My Betta Sorority

[Salam]

I thought I'd start a short and sweet journal on my betta sorority.

The tank is a 17 inch cubed glass tank. It is around 20 US gallons / 80 litres. The tank also has a glass lid.

I am planning on adding 8 crowntail bettas, 6 pygmy cories and 3 otos.

I picked up the tank which was a bargain on ebay. It was very dirty with the worst watermarks I have ever seen. But I can't complain, I got it cheap and the glass itself was in perfect condition.

Lots of elbow power, vinegar and lemon juice later I finally saw the end of the tunnel.

It was then time to add some black gloss to the back so my betta's colours would pop nicely.

Then it was time to wash the playsand.

Mature filter and heater were added and this is what I had for the next 24 hours.

During that time I added 4ppm of ammonia to make sure the filter was truly mature and thankfully it was all processed within 12 hours so I felt safe enough to add my pygmys that I had in another tank.

Pygmys exploring their new home

Then it was time to go shopping for plants. The plan is to create a bit of a beach scene with coconut huts and plants that look like palm trees.
This is what I came home with

Hyprophilia corymbosa
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Rotala roundifolia
Hydrocotyle verticillata
And some more that weren't labelled...

All planted

Pygmys like their new home

My bettas have been ordered and the fish dealer is going to get me 8 on Tuesday. Beforehand I will still add the ottos and add some algae rocks for them (I keep a few in water in the sunlight constantly) so they should also settle in before the bettas arrive.

I hope that the planting and hiding spaces is enough. It is not all visible on the pictures, but for example behind the rocks and the wood there are gaps for them to hide and obviously the plants and the coconuts will also be a refuge from aggression.

 

[Cazgar]

Looking good, the corys seem to be enjoying their new home.
I wouldn't add any Oto's for a few months, they don't do well in new setups

 

[Salam]

Thanks, Caz. Pygmys have definitely settled in well, so happy to see them this way.

I have heard that too about otos, but I was hoping that when I add my algae rocks they'd do ok. The filter is very mature, there is just not enough algae at the moment, hence I thought about making up for it via the algae rocks. I can wait if this is the better option, but I'd rather have them in before the bettas. Won't they get aggressive towards them if I added them a few months down the line?

 

[Cazgar]

My females took no notice of my Oto's.
If you want to add the Oto's before the Bettas, then pop some stones or wood in a bowl of tank water on a sunny window ledge, in a few days you should have some nice algae growth..
Oto's take a while to recognise wafers or veggies as food & can starve, so you may need to keep up with growing algae for a while
I still do it for mine & I've had them for a long time, but the minute I add a nice green piece of wood they're all over it

 

[Salam]

If you want to add the Oto's before the Bettas, then pop some stones or wood in a bowl of tank water on a sunny window ledge, in a few days you should have some nice algae growth..

This is what I am doing already! Might have not been clear, but I got five rocks in a bowl in water on the kitchen window sill (gets lots of afternoon daylight) and they go around in a rota as I also have otos with my dwarf puffer and they are doing very well. They never liked algae wafers, I try every now and then, but it's just wasted. But they love cleaning one of the algae rocks. Here is my quote, at the end of my long rambling:

Beforehand I will still add the ottos and add some algae rocks for them (I keep a few in water in the sunlight constantly) so they should also settle in before the bettas arrive.

So, in that case they should be ok? I wanted to pick them up later this afternoon, just need to make sure I can put them into that tank.

 

[Cazgar]

Sorry, must've missed the rocks bit.
As long as you have plenty of algae rocks for them, they should be ok.
Make sure the ones you get at the Lfs have nice rounded tummies, so you know they've already been eating well.
I have a soft spot for Oto's, I have 10 of them

 

[Salam]

It's ok, I was rambling a little anyway
Yes, I got enough rocks. I love them too. Will add a nice big group to one of my rios once they are ready. They are so cute!

 

[Cazgar]

Look forward to seeing them & your Betta girls when you get them

 

[HannahBear77]

looks great so far cant wait to see the females in there...i love having my sorority tank, their so much more personable than my males

 

[Salam]

Thanks

Tuesday can't come round soon enough. So excited, my divas will be here!!!

 

[Salam]

I got my Otos and they have settled in nicely. Those are greedy buggers, I got two algae rocks in the tank and they have munched away the algae on one of them already! I suppose it's a good sign that they are happy Will make sure there is a constant supply of algae rocks.

An hour later Hungry or what?!

Another one

And the pygmys again, because they are so cute

 

[Salam]

My Divas are here, I picked them up yesterday. All have settled in well and I think I have already spotted the Alpha female.

First of all, their names are:
Mariah
Celine
Whitney
Cher
Beyonce
Shakira
Aretha
Madonna

They all have their own colouring even though some look similar, I can tell them apart and they had their naming ceremony last night.

Mariah wants to be the Alpha.

Celine is the sweet one who likes to peek out of the coconut.

Cher and Madonna have already bonded and seem to be best friends.

I haven't managed to take a shot of them all yet, but here are the first decent photographs. More will follow in time.

FTS after adding a bit more planting and a floating plant

Two of the otos happily eating bloodworm pellet

Shakira

Cher

Mariah

Celine (beautiful white)

Madonna

Cher and Madonna bonding (Madonna's face is more pink and she is bigger)

As I said, there will be more pictures in time, need to work out how to work that camera. Some of them were still a bit shy yesterday, so I couldn't get a shot of all of them, but will try to snap them all.

 

[Salam]

A video

 

[pablothebetta]

Lovely tank + fish

 

[Cazgar]

Your divas are lovely & the Oto's look very happy