Beta fish added to my tank.?

Question

We just started a new tank last Sunday and have a Gorami (sp?) and two other little tiny fish along with a sucker fish. A friend of mine came over with a Christmas present for my daughter... a beta fish and added to the tank. She said she inquired at the pet shop as to whether the fish would get along with my other fish and they said fine. She said as long as there were no other beta fish in the tank it would be fine. So far I think they are doing okay, has anyone had any problems with them?

Also, when do I change the water? We have a well and the ph levels etc are fantastic so I am told by the pet store. We have a biofilter motor... I understand there is good bacteria on the filter thingy that spins around, but do you clean that ? I guess I am just clueless here.

Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

yeah i've seen problems with them. the gourami was the agressor and began chasing and nipping at the betta. gouramis are one of the very many types of fish that MAY get along with a male betta. it depends on the individual fish. they'll probably be just fine but there's a chance one might be too agressive or they'll just hate each other. partly because they are very closely related species. hopefully yours will do fine since you haven't seen any problems yet. just don't overcrowd the tank as you aquire fish. stress conditions can cause agression.

even if you have good water conditions, around 25% water changes once a week (-ish) is a good idea to remove waste products (which can throw your water conditions off). i do approx 25-33% every week or every other week. gravel vacs are good for removing solid waste from the tank floor.

biofilters are typically a very open spongy material for the good bacteria to grow on. just as you never want to change water conditions (temp, salt, pH, etc) too rapidly, you never want to clean out all the good bacteria - they're helping keep your conditions stable. it you feel the need to clean it (i do on rare occasion if my tank is having a significant algae flourish), just rinse it briefly and gently. there are biological filtration boosters (like Stress Zyme) if you think you've removed too much of the biofilter bacteria for them to recover quickly. i never add nearly as much as the bottle says though, because they grow fast and will cloud the tank.

Answer 2

The beta will be just fine. The size of your tank really matters a lot and that you dont ever add suddenly a fish with flowing fins similiar to a betas. However it is untrue that you can not have more than one beta in a tank. I actually had 3 in one 55 gallon. This took lots of patience and time. The initial beta goes in by himself for at least a month then a second one is added in a beta viewer after about 2 months you will notice that they will stop flaring at one another. Then test the waters and see if they can be together. Watch closely the first couple hours and then wait some time before introducing anymore.

As far as the bacteria do not clean that unless there is a very good reason. That is what is keeping your water from becoming toxic to the fish with their waste. If it becomes imperative to wash it usually there is more than one source like two wheels so only clean one at a time. There will be some of the bacteria in your gravel if you must wash both but it could stress your fish.

Answer 3

The beta should be okay without another beta. Just keep monitoring the fishes behaviors as to if there are any picking on eachother. As far as cleaning goes, I would recommend only doing so when extrememly necessary. Keep changing the carbon filters, and when the algea gets coated on the glass, you can clean that with either brand new, never used plastic scrubbies or special algea scrapers they sell at the pet store. If you do want to change the water, I would reccommend the possiblity of keeping an extra 5 or 10 gallon bucket separate and aerating it with an air rock and conditioning the water for about a week before water change. They sell conditioners at the pet store. Don't change 100 percent of the water at once. maybe only a 75 to 80 percent water change. This should help with the PH balance of the water and keep the fish from going into shock. Also, for my tank, I like to keep a gallon of spring water at room temp to fill as the water in the tank evaporates.

Answer 4

In general it's not a good idea to have a betta in a community tank. This isn't because they are aggressive. They are not particular aggressive to anything other than bettas. It is more because of their long fins. This tends to attract other fish which will nip at their fins, eventually causing damage that can lead to illness.

Having said all that, you need to not put any more fish in your tank until it completes the cycling process, which typically takes 4-6 weeks.

You do not clean your biofilter, other than occassionally rinsing it in tank water to clean off the 'gunk' on it. Do not wash it, as this contains most of the good bacteria your tank needs.

I recommend that you do a 10% water change weekly.

Stop by FishGeeks and read up on the cycling process and what the next steps are for your tank.

Answer 5

Yeah, the betta should be fine in that tank! Keep an eye on him with the gouramis, as bettas and gouramis are in the same family, but it should be fine.

You should do weekly water changes. Do you have a vacuum tube? If not, get one, and you can syphon out 30% of the water (and vacuum the gravel). Be sure to use a FISH-SAFE bucket, that has never had chemicals or cleaning products in it.

You should never replace your filter cartridge or bio-wheel unless they're falling apart. If they look gunky, swish them around in some old tank water to get the gunk off. You're right; on the bio-wheel and on the filter cartrige reside the bacteria which convert the toxic ammonia into less toxic nitrates.

Answer 6

Be sure to keep asking the pet store these questions.
An aquarium can be a joy, or a nightmare. I have had both.
I find that changing 1/2 of the water each week, use bottle water, really keeps everything clean. Be sure to turn OFF the filter when you change the water. Once a month, take the filter apart and using bottle water, rinse out everything to get the algae off. It will eventually clog up the filter. Gourami fish are really cute. I like the way they use their feelers to reach out and touch your hand when you are cleaning the tank.

Answer 7

The gourami will grow up and munch your Betta. They are nippy and your betta cant swim fast enough to avoid them. You will have to remove the betta eventually.

You should do weekly/fortnightly maintenance on your tank by changing 50% of the water and by rinsing out the filter media in the dirty water. Never try to clean the filter in clean water as you will kill the good bacteria needed to properly filter the tank.

Dont listen to your pet shop. They dont know everything and they are profit driven. Join a siten like UK Betta Forum for help and advice on your fish and fishkeeping.

Answer 8

Usually there should be no problems between the betta and gorami, but sometimes betta can kill off the other fish in the tank (hence the nickname, Chinese Fighting fish) Keep an eye on them for the first week, and if the betta shows signs of aggression, you'll have to put him in another tank by himself. This is for his own safety as well as the safety of the other fish. Most of the time bettas do much better by themselves anyway.

Replace the spongy thing in the filter to clean it. You can buy more spongy things at your local petstore.

Answer 9

i kept a betta fish in a goldfish community tank and never had any problems. I wouldn't worry about it if i were you. I think he actually liked it in there better than in his little aquarium with no others. : )


Oh yeah and to do water changes i suggest you but the syphoning thing that hooks up to the faucet. It works GREAT! never haul buckets again.

you can get one at walmert for like 30 dollars.

Answer 10

it sounds like a very nice set up....is your tank bigger than 20 gallons? if so, you should be fine. My sister has a betta in her new tank and it is doing well. Sometimes it hides and sometimes it comes out and flares at the mirror they have on the sides. I've had aquariums before and I think you can change 25% of the water every few weeks. That should be adequate. Good luck!