# Questions



## Miss.PuddyCat (Jul 13, 2009)

Well I went to petsmart today to check out some fish stuff as they have a better selection.

I got a new hiding rock, shells, some stuff to start the bacteria and a thermometer.

Anyways I check to see if they had plants for Beta's like the one LFL(Terry) pointed out but they had none they said would be fine 

My dad was with me and told me I should get guppies so we looked at them to, Ill admit they were very nice and colourfull.

My questions are

Do Beta need a heater? as the girl told me they dont. But Guppies do

Also what is aquriem(Sp) salt? as alot of the info for the fish said they needed it.

Can Neon tetras go in with a Beta?

What plants other then the one Terry pointed out would be good as the girl told me just to use a bowl and a peace lily but I dont want to that as its not fair to the fish.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Betas need a heater they are native to shallow tropical pools.
Amongst other things aquarium salt can help reduce osmatic stress in sick fish, help to speed up healing of wounds and help with ich. If your water quality is good and your fish are healthy I wouldn't use it.
Neons should be ok with a beta.


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## sugarcookie (Mar 2, 2010)

Yeah, get a heater! People at PetSmart usually don't know as much as they let on. (Every time I go, the people seem to be just guessing at answers). I used aquarium salt when my fish were sick, but the box says you can use it for general use to reduce stress. I wouldn't use much. I believe it depends on the sex of the fish as to whether or not they'll get along. I could be wrong but I think female betas get along better with other species.


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## Fishyfins (Feb 28, 2009)

both guppies and bettas do need heaters, as they are both from tropical/subtropical locations. they can both live at room temperature in a centrally heated room, but a heater is a lot better for them, as it gives the tank a lot more stability in terms of temperature, and eliminates any danger of cold winters.

salt can be used in aquaria to treat against some disease and infection. however, many tropical fish (especially catfish) do not tolerate even the smallest amount of salt in the tank, and you therefore need to make sure all the fish in the tank will like the salt in there. however, most of the stuff that salt can "treat" can be much more easily and cheaply dealt with, with more conventional aquarium medicines. in all honesty, i wouldnt use salt at all. it does work, but its usefulness is limited, and there is better and cheaper out there.

as for it neons will live with bettas. no, they wont. neons can sometimes be a little nippy, and when you put them in with fish with long flowing fins (such as bettas or guppies), they can cause trouble. Bettas really need to be kept either on their own, or with a harem of females of the species. mixing any fish with bettas can be dangerous. not such a problem with guppies if you go down that route, but still be carefull with the guppies and what you mix with them.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

All you need to know about bettas CBS - Frequrently Asked Questions about Bettas


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## sugarcookie (Mar 2, 2010)

I agree with Fishy. I had a guppy with an abnormally large and colorful tail, and he had to be temporarily housed in my bf's community tank (with neons and some other species). They wouldn't stop nipping him. From the look of it, he got stressed out and contracted fin rot. If you get multiple Betas, make sure there is always a larger female to male ratio.


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## Miss.PuddyCat (Jul 13, 2009)

hawksport said:


> Betas need a heater they are native to shallow tropical pools.
> Amongst other things aquarium salt can help reduce osmatic stress in sick fish, help to speed up healing of wounds and help with ich. If your water quality is good and your fish are healthy I wouldn't use it.
> Neons should be ok with a beta.


 I'll be getting a heater then, thanks. Yeh I wasnt sure what the salt was about as it said on each tank that the fish needed it. I think I have a good quality water. Im gonna buy those PH sticks next time.



sugarcookie said:


> Yeah, get a heater! People at PetSmart usually don't know as much as they let on. (Every time I go, the people seem to be just guessing at answers). I used aquarium salt when my fish were sick, but the box says you can use it for general use to reduce stress. I wouldn't use much. I believe it depends on the sex of the fish as to whether or not they'll get along. I could be wrong but I think female betas get along better with other species.


Yeh she recommanded a heater and a much of other stuff but I wanted to ask you guys as I know you arent trying to sell me something I wouldnt need. I dont think they had female beta just the males in cups.



