i'm pretty sure i already know the answer...

[frankenfish]

ok i'm 87.3% sure i already know what you guys will say but try to keep the yelling to a minimum i'm just trying to do whats right. lol

you all know whats in my 5 gallon. i also have a betta in a bowl elsewhere in the house. spending time on here reading about how bad bowls are i was wondering if it would be worth adding him/her/it to my 5 gallon? probably not right?

 

[Water]

Im no expert but even I know that it woundn't be the best idea,unless your betta is only to be the only fish in that five gal tank.

 

[Newman]

you can attempt to if that is what you wish. make sure that you take out the molly though before you do that. otherwise the addition would be too much bio load for the tank system.
the negative side to the addition I can see is the possibility of the betta attacking the neons.

 

[bassbonediva]

It might work with the neons, but definitely not with the molly. I have a friend who had a betta and neons together and the betta left the neons alone. It just depends on that betta's personality. I have males I wouldn't trust with ANY other fish, especially not anything smaller than they are...I have other males that do alright with other fish, smaller or bigger.

 

[lauraf]

Frankenfish, have you already taken that molly back? And does the betta seem very listless in its nowl?
I'm no betta expert by any means - but what I might try in the same situation (i.e., no molly in 5g, clearly unhappy betta), is to introduce the betta to your 5g just to get it out of the bowl, then watch carefully for aggression towards your neons and be prepared to move it out again immediately (keep the bowl with its water and setup as is). But would it be at all possible for you to get another 5g with a heater and filter temporarily?
And it is so great that you are asking these questions! We're not going to yell at you anymore. Probably.

 

[littletankbigworld]

It's just a whole lot less hassle to get another 10 gallon. Move all the community fish into the 10 gallon and move the betta into the 5 gallon.

10 Gallon Tank=$35 at Walmart plus $12 heater at Petsmart/Petco/Walmart

I think you can spare $47 plus tax.

 

[frankenfish]

thanks for the good advice guys

torrential rain and lack of car has prevented me from walking down to return the molly (LFS is almost literally in my back yard. gotta love it) but i will most likely be going tomorrow.

ya the betta looks pretty.........you know... so i'm definitely gonna try him in the tank once mr molly is gone.

and finally ITS NOT ABOUT MONEY THAT IS PREVENTING ME FROM GETTING A BIGGER TANK ITS THAT I AM NOT ALOUD TO GET A BIGGER TANK. lol. still live under my parents roof and they say no bigger.

who's yelling now? lol.

question: will the betta eat the tropical fish flakes or will i have to figure out a way to get him his floating pellets without the others getting em first?

 

[littletankbigworld]

It is better for the betta to eat floating pellets.
I ALSO LIVE UNDER MY PARENTS ROOF BUT I AM ALLOWED TO GET A BIGGER TANK BECAUSE I EXPLAINED THAT I DON'T LIKE CRAMMING MY FISH IN A SMALL SPACE BECAUSE THE WAY HUMANS TREAT ANIMALS, ESPECIALLY FISH, IS IMMORAL. I LIKE TO YELL TOO!

If you are not allowed to get a big tank, I would take back both the molly and at least the cory.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Or, even better, take ALL your fish back except the betta and keep the betta in the 5 gallon. That would be perfect.
Seriously though, just explain the situation to your parents. Give them, cold hard facts about the serious effects of ammonia poisoning and overstocking. Tell them keeping too many fish in a small tank is like cramming puppies into a crate.

 

[Newman]

the betta should take the pellets if you drop them right in front of his face while he is begging at the surface. that way no other fish steals it. if your betta does not beg then it is not comfotable yet or hungry enough in that tank

 

[Doomhed]

listen you two, dont make me turn my Python L2104 on you. ( that's a commercial fishbreeder's firehose-sized python BTW)

yeah, I would return the molly and catfish though and put the betta in the 5 gallon. Get a snail for algae control.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Lol. We're just joking around, Doomhed.

 

[frankenfish]

ok i'm definitely returning the molly but can i wait on the cory? i'm not sure the betta is even gonna work and i'v grown rather attached to this cory. last of my "original 7". lol

i read that betta's don't like currents and they can get tired swimming and die. will my filter be too strong for it? i have an aqeon quietflow 10

 

[littletankbigworld]

Why don't you take all the tetras and the molly back, and leave the cory and the betta in the tank together? The betta and cory will get along just fine. Any larger filter is fine. You just have to raise the water level as high as possible so that there isn't as much of a current.

 

[Doomhed]

i read that betta's don't like currents and they can get tired swimming and die. will my filter be too strong for it? i have an aqeon quietflow 10

mine has a whisper in-tank "Quietpower 15" on his 5 and he loves it when I put his betta bites in the current and he chases them around with fully flared fins.

as long as you aquascape a fixture somewhere in the tank he can hide from the current he will be fine.

 

[Newman]

yes bettas will not mind a current as long as there are parts of the tank with slow moving water like doom said.

 

[lauraf]

Hey Frankenfish, not all parents are going to listen - that's understood. So if you can't get a bigger tank right now, could you do what Newman, Doom and littletank suggested above? That seems like a really sensible answer. Then you have your cory, and a happier betta!

 

[frankenfish]

aight brought molly back. betta's in. i also picked up a snail (not sure of the variety) to help with the algae. bowl standing by in case betta gets aggressive or is. looking good so far. its been a couple hours.

in the bag with the snail there was part of a live plant. will it keep growing if i put it in my tank?

 

[Newman]

depends on what plant it is lol.

 

[littletankbigworld]

The snail you just added is going to create a ton of poop. It will be just like the molly. The plant can't hurt at the moment, but if you notice it starting to rot/die, take it out.