New beta tank????

[usacutie81]

Alrighty. I finally got Simon's new tank up and running. Yay! It's a 10 gal. tank, we're planning to put him in there with some cardinal tetras eventually. I added his new gravel and filter (Millennium 1000). I pulled all 9 gallons of water from his old tank and tossed in a handful of the old gravel as well. I put in an old plant and one of the big giant cave rocks and a couple items of decor, all to help with the bacteria load. So my question is, can I add Simon now, should I wait till morning, or do I need to actually run the tank for a few weeks?

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

running the tank for a few weeks will have absolutely no effect on anything except all your bacteria will die and be useless when you ad your betta. you should add him in as soon as possible since you put (somewhat) established media in there. also, you will still need to monitor your parameters.

 

[MissFishy]

Yes, add him right away before your bacteria dies. Make sure to keep an eye on his water though. He'll look really nice with the cardinals though, good idea!

 

[usacutie81]

yay!!! I had a good idea!!! I'm so proud of me!

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Alrighty, I moved him to his new home. He seems happy, though kinda lonely. As soon as I get the nitrate spike I'm going out and getting the cardinal tetras to keep him company. (Plus that's just a waste of all that space to have a 10 gal. for teeny little Simon all by himself.) How many can I put in there? I don't want to overload the tank, but they DO like to school... and their colors DO look better when they are in bigger groups...? Also, do I need anything else in the tank? A bottom feeder or anything? I'd rather not if I don't absolutely need one (takes up valuable cardinal space) but I'm not sure, I've never had a tank this small.

 

[Lotus]

Just remember to keep a close eye on the water parameters (ammonia and nitrites especially). Wait a while until the tank is really stable before you get the cardinals, as they won't tolerate ammonia or nitrites at all.

 

[usacutie81]

right. K. np. I'm so excited! I can't wait till I get my next tank!

 

[Katie217]

well id suggest maybe 2 cory cats...it depends on how messy of an eater simon is, my bettas are soo messy

 

[Fishckabibble]

i would only add 3 fish at a time, that way you dont overload the tank , too many fish at once will cause another cycle because you wont have enough bacteria to handle the new waste load, so i would have a school of 6 but only add 3 at a time, say 1-2 weeks apart.

 

[usacutie81]

What does it mean if your fish is a messy eater?

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

means they are the ones that take 3 blood worms at a time run to the bottom and drop all but one, and then come to the top for more. thats what mine did. thats why i fed mine with tweezers. i could just pick up the ones he dropped and givethem to him. also some fish (not bettas generally) eat half of their food and leave the rest. also, i think you could do about 6 cardinals and 3 pygmy cories or maybe an oto instead with the betta. but you'd have to watch your nitrates.