30 gal for my beta?

[gspgirl]

Ok, im one of those people who got the popular misconseption about betas, that they can be keps im a bowl. So ive kept my beta in a bowl for 2 and a half years. last night i decided to put my beta in my 30 gal to keep it cycled (id also add extra food to get ready for the extra bioload)when i saw him al streached out under all my lights and swiming not floating i realized the true beauty of the fish so i decided to do a little more research on it and what i found shocked me i feel so horible that ive kept my beta in a bowl i am most definitly throwing the stinkin thing away (the bowl not the fish). Now hweres for my question, i want to keep him in the 30 gal but i want tankmates i cant find the same info on there temperment half say they are crazy agresive, the other say they are nice and peacefull whats true? If he can be with other fish i want to make the tank with all the same color fish (hes a crown tail with deep purple face dark ble fins with red lines and a few paches of metalic green-blue) so i was thinking of neon tetras, and those blue and red goramis. he seems to be having trouble with the current from the filters is this because he is not fit from life ina bowl will he get used to it or do i need to do somthing about it? does anyone know of some good tal broad leaf plants for him to rest on. anyother advice (i cant get a single fact strait on te internet)
thanks

[bertie 83]

Yea he's prob just unfit. Try amazon swords for tall broad plants, there are many fish which will live in peace with a betta. Nothing with long fins, and nothing with nipping tendencies.

[CoCoPuffs]

They're gathered & bred in slow moving pools or still puddles. That's why people sell them in bowls, just a gimmick...

[Stephny691]

I wouldn't keep a Betta with any other fish at all. Some people manage it- but that's all it is, managing.
They will get stressed and/or aggressive and either get nipped at, or chase holy hell out of the other fish.
Don't feel too bad about it, you've realised now about them needing more room and you've done something about it- that's good!

[Arny]

I've kept loads of different fish with my Betta's in the past. Guppys, Gouramis, Corys, Neon Tetras, Red Tailed Shark etc. Watch out for Barbs though as they will nip his fins

[gspgirl]

ok ill make sure to not put any longfined fish or barbs in there, ive been thinking about neon tetras, and goramis, any other suggestions?

[LilGreenPuffer]

Congratulations on your discovery. Bettas are wonderful little fish with fun personalities who do deserve space to move and clean, warm water!

This excellent caresheet (http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=18075) has info on betta tankmates. But he will also be very happy alone - and you'll hardly have to do any water changes except for parameter stabilization!

About the filter flow, he's probably in need of some exercise to build up muscle tone and will get used to some of the flow, BUT if it's really strong, he'll benefit from a lot of live plants to create low-flow areas.

[gspgirl]

ok, he seems to mind the filter less now, its only 1 small spoot where it bothers him and he stays away from that now. heres my new stacking scheme, a few amazon swords, lots of java moss. a school of 5 corys (wich type should i get?) a school of 8 cardinal tetras, 8 red cherry shrimp (will they be ok in there),1 brislenose pleco, and my beta. Sound good? i was thinking about some fancy gupies but i dont think i have room and im geting conflicted results on there compatability.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Whether or not these guys all get along depends on your betta. My friend's betta slaughtered all eight of her cories, but other bettas ignore them or even sometimes school with them. Tetras might be nippy and aggressive, but the same could be said for the betta. The shrimp might be fine, but their babies will get eaten or sucked up in the filter. The bristlenose might get his/her bristles nipped by a curious betta.

I think your safest bet is a nice big school of larger cories - something in the 3-inch range. They cannot nip due to the shape of their mouths, and larger ones *should* be able to escape bullying - at least, once they're grown. Planet Catfish has good cory info. Plus, if you don't get other fish, you can have a bigger school, and cories love large groups.

[gspgirl]

today my beta seems very energetic hes been exploring the caves and darting thru the fake plants than ziping up to the top to gulp down some air. is this normal (not the air part the increased speed and movment)? whenever i see betas there always floating at the tops of bowls. is there an algea eater that wont be harased by my beta and wont grow into a monster? (i think there cute:)) i will look into the biger corys do u have a specific name for them so i can do research ?(i always do tons of reaserch sience i bought a gsp on impulse....) so the rcs will stil work? ive never had shrimp before i read the article in the library but is there anything else i should know?

[bertie 83]

Your betta is happy, this is making him explore and zip around enjoying himself. And yes RCS should be cool in there. Ottos are a small friendly algae eater but they are difficult to keep alive long term, unless you have a horrific algae problem I would not worry. Whatever you do don't biy a Chinese algae eater, they get huge and are really mean. Mine even had a go at my fahaka once which is 3 times its size

[LilGreenPuffer]

Your betta isn't acting like the ones you've seen in bowls because he has heat and clean water - not to mention the room to move! Bettas need high-end tropical temperatures - preferably 78-80 - to digest their food properly and metabolize energy. Now that he's got room to move and a comfortable temperature, he's probably having the time of his life functioning like a normal, healthy fish. My little female betta uses every inch of her 10g tank, which I keep at 80 degrees.

The best way to control algae, IMO, is a healthy, well-balanced planted tank. Your betta would LOVE a planted tank, too! If you want a hardier, small, peaceful algae eater, try a small school of pitbull plecos. They are tiny like oto cats, but not so delicate. They don't have bristles that look like yummy worms, they're not bright-colored and therefore won't be confused with an intruding male betta, and they'll probably stay mostly out of your betta's way. But some bettas are VERY territorial and won't tolerate any tankmates, no matter how unobtrusive. Nerite or apple snails are also a possibility, but you do run the risk of them being nipped to death by your betta. However, they don't breed without special conditions, and nerites especially are effective algae eaters, so they might work well for you.

With all that said about algae control... bertie's right. You may never have an algae problem at all. I never have except a brief episode with beard algae; stepping up water changes to remove nitrates and applying liquid carbon fertilizer directly to leaves while the water level was low during a water change got rid of it completely and I haven't seen it since. I get a little green dot algae, which apparently my otos don't eat all of, and the algae scraper gets that.

There's lots of larger cories out there. Planet Catfish has a huge database. Also, Troender is a breeder, so she might be able to suggest something.

The cherry shrimp will not cause a problem - just start with a few, and if they get nipped to death, don't add more because a bunch of rotting bodies will give you water quality problems.

All in all, though, you should consider just giving your betta free reign of the 30g with no tankmates. He'll be ECSTATIC. You could devote some time to aquascaping a gorgeous setup with live plants and spoiling him rotten!

[gspgirl]

any ideas on plants for the tank? i dont have alot of high tech lighting but i do have some and my rooms constantly flooded in natural light

[LilGreenPuffer]

Sure. Swords, java ferns, java moss, crypts, anubias, wisteria - all of those would grow in low light. plantedtank.net is great for getting started with live plants.

[gspgirl]

planet caatfish just leads me to monsterfishkeepers ???