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Bad bettas get no cleanup crew

1K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Ryan Mosby 
#1 ·
Except for a horned nerite snail, anyway. No shrimp for you!

In two different scenarios I've had a betta in a 5 gallon with some dwarf shrimp (snowballs usually, they tend to be harder to see). The shrimp always end up hiding most the time, and the betta constantly hunts them. After a few shrimp murders, the shrimp refugees get moved to their own tank.

Now I have to struggle to keep the algae away (been through the checklist of photoperiod, window position, leftover fish food, phosphates and silicates--still trying to figure it out). You brought this on yourself, betta!
 
#4 ·
I found my betta got along with RCS and amanos, black emeralds he went after with a passion. Now he has about 3 or 4 amanos in his tank. They have been in there since the beginning so he doesnt seem to mind.

Its a 10g pretty well planted and there is a castle that they can get in but he is getting to fat to fit in anymore. Basically they have places to hide. They come out more at night.

Also be careful the amanos can hide in plants where you cant see them when taking out of the tank. I redid my 10g a while back, put the plants in a tupaware container and thought they were all bare of animals. Very little water in it. When I went to replant sure enough 2 medium size amanos were in there hanging out.
 
#5 ·
The tank was bare earlier and there were definitely no amano shrimp in there. I always tried to include hiding spaces for my shrimp, including small ones for the dwarf shrimp, but the betta always managed to fit into even the smallest of spaces. He is pretty persistant. Any hiding spot I ever made for the shrimp has been his hidey hole instead.
 
#7 ·
Nothing wrong with snails. I have 3 with my betta and have been doing quite well in there. Amanos can also climb pretty well (frankly its creepy looking). If you have a hole in your lid big enough for them to fit through they could have gone out that way.
 
#9 ·
Live plants will consume water nutrients, keeping your bacteria load down. I chose anacharis in my tank because it grows quickly, provides a lot of O2, and is a great place for Dave (betta) to investigate. Any plant should work though.
I also have a bio-wheel filter and that is supposed to maintain the good bacteria load. And my thinking is that if there is enough good bacteria, there won't be as much bad. Only time will tell on that theory. Penguin® Power Filters | Marineland®
I am debating on getting some shrimp, but don't know if I should risk it with all the mixed reviews.
 
#10 ·
@mrjbacon I think that would just stress the betta out. I have another betta next to a shrimp tank and she spent most her time trying to chase them, even though the tanks were 4" apart. I ended up having to put a non-see-through divider.
@Betta Kelly All my tanks are planted tanks, with some driftwood. But the betta is always on the prowl for food or anything that moves.
@minorhero I have nothing against my nerite, but I can only have one in the 5 gallon and snails can't always get everywhere (though the little daredevils sure do try. A few times I've had to remove my snail from the little ring divider I have sometimes on the surface. The ring of death--he'd get on and just keep going round and round and round...). I like how efficient shrimp can be for getting into every little nook and cranny.

So, I decided to try some shrimp with the betta again, but what I did was first convert his 5 gallon into a southeast Asia pool biotope, with spiderwood-like driftwood and leaf litter. I'm aiming for the blackwater effect as well. Then the shrimp I use will either be chocolate shrimp or wild type (I'm leaning toward wild) for the camouflage, with lots of hiding spots (though this can still be difficult with a curious dbetta. Every betta I've had has tried to squeeze into small places and checks every nook and cranny. Despite having just fed my betta, he is currently on the prowl.

A note on the biotope: Everything in the tank (plants, driftwood, leaf litter) came from or are native to southeast Asia, but I know this setup isn't a true biotope, what with my betta splendens and dwarf shrimp--but I don't mind. It's a fun deviation from my usual random-plants/driftwood tanks, and I've always wanted to try a blackwater biotope. With his brown and orange (he's a chocolate betta), he looks pretty natural in it. The last one had a lot of open space so I think he's enjoying getting to explore more.
 
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