Compatible fish for a betta 2

[durbkat]

Can neon tetras and dalmation mollies go with a betta? And could someone tell me how to keep dalmation mollies in a tank because mine always die after about a month.

[Minaku]

I say NAY to neons. They bite. I also say no to mollies, because they are brackish water fish.

[durbkat]

I was just wondering because I saw a picture where a person had a 10g tank with a betta and 2 dalmation mollies and 3 neon tetras. And the betta looked fine. So if I decide to just have dalmation mollies in my 10g how can I keep them alive without them dieing within a month? And what is a "brackish" fish?

[Minaku]

A brackish water fish is a fish that lives between a freshwater body, like a lake or a river, and the sea. Usually that's in a delta, a swamp, or marshlands. The salt content is higher than freshwater but not as high as saltwater. Some of these fish are pretty amazing - they can regulate the salt content in their body, like some types of sharks do, and survive in both fresh and saltwater conditions.

Anyway, a betta is a freshwater fish, and although it can survive in brackish conditions it's not optimal. It's better to keep freshwater fresh and brackish water salty. These fish include mollies, platies, basically the common livebearers you can find in fish stores (guppies, swordtails, etc.), glassfish, killies, and many, many others.

The thing about mollies is that I think they should be in more than a 10 gallon tank. You have to make sure the salt level is high enough for them to live well and comfortably. And that's all I know about mollies - someone who's had them or cared for them is much better equipped to answer any other questions you have on them. The only reason why I know a bit about brackish water fish is because I want a 20G platy tank.

[durbkat]

Well I suppose the only way to get salt in the tank is to put aquarium salt right?

[supersixone]

durbkat said:

Well I suppose the only way to get salt in the tank is to put aquarium salt right?

no, aquarium salt (pure NaCl) does not make brackish water. to make brackish water you need marine salt, something like Instant Ocean

[akestler]

Minaku is correct in saying that mollies do best in brackish water, but most of them that you get in pet stores are not wild caught, they're bred and kept in freshwater and are adapted to freshwater, so I don't think that your difficulty in keeping them is due to the fact that you are keeping them in freshwater rather than brackish. It's more likely a water quality problem or possibly too small of a tank.

[durbkat]

Ok thanks but the water quality was good and they were in a 10g so is a 10g to small?

[akestler]

It depends on how many you were putting in there. I wouldn't put more than 3 dalmation mollies in a 10 gallon because they get relatively large (at least the ones I've seen do), and larger fish=more waste=more ammonia. Of course, it's also quite possible that they were not in the best condition when you bought them, depending on where you bought them, and the stress of the move into a new home finished them off. I obviously don't know if that was the case with yours, just trying to throw all of the possibilities out there.

[durbkat]

Thanks and just to let you know I only had one in their with black tetras an a chinese algae eater. And I got them from a place called superpetz. I never buy from them anymore because every fish I got from the died within a month. But one reason I bought from their is because thay have a wide varity of fish.

[bcroft]

Whatever you do DO NOT get a swordtale, male I think. The one with the actual sword lol. I put him in the tank and he immediately started to chase the betta. I then went to class and when I came home, well I guess the betta got pretty mad and bit his sword off . If you have a decent sized tank try a shark, they are too fast for the betta to even look at.