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Post by mandymarie on May 25, 2004 0:50:01 GMT -5
I am trying to decide what to do with my spare tank. Currently I have 2 small algae eaters in it becuase they did not get along with Charlie or Chester. I would like to get Female bettas but was wondering how well they get along with each other or how many you could keep together, also what other fish they get along with and if they would be ok with my algae eaters??? Any idea's??? This is Brownie and Buffy photos.yahoo.com/spike_mandy |
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Post by ACKislander on May 25, 2004 12:39:47 GMT -5
There are a few things to consider.
First, what size is your spare tank? You'll have to estimate the bio-load to figure out how much room you have to work with. Just incase anyone is not familiar with the inch/gallon method let me explain.
So as not to overstock a tank you can do a simple equation to figure out how many (or how much) fish you can keep in a given amount of water. Usually it's one adult inch of fish per gallon. So, if an adult betta is three inches long, on average, each fish will require about 3 gallons of water. Three bettas would then need 9 gallons of water. If you're adding two (2 inch) algae eaters to the mix they each will require 2 gallons of water a piece.
Then there is the Betta hierarchy to consider. When keeping females together it's best to house them in odd numbers so they can establish a pecking order. Two females together tends to promote aggression from one to the other. As with all bettas in a community tank you will need a contingency plan just incase one doesn't get along with the others. Occasionally, even female bettas can be overly aggressive and will need to be moved into a tank of her own. This also goes for their relationships with other fish. Most females do just fine with algae eaters and I suspect yours will too, but like I said, some just don't play nice with others. To promote nice behavior, you can keep your tank heavily planted and incorporate lots of hidey-holes for the more docile fish.
If you wanted you could keep two algae eaters and three females in a 13 gal or larger tank or your two algae eaters and one female in a 7 gal or larger tank. Unless your spare tank is quite large, then you could consider adding other fish as well.
Does this help a little?
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Post by mandymarie on May 25, 2004 13:02:20 GMT -5
Yes thank you very much at the moment I have a spare 10 gallon but will be getting a 20 from my boyfriends parents, so I will have to think about the combination I want. I will probably keep my 2 algae eaters get 3 females and one more of something else if I get three bettas in there do you think that they will get along with african dwarf frogs?
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Post by ACKislander on May 26, 2004 3:20:47 GMT -5
Usually ADFs are pretty compatable with Bettas. As always, it depends on the bettas. You just have to make sure your frog is getting enough to eat. They can be slow eaters and sometimes faster fish will take away it's food before it has the chance to eat. I've heard of ADFs starving to death because of this problem. I've read that some people will feed their ADF with an eye dropper to make sure it's getting enough to eat.
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