# Betta Newbie Owner, questions?



## fletchmumma (Jul 5, 2018)

Hi, 

Ive bought 3 bettas today. 1 male and 2 females. 

The male is in a FishPod 120 with 4 neon tetras, and 2 corydoras.

The females have gone in a Tetra 30l tank with 2 corydoras.

Both tanks have a sand substrate. 

Are these tanks big enough for the bettas? Im a fairly experienced fish keeper (also have a Juwel Rio 180 with a collection of tetras, guppies, corydoras, 1 pleco and white cloud minnows) but never kept bettas before.

Has any of the lovely friendly people on here, have some advice in regards to keeping these gorgeous fish? i.e best temp to keep them at with the other fish, best foods, how often i need to do water changes? 
Also are floating plants a good idea?

Thanks in advance


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

I don't have bettas myself, but from reading and chatting to others who do, I'd say you could have some potential issues with your current setup.

1) Neons may fin nip the male betta, and/or the betta may be aggressive toward them. (They may get on fine, but it's taking a chance.)
2) While females can be kept together, they should be kept in larger numbers and in a big enough tank to minimise squabbling.

The good news is, both these issues could be solved fairly easily by swapping the tanks over! I'd move the females into the 120L with the tetras (maybe move all the corys to the 120L too, as they do better in groups of 4+) and give the male the 30L to himself. Add another 3-6 female bettas to the large tank AT THE SAME TIME, so that they're all introduced to it together.

Add plenty of plants to the 120L too, to give the female bettas a chance to get away from each other.

I'd also consider upping the number of neons, as they should be kept in shoals of 6+.

As I said above, none of this is from personal experience, just from what I've read/heard, but others on here have kept bettas and should be able to advise further (or correct me if I've got anything wrong!)


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Tagging @magpie and @ellenlouisepascoe as I know they have/had bettas


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## ellenlouisepascoe (Jul 12, 2013)

Fabulous advise Naomi  I'd keep the tetras with the females however girls can be just as nasty so i wouldn't be surprised if the tetras mysteriously dissappear.


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## fletchmumma (Jul 5, 2018)

Thanks everyone for their replies!

The females in the 30L seem to be doing ok, but think they are struggling with the flow. The male is my daughters fish and she wanted it in the bigger tank. 

I do have a old Biorb Classic 60l which i THINK still works!! I was thinking of moving the females and the 2 cory's into the Biorb if its still water tight. Reasons for this is that the biorb has a more gentler flow and its bigger. 
But last time i had the biorb i had problems with getting good filtration. Any good ideas?

Im hoping to swap my Juwel Primo 110 with someone near Christmas with his Juwel 70 so the Biorb would be only for a few months. 

So just wondering should i leave them in the 30l or put them in the Biorb Classic 60 till i get new tank?


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

While the females may seem OK atm, once they're established and settled in the tank you can expect them to start fighting. They really need to be in groups of 5+ to spread the aggression out between them, and they need a suitably-sized tank for this, with lots of hiding places.

Biorbs aren't great tbh due to the lack of surface area, which I imagine bettas would struggle with. What's in the Juwel 110 atm, or is it empty? Could the female bettas go in there, along with some more to join the 'sorority'?

Failing that, could you not explain to your daughter that the male really will be happiest on his own or with just a few corys for company?


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## fletchmumma (Jul 5, 2018)

NaomiM said:


> While the females may seem OK atm, once they're established and settled in the tank you can expect them to start fighting. They really need to be in groups of 5+ to spread the aggression out between them, and they need a suitably-sized tank for this, with lots of hiding places.
> 
> Biorbs aren't great tbh due to the lack of surface area, which I imagine bettas would struggle with. What's in the Juwel 110 atm, or is it empty? Could the female bettas go in there, along with some more to join the 'sorority'?
> 
> Failing that, could you not explain to your daughter that the male really will be happiest on his own or with just a few corys for company?


The !!0 is broken and needs resealed. The only reason i put them in 30 is that the male betta is in the other tank, and its just a temporay home till i find a bigger one. 
I didnt know that the females needs to be in groups of 5+


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## Wild With Roxi (Jul 25, 2018)

I'd follow the excellent advice from @NaomiM immediately, or you risk losing a lot of your fish. 
Bettas are usually solitary fish, it's the No.1 thing most people should know when getting into keeping them.
They are not like other species that thrive in shoals, such as your Tetras and Corys and need to be kept in their own spacious, heated and filtered tanks at least 5 gallons or 18 liters per fish. Females may be housed together on occasion, but make sure the tank is really large and you have at least 5, and the tank must have a lot of plants to give them cover. I'd put the tetras and corys with the females, get at least 3 more females, swap tanks, get loads of plants for the females and you should be good to go. good luck!


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## fletchmumma (Jul 5, 2018)

Thanks everyone for their kind replies. I do have a Juwel Rio 180 with quite a few guppies, tetras, cloud minnows and 1 pleco, would you advise moving the females into th 180 till i can get a bigger tank for the office? 
I suffer from SADS so i like having something calming in the office when i stuidy. Im hoping to get a Juwel Primo 70 near Christmas so i could do a betta only tank, with lots of plants and hides?

Do u thin the 180 would be better for the bettas till the Primo 70 arrives? I would get more female bettas tday, so reduces bulllying


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

Female bettas can work in community tanks I believe, but keep a close eye as it's possible they might harass the smaller fish. Be sure to add the new bettas at the same time as your current two, and add loads of plants if you don't have them already (real or silk, not plastic as these can damage their delicate fins). And check stocking levels before you move them - aqadvisor.com is a good site if you're not sure whether you're overstocked or not.

Also keep a close eye on the male in with the tetras, and be prepared to move him if necessary.


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## fletchmumma (Jul 5, 2018)

NaomiM said:


> Female bettas can work in community tanks I believe, but keep a close eye as it's possible they might harass the smaller fish. Be sure to add the new bettas at the same time as your current two, and add loads of plants if you don't have them already (real or silk, not plastic as these can damage their delicate fins). And check stocking levels before you move them - aqadvisor.com is a good site if you're not sure whether you're overstocked or not.
> 
> Also keep a close eye on the male in with the tetras, and be prepared to move him if necessary.


I luckily managed to get hold of a 60 litre thats hopefillly arriving within 2 days, im not overly keen on putting them in the 180 till i can contain the algae outbreak.

Im keeping the 120 for the male betta.

Im in the process of getting silk plants (not keen on getting real ones as i got a bad pest snail outbreak with them)


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## NaomiM (Sep 22, 2012)

I believe 60L is still considered too small for a betta sorority. On the other hand, your 120L is massively understocked with just the male betta and a handful of tetras and corys. I don't understand why you can't swap them over? If your daughter really wants to keep the male betta where it is, could you put the new 60L tank where the 120 is currently, and transfer all the fish over? Or put the male betta on his own in the 30L, then maybe your daughter could have him in her bedroom?


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