Fish Lovers 2.0

[Dakotak]

okay, and i got the 3 new bettas!

Yay!!
You said you have a sail fin pleco right? For most plecos the ideal range is 72 to 86°F (23-30°C).
I agree with Dia, just a slow/drip acclimation will be ok.
Personally, I would cycle it then keep the tank temp at the same temp as the tank he is in now, add him after cycling, add the heater and slowly turn the temp up with the heater.

[Firefly_Dreamer]

okay, and about the betas, one has this beautiful design on, and all the fish (including old tank-mates, turned on her, and are chasing her around. what do i do?

[Cardinal]

okay, and about the betas, one has this beautiful design on, and all the fish (including old tank-mates, turned on her, and are chasing her around. what do i do?

I tried warning you. You need HEAVY planting and LOADS of hides in order for a sorority to work and even then its iffy. Cup them all. Rearrange the tank and add plenty of plants and hidely holes. Add them all back in at once and expect some picking at one another.

[Bettahorse]

@toboe: Beautiful guy! *is envious* what type is he? I haven't been stalking the thread much in the past days so I honestly don't know :]

He's a halfmoon.

[Firefly_Dreamer]

okay, and about the betas, one has this beautiful design on, and all the fish (including old tank-mates, turned on her, and are chasing her around. what do i do?

I tried warning you. You need HEAVY planting and LOADS of hides in order for a sorority to work and even then its iffy. Cup them all. Rearrange the tank and add plenty of plants and hidely holes. Add them all back in at once and expect some picking at one another.

But i did do that... i have about 15 plants, a mixture of live and fake, and it is a hexagon tank. I switched everything around too!

My other fish isn't killing the other one, just chasing her. And i will be moving them to my new tropical tank, because my dad thinks the tank is too small. i just have to wait for the water to cycle. I'm actually growing these live plants instead of buying them, because when i do buy, my tank gets overwhelmed with snails.

Also, it it a threat if they puff out their gills at each other?

EDIT: Nevermind, they calmed down a lot...

[Dakotak]

I'm actually growing these live plants instead of buying them, because when i do buy, my tank gets overwhelmed with snails.

Tip for killing snails and sterilizing any plants you buy.
Make a mixture of 19 parts water to 1 part bleach. For hard stem plants soak them in it for 2-3 minutes, for soft stem plants(like moss) I only do it for 1 minute. Then soak in a good water conditioner. Prime is excellent for detoxifying the bleach.

[Dappled Sapphire]

okay, and about the betas, one has this beautiful design on, and all the fish (including old tank-mates, turned on her, and are chasing her around. what do i do?

I tried warning you. You need HEAVY planting and LOADS of hides in order for a sorority to work and even then its iffy. Cup them all. Rearrange the tank and add plenty of plants and hidely holes. Add them all back in at once and expect some picking at one another.

But i did do that... i have about 15 plants, a mixture of live and fake, and it is a hexagon tank. I switched everything around too!

My other fish isn't killing the other one, just chasing her. And i will be moving them to my new tropical tank, because my dad thinks the tank is too small. i just have to wait for the water to cycle. I'm actually growing these live plants instead of buying them, because when i do buy, my tank gets overwhelmed with snails.

Also, it it a threat if they puff out their gills at each other?

EDIT: Nevermind, they calmed down a lot...

Aslong as they arent actually fighting each other I wouldn't stress too much a bit of fin nipping and chasing is common with female betas trying to sort out who's boss, but if it continues for a few days and the fish are stressed you may have to either remove the more dominant one or the one that's being picked on

[sarcasteil]

Would you rate plecos as "beginner" fish? I might get my sister one if she gets into fish, that would also mean getting a beginner fish, considering I would be taking care of my gold/fish, and she taking care of her own.

[Firefly_Dreamer]

Would you rate plecos as "beginner" fish? I might get my sister one if she gets into fish, that would also mean getting a beginner fish, considering I would be taking care of my gold/fish, and she taking care of her own.

It all depends. First you either need algae in your tank or algae pellets to sustain them. I would be torn telling you what to do, though. I think they would make nice starter fish, but you'd need to go to all the extra trouble of feeding them specific algae based food. but they do show wonderful personalities once they get to know you and get used to the tank. On the other hand, they are quite skittish, especially that first week. They do get boring after some time, and will try to hide, but it is fun to find them, especially if you have brown gravel. Also, they can change color, depending on where they are. (i have noticed with mine) Sometimes they will have lighter blotches and sometimes he will be close to the color black.

I guess i would say that if she's willing to do the extra, and doesn't really want more colorful fish, go for it. If she does, however, want more colorful fish, i'd say start woth platys, mollies, guppies, or tetras.

Aslong as they arent actually fighting each other I wouldn't stress too much a bit of fin nipping and chasing is common with female betas trying to sort out who's boss, but if it continues for a few days and the fish are stressed you may have to either remove the more dominant one or the one that's being picked on

Yeah, i woke up, and one was dead. her fins weren't torn or anything, so i think she might have died of stress. I have no idea what type of beta she was, but she was beautiful. The shop said she was ordinary, but she wasn't, because her tail had a fancy guppy design on, and her fins were a lighter blue on the outside. The fish have been good now. It scared me at first because all three of them ganged up on my original fish. What type of beta was she, just wondering?

I'm actually growing these live plants instead of buying them, because when i do buy, my tank gets overwhelmed with snails.

Tip for killing snails and sterilizing any plants you buy.
Make a mixture of 19 parts water to 1 part bleach. For hard stem plants soak them in it for 2-3 minutes, for soft stem plants(like moss) I only do it for 1 minute. Then soak in a good water conditioner. Prime is excellent for detoxifying the bleach.

I'm also actually almost out of money (discluding the stuff i have set aside for a new heater), as well, and bulbs are cheaper than the actual plants. i had about 9 bulbs, 2 lilies and 7 Aponogeton bulbs, all sank already, but one of the lilies and one of the other. the lily's already starting to stick out some roots. i've used this way before, its just last time i did all the bulbs were defected. and if i put the plants in the solution, when i plant them, wont it throw the fishtank water off?

[flyteck]

I was wondering: is there anything you can put in a tank with a beta fish? I have my beta in a large bowl, simply because I'm not allowed anything larger (the bowl is 1.5 gallons). Do betas do well with any types of fish, or other aquatics? Or are they best and happiest alone?

Thanks for the info c;