# HELP! Betta compatibility issue???



## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Okay, so I am trying to move fish around between my tanks and condense down all my current fish in the 15g & 29g to the 29g... so to figure things out I went on aqadvisor to check out stocking issues and stuff. 

Why does aqadvisor say that bettas (male) arent recommended to be housed with albino or bronze cories, as well as pond & ramshorn snails??? Yet mystery snails and MTS are fine, as are julii cory and emerald green cories??? Totally confused, & looking for clarity! 

(Re-homing the gourami, loaches, and the albino cories. Putting everything else together in the 29g and giving the 15g to 3-4 dwarf puffers.)


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

I don't know the answer to your question on the reason as to why the aquadvisor is being weird, but I do think that any type of cory as long as it wasn't too flashy would be fine depending on how aggressive your betta is. I think have had no issues with pond snails in betta tanks as I have raised them with bettas. So don't worry about that. I think that any type of snail or invert would b safe from the betta. I do believe that a lot of things shouldn't go with bettas, as they can get attacked and can nip the bettas fins, some of those fish are often flashy fish with bright colors or they swim very fast and bother the slower moving betta.

Now for the puffers. If you are to put any in a 15 gallon I would only put 3 in and make it very planted with lots of hiding places and places that can be mentally stimulating. If you are to get three, get one male and two females, because for they like to collect harems and that is the rule of thumb per males. Remember 5 gallons per puffer, they are very messy eaters but lovely creatures <3. You fall in love with them so quickly its like you've had them forever. ^^ I can't wait to see pics of them.


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Andarial said:


> I don't know the answer to your question on the reason as to why the aquadvisor is being weird, but I do think that any type of cory as long as it wasn't too flashy would be fine depending on how aggressive your betta is. I think have had no issues with pond snails in betta tanks as I have raised them with bettas. So don't worry about that. I think that any type of snail or invert would b safe from the betta. I do believe that a lot of things shouldn't go with bettas, as they can get attacked and can nip the bettas fins, some of those fish are often flashy fish with bright colors or they swim very fast and bother the slower moving betta.
> 
> Now for the puffers. If you are to put any in a 15 gallon I would only put 3 in and make it very planted with lots of hiding places and places that can be mentally stimulating. If you are to get three, get one male and two females, because for they like to collect harems and that is the rule of thumb per males. Remember 5 gallons per puffer, they are very messy eaters but lovely creatures <3. You fall in love with them so quickly its like you've had them forever. ^^ I can't wait to see pics of them.


Thanks for the input. I have had my betta housed with mystery snails without issues. I have had 3 pond snails in the current 15g, but they all disappear, I think that is the loaches fault though! LOL My betta, Lassie, he is pretty docile. He is use to being housed with other slow moving fish and I dont foresee any issues, it just didnt make sense to me what they were saying. Either way, my bff is taking my albinos to add to her group of albinos (oddly we both have 3 females to 1 male on them! We have both had eggs laid, but let nature take its course, and sure enough the cories ate their own eggs, lol.) The 10 kuhli loaches, my bff will take 2-3 of my 10 to add to her group of 5, and the rest will go with my gourami, and my julii cory to my LFS. I hate to see the julii go, but my bff doesnt have the tank room, and I know the LFS will take her, I cant keep her because I am getting rid of the albino cories, and the emeralds arent exactly cories, and she would feel like the only cory in the tank. So, the LFS carries julii cory often enough, she will be okay. 

On the dwarf puffers... there are about 3 different rules on how many to house together... 
1- 5 gallons per DP
2- 5 gallons for the first DP, and 3 gallons for each DP thereafter 
3- 2.5 gallons per puffer

I guess its to each his/her own. I will go up to 4 only if the price is closer to $4 verses $7 per DP (I dont remember how much my LFS has them for, but I know its between $4-7, LOL). Yeah, the tank they are going in his nicely planted, so much so, that the current rasbora and betta in the tank are often unviewable because they play in the plants. Plus there is a small piece of grape driftwood and two cave-like structures (one a ceramic rock cave, the other a ceramic bridge... I say ceramic, but that is the wrong word... what ever they make aquarium approved tank decor from is what I am meaning, LOL). I will probably add some taller plants and decor to break up the eyeline better in the 2nd half of the tank. 

I have already confirmed with the LFS that their DPs are happily eating frozen and freeze-dried foods. Mine will be on frozen and pond snails, with maybe a few ghost shrimp here and there if they will eat them... if they dont then they will have a clean-up crew then. I already have the frozen brine shrimp, going to also start them with frozen tubflex worms, and maybe frozen bloodworms (I have freeze-dried, but my betta claims a whole can to himself every other month). 

Wondering if I should have the LFS bag each DP separately as to not have any injuries or death in the bags on the drive home (as they would probably be bagged for 45-75 minutes). I hear its pretty difficult to sex them when they are young, and the LFS stocks them fairly young... I personally would probably like all females, but I will touch up my research when it gets closer to DP purchase time in hopes of identifying the sexes upon purchase.


