderately Hard
Water Conditions: 5.5-7.0 pH and Soft Water
Temperature: 72-77 °F (22-25 °C)
Maximum Size: 5 inches (20 cm)

 

[Demeter32]

I pictus in a 10gal tank is a no go, that I promise you. Same for putting a male betta in the same tank as a female betta. They will fight and either one or both will be killed. Please don't go buying fish that you can not give a proper home to, impulse buying is not a good thing when you don't have a proper setup for the fish.

 

[Lorilab1962]

I do not impulse buy, I do research first to get info how fish get along and where they came from, , if iits not a good idea then I don't, as for the beta and pitcus in the same tank, they do not bother each other, and I think it's the female beta that get along in groups, not positive I will research that too.. the pitcus I have get 6 to 8 inches. They are shy fish and I lost one already from putting them in a 55 gallon tank. They wouldn't come out to eat as the won't eat anything but flakes and I've tried all foods for them..it is possible a on occasion where opposites worrk well together. I don't intend on keeping Mr pitcus in 10 gal for long alas they like to travel

 

[Demeter32]

Oh wait, do you mean the betta you have now is a female? If so and you want to have a sorority of female bettas you need to have more than 2 to spread aggression and the tank needs to be heavily planted. I have 4 females that lived in a 10gal for about a year, and I just moved them to a 20 long today. I would wait till you move the pictus before trying a sorority. I've put a lot of work towards my girls and you need to have a game plan when getting into it. Looking back now I wish I had started out with the 20gal rather than the 10gal. The bigger the tank the better as some say a 20gal in the minimum tank size and others say 10gal.

 

[DutchMuch]

I do not impulse buy, I do research first to get info how fish get along and where they came from, , if iits not a good idea then I don't, as for the beta and pitcus in the same tank, they do not bother each other

*sigh*

 

[Lorilab1962]

Oh wait, do you mean the betta you have now is a female? If so and you want to have a sorority of female bettas you need to have more than 2 to spread aggression and the tank needs to be heavily planted. I have 4 females that lived in a 10gal for about a year, and I just moved them to a 20 long today. I would wait till you move the pictus before trying a sorority. I've put a lot of work towards my girls and you need to have a game plan when getting into it. Looking back now I wish I had started out with the 20gal rather than the 10gal. The bigger the tank the better as some say a 20gal in the minimum tank size and others say

 

[Lorilab1962]

Thanks that's a big help. Hey what about a five gallon tank with a divider in it and one female and one male. Is that enough room a? This poor little face was in a tiny Bowl when I bought her. A little feedback would be appreciated

 

[DutchMuch]

bettas need at least a five gallon tank to themselves. Females do best in sorority's.
Basic answer is no.
You can contact the betta sorority master @NickAu for more information on that, Demeter has gr8 information as well

 

[Demeter32]

Agreed 5gal minimum for each betta. And having a male and female with a divider isn't a great idea. The male will be constantly flaring at the female and tiring himself out while the female will go into egg making mode but never be able to get to the male so she may become egg bound. Either way is stressful and I don't recommend it. Get another tank for the girl.

 

[Lorilab1962]

Ok. Sounds like good advice.
One more question, my pitcus needs 3 to 4 more buddy's, I don't want a deep tank but I need to know how many gals. Per fish. They like to travel. I want it to resemble thier habitat which mean a longer tank, sand, plants caves
That should be fun to build.

 

[DutchMuch]

The pictus catfish is an active fish, that requires a tank that can provide them with a large swimming area. At the bare minimum, they should be provided with at least a 45 gallon (205 liters) aquarium, though larger tanks are preferable. With that being said, even a 45 gallon (205 liter) aquarium can accommodate several pictus catfish, since this species is non-territorial and a handful can co-exist peacefully if given sufficient space.

Any tank containing pictus catfish should be dimly lit, or at the very least have a very heavy aquatic plant canopy to dim the bottom of the tank. This fish will stay in hiding for much of the day if they are kept in an overly bright tank, but will be relatively active in a dimly lit aquarium. Their aquarium should also contain numerous hiding places, and if at all possible, the hiding places should allow enough room for the fish to turn around inside. Claypots on their side make excellent hiding places for pictus catfish.

Pictus catfish generally do best when kept in a riverine biope aquarium, and plants, driftwood and river rocks can be added to simulate a river in their tank. Because of their low light requirements, you can add Java moss, moss balls, hornwort or any other low light plant that is available in your area.

When choosing a filter for a pictus catfish tank, it’s best to over filter the aquarium and provide a strong flow of current to their tank. One of the best choices for this is a hang on back filter, since it provides excellent filtration and a decent amount of flow to a tank. It’s very important that you keep to a regular cleaning schedule in their tank, since pictus catfish are very sensitive to nitrates. It might be best to pair a hang on back filter with a sponge filter, just to ensure maximum filtration for the tank.
you are aware pictus get huge right?

Why would you keep these with bettas? They require different environments completely

Minimum Tank Size: 45 Gallons (205 Liters)
Care Level: Moderately Hard
Water Conditions: 5.5-7.0 pH and Soft Water
Temperature: 72-77 °F (22-25 °C)
Maximum Size: 5 inches (20 cm)

 

[DutchMuch]

Neons back in with the angelfish

Nooo this is a horrible idea omg.
Neons are not only fin nippers, but also can become a nice snack.
Your stocking though lol