Very New! Need Any Advice I Can Get!

[rachaelsosilly]

Hello everyone! I'm Rachael. I just started this fascination with fish about a month ago, and tried my feat with several female bettas, all which ended up dying.
Right now my set-up it completely simple. I have a 2 1/2 gallon goldfish drum bowl, with a filter and air stone set up in it. Inside I have a male betta, 4 rosey red minnow feeder fish (just to try out and see how aggressive my betta really is) and an african dwarf frog. I doubt I have room for a heater, but I keep gallons of dechlorinated spring water on my deck in the summer heat and bring it inside hours before I change the water, so it's around 70 to 72 degrees before it goes in the bowl.


Is this okay for the fish I have? Am I being cruel at all? The minnows are tiny and it looks like everyone has adequate room. The betta hasn't even really noticed the other fish, and he lived with the frog in a .6 gallon bowl for a week before moving into the bigger one. So I think that he may be okay with his tank mates.

But if anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome. I have limited space, which is why I chose the 2.5 gallon drum bowl, but I was at least happy with the small tank filter I found. It came with an air pump!


But yes, any advice would be AWESOME because I am new at this!

Thank you!

 

[Corleone]

Personally, I think the tank's a bit small for the betta and the minnows together. They might be ok short term, but the minnows (depending on species, I think there's a few different fish sold as rosey minnows) get around 2-3 inches. Bettas also like it warmer, I'd invest in a small heater (the smallest model you can get should be sufficient) if there's room in the bowl.

Bettas aren't really aggressive fish. They'll attack other bettas on sight - males will tear each other apart, and if there's not space may fight to the death. Females will squabble, and males and females kept together outside of spawning will fight, and the male might get the worst of it due to his vulnerable fins.

When it comes to other fish, though, bettas are a wildcard. Some of them are comfortable and well behaved in general community tanks, but that's the exception. They're not usually aggressive, though, they're more likely to be victims than killers. Their fins are irresistible to any fish with nipping tendencies, and they're not really robust or nimble enough to stand up in a fight.

Some bettas will see other brightly colored or long finned fish, think it's another male, and attack. Guppies are a likely target. Once in a while you find a real evil one, too. I had one that would attack my hand, killed a dwarf frog, flared at snails, etc.

 

[Leedsboi86]

Hiya Rach!
Hope your doing well today,
Sorry to say but your tank is very overstock.

2 1/2 is barely enough for a Betta.
You could get a nice 10G tank quite cheap on ebay.
If your VERY limited for space then I recommend the Moby Dick 25 tropical tank, There pretty decent and everything is built into the hood.

Thats a 5G tank by the way.

 

[gaz gun man]

remove everything except the betta and you might be ok.

personally I'd have a 5gal for a betta though.

 

[Corleone]

Since I just posted this link in another thread, I'll bring it here, too:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...eady-have-fish/

The most important part of keeping fish healthy is monitoring and controlling water quality, particularly in the early stages of a tank (and especially if you didn't do a fishless cycle using an ammonia source). It really isn't too involved, but it is more work than a lot of pet stores make it sound. Your fish will reward you for the effort, though.

 

[Leedsboi86]

Just my opinion but you have taken the best first step into Fish Keeping which to me is asking other for help if your unsure!

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum Rachael. The present setup has the right temperature for the rosies at about 72F. It is a very cold tank for your betta and chances are good that he is slow almost to where you might call him lethargic. Others have already pointed out that you have quite a heavy stocking level. I would place the betta in a tank at least as big as the one you have by himself. That means getting something for the rosies and the frog. I am not familiar with frogs so I don't know if it would be better at 78F or more with the betta or in cold water with the rosies near 72F. In most homes, a heater is needed to keep a betta because people are comfortable at temperatures considerably lower than a betta. If you are doing large daily water changes, you may get away with your present stock level long enough to get the tank space you need for all your fish and get it running right. Again, I am happy to see you here asking the right questions to get things sorted out for your fish.

 

[rachaelsosilly]

Well, surprisingly the Betta swims quickly around in the water and seems to have no discomfort at all. The Bettas bred here are probably used to colder water because they are put into these tiny little plastic cups where the water is almost room temperature. (If that kind of evolution is possible in Bettas, haha.)


As for the Minnows, they are very tiny, and aren't going to grow anymore. I'd say they are half an inch each. And there is only three of them, since when I was changing the water today one took a pretty vicious dive onto the kitchen floor and didn't make it. So that kiiinda helped the over stocked problem. Poor Stanly.

I got the water tested today, and found out that I guess I did everything right! So that was established...


I guess I figured the 2.5 gallon would be okay for the Betta because I have seen them in things way smaller, and survive. I was told about one inch of fish per gallon of water would be good, and I promise this bowl is a lot larger than it sounds! Haha...

As for a heater, I'll have to find something very small and not too pricy.

If anyone knows where I can find one, please let me know!
And anymore advice would be amazing. I want to learn all this stuff!
Thanks for everything so far!

-Rachael

 

[Corleone]

Those small cups are temporary storage for bettas, not breeding or growing cups. I actually recently came into posession of a set of tanks used for breeding bettas, and the males have a 1.5 gallon cube with shared filter/heater for 25 of these little interconnected cells. They're only kept in there until they're big enough to sell.

If the minnows aren't going to grow anymore, they're either not rosey minnows, or they're stunted, which isn't good. Fish don't simply stop growing to fit housing - while many fish don't reach their wild size in aquariums, the difference is usually 10%-20%, not 75-80%, which is what .5" roseys would be.

What were the actual water stats they gave you? It's very important to get numbers because, unfortunately, fish stores are notorious for telling you water is perfect when it isn't. A while back I set up this little sting on a fish store, and was told that water I'd prepared to be far beyond toxic was nearly perfect. Indeed, the only problem they had with it was the only thing that wasn't wrong.

 

[rachaelsosilly]

Well, I took it to PetSmart, where I work, and my friend tested it.
Haha, so I'm guessing that the results where legit.
Hopefully.
But I totally know what you're saying.

 

[gaz gun man]

Well, I took it to PetSmart, where I work, and my friend tested it.
Haha, so I'm guessing that the results where legit.
Hopefully.
But I totally know what you're saying.

I can strongly advise you to get your own test kit though

 

[rachaelsosilly]

Well, I took it to PetSmart, where I work, and my friend tested it.
Haha, so I'm guessing that the results where legit.
Hopefully.
But I totally know what you're saying.

I can strongly advise you to get your own test kit though

I'll consider it. I think they are somewhat expensive, aren't they?
I'll check it out. Any other advice?

 

[Loony Fish]

hi,
the minnows are over crowding it. try an otocinclus instead. they are a small, sucker mouthed fish. just be sure it gets enough food!

 

[rachaelsosilly]

hi,
the minnows are over crowding it. try an otocinclus instead. they are a small, sucker mouthed fish. just be sure it gets enough food!

Okay, thanks! I will. They get along with Bettas, right? I think I heard that they tend to. My Betta isn't very aggressive at all.

 

[OldMan47]

An otocinclus would get along fine with a betta if you had room. You do not. You already have 3 too many fish in that bowl.