# Other fish for my Betta?



## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Hi , i have been cycling my Biorb 60l and im going to put a LINE BRED INTENSE ORANGE HM MALE BETTA. Since this tank will have alot of room still ,i was wondering what tropical fish could go into this with out causing any problems for both . neons ..... If these where best suited how many would you put in?


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## kris_leonardi (Jun 28, 2009)

Hi! I actually posted the same question about a week ago. I've heard that cardinal tetras(red tetras) make great tank mates(what I'm putting with my betta). Also loaches, plecos, and corey fish make good tank mates. I'm not sure if that is all of them, those are just some off the top of my head. Hope this helped! =]


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

You may have a bit of trouble with a betta in a Bio-orb. Sorry to say that sometimes they do not have enough surface for them. Bettas are surface dwelling fish due to the need to breathe air and the surface of a Bio-orb is very small and generally very active current wise. Sometimes the bettas are kind of plummeted about and with the finnage they carry it is like a sailboat trying to stay afloat. So while I am not saying not to do it I would have a back up plan in force in case your betta does not tolerate this well. Some do and some do not but if he is unable to navigate well to the surface he will have to be removed or he will drown in there.

Sounds like you are going to have one super quality betta and it would be nice to see some pictures of him when you have all established. Congratulations on the find.

The tank mates that were mentioned before are pretty much accurate and most would make good fish for that size bio-orb but probably not more than one type of them. Loaches or cories would be my choice for that size as they would have the strength for the current and provide an all over tank activity that would make it interesting. But the Dwarf or Chain Loaches would be the only ones appropriate for this size orb.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Thank you for some wise reading. I know that the turbulence of the bubbles at the top will make ruff sailing for a betta and thats why i bought a ehiem100 air pump that you can controll overall air being pumped into it. also i was thinking of dropping the water level so that he has more surface area to swimabout.. ..Hopefully then i should be able to monitor the Betta and see overall what difficulties he has with this tank.Thanks ,Mark


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Mark, the oxygen or air IN the water will not help your betta if he is not able to breathe free air at the surface though so please do drop the surface to give him more room at the top and make sure he can swim to it or he will not be able to breathe. Bettas have to be able to do both, breathe through their gills and through their Labyrinth organ to survive. While they can survive for short periods at the bottom they still have got to be able to reach the air at the top to "butt their heads" on the surface to take a breath or it is not going to work so simply pumping air into the water won't correct the problem for the betta.

I really do want to help you make this work but the only bio orb that I have ever seen work with a betta had a different filtration system entirely and that kind of defeated the purpose of the idea of none of the stuff showing but at least the fish was able to live there. 
(and it was only about 3/4 full of water)

Let us know how it goes.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks again, i was looking at the surface of the biorb and 60l one is very choopy compared to a 30l one. This may sound silly but if i use a 50l air pump in the 60l biorb it should decrease the speed of the bubbles coming from tube and therefore not create a choppy surface.The only thing i would have concern with that is the tank will probably not stay as clean for long due to the weak draw power of the bubble tube. The reason i put these ideas forward is ,"Prevention is better than cure", and thats where i put the fish in them regards. I would easily abort the project as this betta is special, and i would like only the best for him. I do have a back up tank just incase it fails so i will let you know how he copes Thanks again


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Well I thought you were only wanting the best for the fish as he does sound special that is why I made the comments. I really was not trying to shoot down your plans.

Thanks for your understanding.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Hi there, i know you aint shooting me plans down down at all, as i have read a lot of your listings and you have made me very impressed with your knowledge.Feed back from you has already made me approach this setup from another angle . Also should i have the neon tetras in the tank first before i introduce the Male Betta or put him in first then them? or does it not really matter.Also will the biorb led lighting be ok for him, ie not to bright. Thanks again for your time


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Well I hate to be the bearer of yet other bad tidings but neons will have your bettas fins in shreds. They are known to be fin nippers and he will not consider them a threat and will just let them approach him and do it. The funny thing about the combination of these guys is I have seen YOU TUBE shots of the neons simply pecking away as the betta just kind of floats in the water unaware that anything is going on. It is horrifying to watch. Then soon the bettas fins are infected with fin rot and you have a problem. 

There is a tetra that is colorful and really quite beautiful that will not do this to my knowledge and has not ever caused a problem and you may want to consider substituting for the neon and that is the Cardinal tetra. This is the only one that I would risk putting in with a betta as they are the only one I know of that has not ever been a nipper to my knowledge and after the number of years I have been about them I am sure I would have had someone tell me.

But back to your question, when you are going to have tankmates with a betta, it is always really best to put all the other tanks inhabitants in the tank and have them all settled in and happy before the betta goes in. He is going to be the star of the show we know but he needs to take the territory that is left AFTER the others have established theirs rather than allowing him to think that the whole tank is HIS and the others are intruding. That is a recipe for disaster and usually the start of a fight. This of course is only if you are not setting up an aggressive tank which I would never suggest that a betta be added into. And with the fish you have mentioned I do not see that happening. But I mention it for the benefit of any others who may someday consider it. Bettas fins keep them from swift motion and do not allow them to protect themselves in an aggressive tank against fish that are able to get around more nimbly.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks again. Was thinking tying some java moss to the Bonsai tree to ack like a resting place so it has got to far to go to top to breath. There is a nice naturel platform on it that you can see in the pic i have [url=http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery. just where the blackmoor is hovering. Will take a better angle of the tree so you can see.


