New To The Forum Thought I'd Say Hi & Get Some Advice

[daniel_bee]

Hi everyone
 
well i've started with a fairly small tank to start a mere 30 litres. with a pump and a filter and just added heater for extra warmth even though my tank is 23 deg already
After getting so much mixed advice from so called fish shop experts i though it best to seek the help and guidence of th real enthusiasts.
 
Ive only ever had gold fish until a few months ago when i decided to go for something a little diffrent afrer the last of my gold fish died after 9 years lol
 
I apporoached the local pet store and did a little brousing, I must say at this point it was mainlt impulse buying and didnt really think i would have problems until today.
 
Well 5 months in i have 5 neon tetras still quite small, 2 silver cloud minos
one bottom feeder cat fish
and latest edition is a small female betta
 
Until a few days ago all was well untill i spotted a tettra looking in a bad way stuck behind the filter
i thought it was dead till i watched him make an effort to swim,
upon closer inspection,yes hes been bitten almost all of his tail is gone,
 
I've taken the poor thing out but feel the betta is going to get more hostile unless i spot feed him
so hes never hungry
 
Or is it best to take him out completley
 
i guess i might have choosen wrong but i though being she was female she might be a little less aggresive...maybe not
 
thanks for reading,and any help or tips comment will be most helpfull cheers

 

[Ninjouzata]

Your tank is overstocked the only thing suitable for your tank is the betta.
Female bettas can be just as aggressive, and sometimes moreso than the males. You may want to take it back, if you're sure it's the one attacking the other fish.

 

[l_l_l]

Hi everyone
 
well i've started with a fairly small tank to start a mere 30 litres. with a pump and a filter and just added heater for extra warmth even though my tank is 23 deg already
After getting so much mixed advice from so called fish shop experts i though it best to seek the help and guidence of th real enthusiasts.
 
Ive only ever had gold fish until a few months ago when i decided to go for something a little diffrent afrer the last of my gold fish died after 9 years lol
 
I apporoached the local pet store and did a little brousing, I must say at this point it was mainlt impulse buying and didnt really think i would have problems until today.
 
Well 5 months in i have 5 neon tetras still quite small, 2 silver cloud minos
one bottom feeder cat fish
and latest edition is a small female betta
 
Until a few days ago all was well untill i spotted a tettra looking in a bad way stuck behind the filter
i thought it was dead till i watched him make an effort to swim,
upon closer inspection,yes hes been bitten almost all of his tail is gone,
 
I've taken the poor thing out but feel the betta is going to get more hostile unless i spot feed him
so hes never hungry
 
Or is it best to take him out completley
 
i guess i might have choosen wrong but i though being she was female she might be a little less aggresive...maybe not
 
thanks for reading,and any help or tips comment will be most helpfull cheers

Hi and welcome!
 
I have a few questions: do you have any plants in your tank? Neon tetras need place to hide when you have a Betta with them!
Also, it is best if you keep your Tetra headcount to at least 6, neon tetras being a schooling fish, they do better when they are in a group of minimum 6. This way, they won't bother the Betta as much because they will be less bored and more active with their own kind. Same thing goes with the "silver cloud minnows" they prefer being in schoolings.
 
Also, it seems like your tank is over crowded. A bottom feeder catfish is also pooping machine, it creates a lot of waste and IMO should be kept in something much larger than a 10Gallon tank, especially if you have other fish in there.
 
All of this are contributing to the stress of all your fish, and the recent addition of the Betta to your tank might have been the thing that broke the already fragile balance of your aquarium.
 
I suggest you either reduce the ammount of fish you have (I'd remove the bottom feeder first), add some low light plants.
You can also remove the betta for a few days, and put her back in to see if she settles down.
 
You could always buy a bigger tank, and try to cycle it.
Hope I helped a bit.
 
Cheers!

 

[Ch4rlie]

 
You have come to the right place for advice. LFS do tend to give conflicting advice, therefore they are not the best place to go to for information on anything fish keeping ironically!
 
As you suspected and from above posts, there are a few issues with your tank am afraid.
 
30 litre tank is pretty small. In fact I'd say too small for Neon Tetras actually. A single Betta is fine in that tank.
 
Here's a link for nano tank like yours to give you an idea for suitable fish stocking...
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/418749-nano-fish/
 
You do not say what bottom feeder catfish you have, if its a pleco for example, afraid he's gonna grow way too big for your tank, try to get a pic of it so we can identify it for you and then advise as well.
 
Bettas do have a tendency to bully other fish, as you've found out with your Neon Tetra, they also bully shrimps and sometimes snails as well.
Generally speaking, Bettas don't make good community fish at all, there are exceptions but few and far between though.
 
 
White Cloud Mountain Minnows are more temperate fish rather than tropical fish, meaning they prefer cooler waters than Bettas and Neons. Also think your 30l is too small for a group of WCMM as well anyway! 40 litres or about 10 US gals minimum tank size IMO.
 
Sorry if all these are negative for you, better you learn all these now rather than later when there are major issues. 

 

[daniel_bee]

Thanks very much for the advice, it seems there much work to be done.
I will try & get some pics of the cat fish ,

I will try to cycle the tank and keep the temp to an in between of 30 c
And leave the betta out for a day or so,
And change the environment a touch to help betta relax a little more.
i have 3 live plants & few ornaments in there.

Thanks for your help people