What To Do With The Betta?!

[setharael]

Okay, so I've been setting up a new tank. Followed the directions from my LFS - so, yeah, had no idea about cycling. Was told just to set everything up, dose it with 'filter activating' chemicals, let it run for 24hours then stick a few fish at a time into it. So I did. Now I have the two male dwarf gouramies that they recommended as first fish, both sort of hovering towards the top corner. Haven't started the fish-in cycle thing that you keep going on about - I only did the google search for my other problem, so I didn't even know about it until I looked on here. I'll do a water change in a bit, and see about getting a test kit asap.

The other problem though. I have a wonderful, kind, well-meaning boyfriend who turned up with a very pretty fish to go in the aquarium. A male betta. Now, its a 21lt tank so I think its just about big enough for the fish, but am I right in thinking that the betta will not get along with the gouramies? They're all kind of ignoring each other at the moment, but is this just the calm before the storm? I can't afford a second tank - I'm living on a student loan - and the LFS will not take any fish back once they've gone into the water.

Is there anything that I can do?

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

You could try and get another small tank, or try donating him to another fish shop, or try to sell him via the classifieds here.


Couldn't you borrow some money off parents or boyfriend to get a second tank and pay them back in small amounts? or ask for an early Christmas present?

 

[Assaye]

You are correct - bettas and gouramis don't generally mix, especially males in a small tank. If you can wrangle it, the male betta will be much better off in that little tank than the dwarf gouramis will. My advice would be to either find a way of rehoming all the fish (another pet shop, friend with decent sized fish tank, on here, etc) or rehome the gouramis (as two males in a small tank is a recipe for disaster) and keep the betta for a fish-in cycle.

Your main priority is to keep the fish safe and that means starting a routine of large daily water changes (75%) and getting a liquid test kit for ammonia and nitrite.

Here is the Resource Centre - got all the info for cycling, testing, etc. Get reading

 

[setharael]

Thanks for the advice; I'll look at getting rid of the gouramiss. TBH I'm not sure I could, in fairness, offer them to anyone; the betta has been bullying them all day, and they're looking a bit depressed. Not injued, yet, thank goodness; he just seems to like chasing them around and bothering them a lot. Still, I'll put them up on the classifieds board - there's only one pet shop I can reach since I don't have a car, and they won't take any fish in, and I don't know anyone with a tank. Hopefully someone will come forward.

In the short term, is it true that the betta would be okay in a smaller, unheated tank? I've been offered one by a friend but there is no way that I could afford another heater at this stage. It would only be until I could get rid of the gouramies. Honestly, it sounds cruel to me - bettas are tropical fish, right? - but sources seem very confused and i have no idea what counts as trusted information.

And I've done a massive water change today and will continue to do the same for the next few days until I scrimp together the money for a testing kit and start doing things properly.

Thanks for the info people!

 

[Assaye]

Thanks for the advice; I'll look at getting rid of the gouramiss. TBH I'm not sure I could, in fairness, offer them to anyone; the betta has been bullying them all day, and they're looking a bit depressed. Not injued, yet, thank goodness; he just seems to like chasing them around and bothering them a lot. Still, I'll put them up on the classifieds board - there's only one pet shop I can reach since I don't have a car, and they won't take any fish in, and I don't know anyone with a tank. Hopefully someone will come forward.

In the short term, is it true that the betta would be okay in a smaller, unheated tank? I've been offered one by a friend but there is no way that I could afford another heater at this stage. It would only be until I could get rid of the gouramies. Honestly, it sounds cruel to me - bettas are tropical fish, right? - but sources seem very confused and i have no idea what counts as trusted information.

And I've done a massive water change today and will continue to do the same for the next few days until I scrimp together the money for a testing kit and start doing things properly.

Thanks for the info people!

I would not encourage you to get a smaller tank for the betta. 20 litres is my personal minimum for a long term home for the betta. It does depend how small the second tank is - if it's say 17 litres, that would be do-able if not ideal. If it's under 15 litres I would personally steer well clear. There are a lot of mixed sources and some people manage to keep bettas well in very small tanks but it is not a practice I would ever encourage or support, although that is not to say I would necessarily consider it very cruel. It entirely depends how the tank is set up.

That said, it does need to be heated. There is a lot of rubbish online about bettas being OK in coldwater tanks and that has simply come about from people keeping bettas in poor conditions because they are cheap and pretty and then passing on that info to others.

As a short term measure you could get a plastic breeding trap and pop the betta in that. It would be very small but he would be warm in your current tank and couldn't bully the gouramis.

Can you not ask a friend or family member to give you a lift to another pet shop? You could ring around and see if anyone can give them a home. It is very important to get them seperated.