Fishyfins said:


> both guppies and bettas do need heaters, as they are both from tropical/subtropical locations. they can both live at room temperature in a centrally heated room, but a heater is a lot better for them, as it gives the tank a lot more stability in terms of temperature, and eliminates any danger of cold winters.
> 
> salt can be used in aquaria to treat against some disease and infection. however, many tropical fish (especially catfish) do not tolerate even the smallest amount of salt in the tank, and you therefore need to make sure all the fish in the tank will like the salt in there. however, most of the stuff that salt can "treat" can be much more easily and cheaply dealt with, with more conventional aquarium medicines. in all honesty, i wouldnt use salt at all. it does work, but its usefulness is limited, and there is better and cheaper out there.
> 
> as for it neons will live with bettas. no, they wont. neons can sometimes be a little nippy, and when you put them in with fish with long flowing fins (such as bettas or guppies), they can cause trouble. Bettas really need to be kept either on their own, or with a harem of females of the species. mixing any fish with bettas can be dangerous. not such a problem with guppies if you go down that route, but still be carefull with the guppies and what you mix with them.


 A heater will be a must as it can get chilly in my room in the winter, the tank is located opposite the windows so shouldnt have to worry about drafts.

So I'll cut the salt of the list of things to get if there are better methods avaible.

I think I will get one beta then or if not a beta guppies. How many guppies would you recommand for a 10 gallon tank?





hawksport said:


> All you need to know about bettas CBS - Frequrently Asked Questions about Bettas


Thank you for the link 



sugarcookie said:


> I agree with Fishy. I had a guppy with an abnormally large and colorful tail, and he had to be temporarily housed in my bf's community tank (with neons and some other species). They wouldn't stop nipping him. From the look of it, he got stressed out and contracted fin rot. If you get multiple Betas, make sure there is always a larger female to male ratio.


I thought beta's had to be kept seperate (correct me if I read that wrong) Can they reproduce easily as I dont want baby fishies.


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## sugarcookie (Mar 2, 2010)

Male Betas kept in the same tank will kill each other. Guppies are docile. So, if you wanted multiple Betas, you could only have one male. For guppies, you need to keep the ratio around 3(females):1(male) or else the males will get aggressive and fight each other and stress the females to death.

The rule of thumb when keeping fish is 1 inch of fish length (sorry for lack of metrics..) for every 1 gallon of water. I would suggest no more than 5 guppies, keeping it at 3 females and 2 males. Any more than that, and you might overload your filter.

It's not really possible to keep fish from mating. It's natural. However, if you keep only males, they can sometimes fight/chase each other or try to mate with one another even though they are all male. Male Betas will kill each other. In a community tank, the chances of a fish getting pregnant is pretty high, but the fry will most likely not survive long because they will get eaten, etc. Stressed females can absorb the pregnancy. I wouldn't worry about it. In order to be able to keep the babies alive, you'd need to research a thing or two about breeding and move them to a breeding tank right after they're born, etc.

Check out this site, btw. It has some cheap fish care essentials. I got a good heater (one that turns off when it reaches a set temp.) for a 10 gallon for pretty cheap. http://www.drsfostersmith.com


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## Miss.PuddyCat (Jul 13, 2009)

sugarcookie said:


> Male Betas kept in the same tank will kill each other. Guppies are docile. So, if you wanted multiple Betas, you could only have one male. For guppies, you need to keep the ratio around 3(females):1(male) or else the males will get aggressive and fight each other and stress the females to death.
> 
> The rule of thumb when keeping fish is 1 inch of fish length (sorry for lack of metrics..) for every 1 gallon of water. I would suggest no more than 5 guppies, keeping it at 3 females and 2 males. Any more than that, and you might overload your filter.
> 
> ...


This is so hard I can't decide

One Betta or Five Guppies this is hard :001_unsure:

I got a heater when I went to petsmart again yesterday for 20$ which I dont think is to bad but I'll keep that site for future purchase ideas 

Also how do I keep water marks from appearing around the edge of the tank?

Someone pick for me! Betta or Guppies


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## sugarcookie (Mar 2, 2010)

Is your tank glass or acrylic? Have you put water conditioner in the water and been letting it cycle for a few days?


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## AngusChild (Jan 13, 2010)

have a betta and a small group of platys. they get on well with bettas and look kool


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## sugarcookie (Mar 2, 2010)

Platies can be aggressive, though. Also, some platies have some fancy/pretty tails, so a Beta will chase/nip because they'll think it's another Beta.


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## Miss.PuddyCat (Jul 13, 2009)

sugarcookie said:


> Is your tank glass or acrylic? Have you put water conditioner in the water and been letting it cycle for a few days?


My tank is glass.

I put water treatment stuff in 2 weeks ago when I first set it up, then this past week put some stuff to start some bacteria growth.

The ticker in my sig is counting the days my tanks been running.










So all in all its been cycling for 2 weeks and 2 days. The next chance I will get to be able to get fish will be sometime late next week as I have to go out of town to get them as no place here sells fish.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Top up you water so the level is above the black strip and you wont see the marks on the glass. If those are real shells they will raise the ph of the water.


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