I have a 5 gallon tank. The lady at the pet store sold me 1 male beta, 2 zebras, 1 molly, and 1 alge sucker. She said they would be fine, but already (within 1 week) the molly died. Should I get another one, or am I over my limit?
2006-10-01 10:11:38 · 7 answers · asked by AndyMan 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
Well, the pet store lady is a moron. You're molly probably died because its a fish that prefers half salt water....they are able to survive in completely freshwater tanks but i think the stress of a new tank and the lack of salt unfortunately killed him. Maybe you should get a different fish, perhaps a rosie barb, they are very hearty and dont die easily....but be careful with the beat, he's slow! lol
Your tank should only have 5 or 6 fish under and inch long, you could however get 5-10 smaller fish like neon tetra's or cardinals...but they are very skiddish, so maybe wait until your tank is a little older!
2006-10-01 16:46:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Male bettas usually don't do well with any other fish. You can sometimes put them in with fish that don't have any fancy fins. I worked in a pet department and had bettas for years and never mixed the males at all. A rule of thumb is this 1 inch per gallon of water, so in a 5 gallon tank you shouldn't have over 5 inches of fish, things seem to go better. I personally found that the smaller the fish the more you can have in a tank. I have guppies and they do fine. Some of them are over a year old now. Good luck!
2006-10-01 10:37:46 · answer #2 · answered by Brenda B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as long as you don't get another beta, the betta can stay in your tank. You havent exceeded the limit on the tank. When you have a new tank expect die off, it happens. to prevent it, when you bring your new fish home, float the bag at the top of the water for 15 minutes so they get use to the new water temp. There is a kind of medicine(I forgot its name, sorry) that you can add to the water to condition it so that the fish can adjust too.If you can try to buy Hi-promin or tetramin food(I always had the best luck with it^_^) make sure you have the tank properly filtered and get a water testing kit to test the water every week. Read a few books on tropical fish(there may even be places online you can learn more about them)
2006-10-01 10:28:51 · answer #3 · answered by ralahinn1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I wouldn't replace it now. maybe later.
Any idea what the algae sucker fish is?
If it's a common pleco you'll be in trouble as they can get over a foot long.
Have you read up on what happens the first month in a new tank and how to keep the water from killing them?
http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQualityCycling.html
what kinda of filter did you get?
and did you get a water conditioner?
Bettas have fairly sensitive fins, so it might be better to move him to a bowl until the tank is cycled. That would also be good because it will reduce the fish load on the tank. Here's a good article on keeping bettas.
http://thegab.org/Articles/BettaBasics.html
2006-10-01 10:36:15 · answer #4 · answered by Betty H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a not so fast and hard rule of thumb that says "1" of fish per gallon of water", but in all truth - it's BS.
The Algae Sucker - is it a common pleco? They can get over 18" so a 5g tank is not the best for that kind of sucker.
2006-10-01 12:27:35 · answer #5 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the rule of thumb for this is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water.. so, with a 5 gallon tank you get five inches of fish..
you are close to your limit of fish..
2006-10-01 10:20:57 · answer #6 · answered by lugar t axhandle 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The male betta should have his own little bowl, since those fish are very solitary and like to be alone. I'm pretty sure the others are fine.
2006-10-01 10:19:41 · answer #7 · answered by Snow White Queen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