i have a male crowntail betta and i wanted to try to put some neon tetras with him i read you can put them together but i have no clue on what i need and if this is a good idea. i have a 2.5 gal tank with a silk plant & no pump cause i read it can upset bettas or hurt them any ideas could anyone help me out
Starting A Betta / Neon Tetra Tank?
- Thread starter queburger
- Start date
Jenste
Resurrecting the Passion of Fishkeeping
a 2.5 gallon is too small for a betta and a school of neons (and neons are a schooling fish - it would be very unhappy if kept singly or in a group less than 6!!!)
some will say that 2.5 is a bit small for just a betta...you are on the right track with silk plants, but most filters are easily modified to adjust/block the flow - it keeps the tank much much cleaner, and therefore your betta stays much healthier! they also need a heater...
while you could keep neons with bettas...you should proceed with caution when adding any tetra into a tank with fish with flowy fins - tetras are reputable fin nippers and could seriously harass and damage your betta!
some will say that 2.5 is a bit small for just a betta...you are on the right track with silk plants, but most filters are easily modified to adjust/block the flow - it keeps the tank much much cleaner, and therefore your betta stays much healthier! they also need a heater...
while you could keep neons with bettas...you should proceed with caution when adding any tetra into a tank with fish with flowy fins - tetras are reputable fin nippers and could seriously harass and damage your betta!
Welcome to the forum Queburger.
I am afraid that I must agree with Jenste that a 2.5 gallon tank is fine for your betta but cannot hold any more fish. I always tend to put my bettas in tanks with other fish but do it in a larger tank.
I am afraid that I must agree with Jenste that a 2.5 gallon tank is fine for your betta but cannot hold any more fish. I always tend to put my bettas in tanks with other fish but do it in a larger tank.
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Yes, agree with the others.
~~waterdrop~~
ps. one thing to note is that if your filter/heater/light situation can handle it, a raw tank is one of the cheapest aspects of the hardware end of things -- sometimes people are surprised it is to up their capacity this way...
~~waterdrop~~
ps. one thing to note is that if your filter/heater/light situation can handle it, a raw tank is one of the cheapest aspects of the hardware end of things -- sometimes people are surprised it is to up their capacity this way...
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Hi queburger,
Glad to hear you upsized! Every gallon makes a difference down in those small sizes.
It normally takes between 3 weeks and 2 months before a filter is ready for live fish. Had you already prepared your filter on another tank?
What brand/model of water testing kit are you using?
~~waterdrop~~
Glad to hear you upsized! Every gallon makes a difference down in those small sizes.
It normally takes between 3 weeks and 2 months before a filter is ready for live fish. Had you already prepared your filter on another tank?
What brand/model of water testing kit are you using?
~~waterdrop~~
API Freshwater Master Test Kit is a great one to use! If you don't want to shell out for that, API do single ammonia and nitrite testing kits. You need to make sure you at least have test kits for ammonia and nitrite.
It takes about a month to establish your filter. As you already have fish in the tank you need to test your water daily and do large water changes (50-80%) to get the ammonia and nitrites to zero. After around a month you'll see the levels naturally lowering as the bacteria start to remove those chemicals for you.
Another thing to remember - small fish do not equal small tanks. I'll be honest and say that while tetras like neons, glowlights and the like are fairly small fish (under two inches when adult), they still need large groups (6 plus) and quite a bit of space to shoal, explore and race around. Ideally you would be looking at 45 litres as a minimum size for these fish - that's 10 imperial gallons.
The small fish that do well in small tanks are the super tiny ones like micro rasboras. There are other small-ish fish that don't need the large groups (like bettas, guppys, some species of small gourami, etc) that would be OK in a 5 gallon tank in the right numbers (i.e. 1 betta OR 6 micros OR 4 guppys OR a pair of sparkling gourami)
Too-small tanks and over-crowding cause stress and sickness which can strike at any time, and all the medication in the world won't help when they do strike.
Sorry to be the bringer of bad news! It's important to us that your fish are happy and stay healthy =)
Read this!
It takes about a month to establish your filter. As you already have fish in the tank you need to test your water daily and do large water changes (50-80%) to get the ammonia and nitrites to zero. After around a month you'll see the levels naturally lowering as the bacteria start to remove those chemicals for you.
Another thing to remember - small fish do not equal small tanks. I'll be honest and say that while tetras like neons, glowlights and the like are fairly small fish (under two inches when adult), they still need large groups (6 plus) and quite a bit of space to shoal, explore and race around. Ideally you would be looking at 45 litres as a minimum size for these fish - that's 10 imperial gallons.
The small fish that do well in small tanks are the super tiny ones like micro rasboras. There are other small-ish fish that don't need the large groups (like bettas, guppys, some species of small gourami, etc) that would be OK in a 5 gallon tank in the right numbers (i.e. 1 betta OR 6 micros OR 4 guppys OR a pair of sparkling gourami)
Too-small tanks and over-crowding cause stress and sickness which can strike at any time, and all the medication in the world won't help when they do strike.
Sorry to be the bringer of bad news! It's important to us that your fish are happy and stay healthy =)
Read this!
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