Since bettas are hardy and all I was thinking. Can I put a betta in my 29 gallon tank that is cycling? It contains 3 leopard danios, 3 zebra danios, 3 red tetras, 3 platys and 5 ghost shrimp. Would it be ok to put a betta, male/female, in this tank? Also at my local Walmart there is a female betta that appears like she has a broken back or something. She as a bend in her back near her back fin and it seems as she cant straighten it. Is she doomed to die? or is it possible if I got her she could heal? I feel really sorry for her and dont want her to sit at the store for some kid to get.
Putting a betta in a cycling tank?
- Thread starter FreshFishKeeper
- Start date
Well hold on you do need to build up the fish load and any tank is techinically cycling if it is still adding fish trying to reach it's fishload. How long have you been cycling the tank? The thing is bettas that are purchased at stores tend to be in poor condition and therefore unable to survive the cycle.
Ok, your tank is probably at its limit. Please do not add any more fish (even a betta) to the load.
Small betta tanks (1-5 gal) do not need conventional cycling because all they have to endure is their own load, and the amount of ammonia (and resulting nitrite) produced is minimal compared to 12 other fish. The logic does not apply to adding a betta to an already loaded tank because he is tough, you do not need any more bio-load than you already have.
For sure do NOT mix a male with a female betta unless you want to breed them and know how, they do NOT get along and they will try to kill each other.
A bent-spine betta is may survive, depending on the severity. Is it just a 'bump' or is she twisted. If she is twisted, the breeder should have culled her. No, bent spines are usually hereditary defects and will not get better.
Leave your fish where they are. If you want a betta, get him/her a seperate tank. Anything 2gal + would be fine. I don't like adding bettas to community tanks. They can get aggresive with age or be a target of fin-nipping because they are much slower swimmers that other fish like tetras and danios.
Small betta tanks (1-5 gal) do not need conventional cycling because all they have to endure is their own load, and the amount of ammonia (and resulting nitrite) produced is minimal compared to 12 other fish. The logic does not apply to adding a betta to an already loaded tank because he is tough, you do not need any more bio-load than you already have.
For sure do NOT mix a male with a female betta unless you want to breed them and know how, they do NOT get along and they will try to kill each other.
A bent-spine betta is may survive, depending on the severity. Is it just a 'bump' or is she twisted. If she is twisted, the breeder should have culled her. No, bent spines are usually hereditary defects and will not get better.
Leave your fish where they are. If you want a betta, get him/her a seperate tank. Anything 2gal + would be fine. I don't like adding bettas to community tanks. They can get aggresive with age or be a target of fin-nipping because they are much slower swimmers that other fish like tetras and danios.
FreshFishKeeper- If you feel that you need to rescue that little girl, go for it. But you don't need her to add to your aquarium. First of all, you need to quarentine all new fish in some bowl/jar for at least 2 weeks to make sure they are healthy. If they are still healthy, then you can add them to your tank. Secondly, you should wait to get more female bettas, at least 2-3 more. However, I don't know if its possible in your tank, as I don't know the limit for 29 gallons. As for the female's shape, she could have a hump back or a bent spine. Neither should affect her life other than a little difficulty swimming. If you want to get her, but not keep her with the rest of your fish, I recommend a 2.5 gallon minibow: best tank I ever bought for a betta 
. You can get junior heaters for them at Wal*Mart that work perfectly in that size, and they come with a hood, filter, divider (I don't usually put mine in, but I have it in now to condition a pair), hood, small platform/stand, and a light.
DizBjohn104- please don't give out bad advice. Everyone knows that they are in charge of your tank, but the reason they come here is feed back, not to hear that they can put anything together in one tank. Goldfish should NOT be kept with any tropical fish, there is no way around that fact. Cold water fish go in cold water, and tropcal fish go in warm water they do not mix plain and simple.
Alexa
. You can get junior heaters for them at Wal*Mart that work perfectly in that size, and they come with a hood, filter, divider (I don't usually put mine in, but I have it in now to condition a pair), hood, small platform/stand, and a light. DizBjohn104- please don't give out bad advice. Everyone knows that they are in charge of your tank, but the reason they come here is feed back, not to hear that they can put anything together in one tank. Goldfish should NOT be kept with any tropical fish, there is no way around that fact. Cold water fish go in cold water, and tropcal fish go in warm water they do not mix plain and simple.
Alexa