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Really nice piece of driftwood there and Java Moss is one of the bettas favorite resting places. Be prepared to pick up strands from all over but he will love you for it. They drag it around all over with the fins sticking to it but it is truly worth it all to see how much they love all the comfort of resting on it. You will love watching him playing on it.

Good luck it does sound like a great idea.

Thanks for being such a concerned betta parent. Sounds like your baby is going to be very fortunate.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Always better safe than sorry A happy Betta makes for great veiwing , so ima sure il be able to say like the A-team. I love it when a plan comes together!


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Yeah, they are so pretty when they are happy! I do agree with you there.  And they let you know it when they are not happy too. *#3

I do hope you enjoy him.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Well on friday my HMPK Fancy Dragon Betta is arriving. i was ment to be getting a Line bred orange HM betta but couldnt get it bummer) have picture of both in me pics soooo. cant wait*n1


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Did they give you a reason for the substitution? They technically are not allowed to do this without your permission. It does not sound like a good breeder to me. Did they give you a rebate on the fish that you did not want? They should not charge you as much for a replacement fish as they one you ordered.

Sorry but this type of thing happens too often when they put a fish up for sale then decide they do not want to sell it for "one reason or another" If it was purchased through either aquabid or ebay I would let the site know as that vendor will not be allowed to sell there for a while as this is against the rules. The fish you buy is the one you get or you get a refund.

This is one reason that people buying online are less likely to trust the few really good breeders that there are. There are too many of these types of things that go on.

May I ask what the name of the breeder is that is supplying this fish?

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Rose btw when i put Oshi in the tank tomorrow would i be best adding stress coat+ an hour after ,even though tank is cycled or do i not need to worry? Thanks


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

I do not use it because it is just basically aloe and some vitamins. If your betta is healthy it will be fine without it and the only recommendation I would make is that the lights be left off for the first 24 hours to allow the betta to settle in. He will be spooky but if he can quietly just snoop about on his own in the darker conditions he will be fine. The less stuff in the water for him to have to adapt to the better.

I am really a purist at heart. Every time you put a chemical in the water you add something they have to deal with. If it is not a necessity, not needed. If I wanted to add something to calm a fish for any reason it would be Kordon Fish Protector and that I just use when the fish is injured or sick and I need to keep it from injuring itself further or if it is aggressive and needing to be calmed down.

Just put conditioner in the water for removal of the chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals and otherwise just let the tank be as the fish will have to get used to being in it all the time.

Rose

Tell Oshi I said hi when he gets here. We are always happy to see a new member and after all the bettas are important members too.


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Thanks for that, will keep me light of as theres enuff night light coming in to see what hes doing .Will do a video of him when he arrives to his new home(Hopefully he likes it] . Im so happy for him and me. also got 2 loaches for me freshwater tank.what a joy they are . The big fish try their best to get them but fail. So quick they are.


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

BTW . Where the Betta comes from , Is there any other fish that is found with them? as in from thier on habitat? or our they the only donminent in thier rice filelds?. Novice so Excuse . Thanks


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Was looking to see what fish t put in to this new tank and was wondering about 6 Black tetra, with a betta? they look rather nice and the new Betta is gonna be all Black. Thanks


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Tetras tend to nip the bettas fins I am sorry to say. Since the bettas do not see them as threats they tend to just allow them to do it and then the bettas end up with infected fins. I have not heard that the Cardinal tetras do this but the others all seem to do it. I do not know that I would try it but I cannot tell you not to do it. It is definitely up to you and I do know it would make a really nice looking tank but it would be my recommendation that you definitely have a back up tank in case the problem comes up so you can move the betta or the others if you have that problem. The betta will not probably bother the tetras though as they do not usually see them as challenges.

Rose


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

As far as other native fish around them, you must remember that the bettas you buy in the stores and through the breeders have never been in with any other fish not even any other males or females of their own kind. they live in a jar or container by themselves totally solitary confinement. This is why they do not know how to play nice with other fish sometimes and it is a crap shoot whether or not you will get a fish that will accept other fish with it or not. they do not know that others are allowed to share their water. As soon as the fish is determined to be male it is put in its own container and remains alone until it comes to its owner (you) and the first time it sees any other fish with it will be if you put them in the tank with it since it was a tiny fry. This is a total shock to these fish.

So I would guess that no, there are no other fish that are native to its environment.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

Yes Rose Thanks for that. I would have a back up tank incase that happened but it would be the tetra getting moved not him.I would really need to keep an eye on him the first 48 hours just to see if they having a go at him and also everyday now again if they aint and look for fin bites. Il get me pics up rose soon . I lost the lead to plug in me camera up to the comp lol.Maybe its under a fish tank . Thanks .Mark


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

Good and we have missed you. Hope you don't stay away so long this time.

Rose


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## MutedMonkfish (Jul 4, 2009)

This is my new Betta tank set up with yoshi in it. the 60L biorbs bubbles made the surface to unstable for my liking so yoshi well happy in this tank. Have posted me pics in gallery. thank you for looking. Mark


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

great pics and happy betta!!! He looks so Happy!!! Congratualtions to you both...I can tell you really love the little guy and he is so glad you do!!!

Rose


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