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## Andarial (Feb 12, 2011)

Yeah it's hard to sex the puffers when they are juveniles, I used to think mine was a girl XD he turned out to be a boy. I like the sound of your tank and if you are regular with your water changes and have enough breaks in the tank then they should be fine ^^ . I have heard something about not feeding them too much bloodworms at once but I have had no issues with that. With ghost shrimp and others it's always a toss up, sometimes they eat it and sometimes they don't. But shrimp are always fun to have if they don't.


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## Boredomb (Feb 21, 2011)

From my experience with the DPs I would definitely have the store bag them in separate bags. I lost a male from having them all in one bag (this is partially my fault as I didn't know at the time how to sex them right. Do now). Also I wished mine was started on frozen food when I got them man that was pain trying to get them on that and trying to find live blackworms in my area is not an easy thing to do LoL. WoW $4-7 for DPs? I am guess what I paid isn't soo bad then actually it was a steal compared to that. Anyways Just make sure and try not to get Two males if you can and definitely don't let the store put them all in one bag or you might have a problem.


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Yeah, one of the things that had put me off of having DPs for a while, or at least made me continuously debate it, was that a lot of DPs prefer live food... and the thought of live black worms in my fridge totally creeped me out! LOL And I sure wasnt going to be touching these worms in order to feed my DPs, so an alternative had to be found!! Thankfully, my LFS has them eating the closest thing to live that I can do, frozen. lol 

I will for sure have them bag them separately. I actually was just telling my bff your story about one killing another in the same bag... forgot who's story it was, now I know  I have read A LOT about DPs and scrolled through tons of threads here on TFK about them... I always like to be prepared before taking on any animal, even fish. I am really excited about the DPs, even have the hubby intrigued and also now have my bff setting up a 5g for one! LOL 

I read that really the only tankmate for a DP is usually an oto or two... thoughts on that?? As since they will eat the snails, I might want something down the road for algae eating purposes, as with all my live plants I do have the light on for 10-12 hours a day on both my tanks. So I was wondering if its true, that the DPs wont bother an oto. I wonder what their reaction is to a whiptail catfish? Not going to try it, but curious to if it would be a hit or a miss. 

Thanks for the input guys! I am open to more info if you have it, you know, first hand experience that isnt normally printed, on DPs. Any more stories from anyone regarding good or bad issues with bettas and pond snails? Or what the deal is with that particular breed of cory and bettas?


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## Boredomb (Feb 21, 2011)

As far as the puffers and the otos well I have read the same thing. Umm I actually tried that once and only once. I got two otos and they both died not really sure what got them but my water parameters were good so I am thinking it was the puffers. If you try the otos just watch real close and be sure to have another tank to put them in just in case it doesn't work out. I do however have a ghost shrimp in mine that the puffers don't seem to mind LoL


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Good to know. 
Yeah, I can always use more otos in my 29g. 
I guess if I put enough pond snails in the 15g with the DPs they might not eat them ALL at once, giving the snails a little while to munch on some of the algae. 
Now with your otos dying, was there established algae in the tank already? If not, otos are almost all wild caught, and they starve from the time they are caught, and in the store, until they get to your tank at home, and if no algae is present they will die from starvation. They wont readily take algae discs until they are use to their home and ate all available algae. Just a thought


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## Boredomb (Feb 21, 2011)

Yeah there was some algae. May not been the kind they like though. I have 3 Otos in my 55 gallon tank that are doing great but still can't get to eat algae tablets so I make sure there is some algae in the back of the tank for them. LoL but I read up on them before I got them soo I knew what I was getting myself into but thanks for the thoughts on it.

I don't know how many all is but I would be care with that so they don't over eat on them. LoL mine LOVE snails and will eat about as many as I will put in there with them. So I usually only put enough for each to have two or so.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

LasColinasCichlids said:


> Yeah, one of the things that had put me off of having DPs for a while, or at least made me continuously debate it, was that a lot of DPs prefer live food... and the thought of live black worms in my fridge totally creeped me out! LOL And I sure wasnt going to be touching these worms in order to feed my DPs, so an alternative had to be found!! Thankfully, my LFS has them eating the closest thing to live that I can do, frozen. lol
> 
> I will for sure have them bag them separately. I actually was just telling my bff your story about one killing another in the same bag... forgot who's story it was, now I know  I have read A LOT about DPs and scrolled through tons of threads here on TFK about them... I always like to be prepared before taking on any animal, even fish. I am really excited about the DPs, even have the hubby intrigued and also now have my bff setting up a 5g for one! LOL
> 
> ...


 I believe temp differences between what betta's prefer and what cory's prefer would prevent me from placing both in same tank. IMHO


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## LasColinasCichlids (Jan 4, 2011)

Boredomb said:


> Yeah there was some algae. May not been the kind they like though. I have 3 Otos in my 55 gallon tank that are doing great but still can't get to eat algae tablets so I make sure there is some algae in the back of the tank for them. LoL but I read up on them before I got them soo I knew what I was getting myself into but thanks for the thoughts on it.
> 
> I don't know how many all is but I would be care with that so they don't over eat on them. LoL mine LOVE snails and will eat about as many as I will put in there with them. So I usually only put enough for each to have two or so.


Thanks for that tidbit of info, its good to know. So note to self; dont put a bunch of snails in with DPs or they shall gorge themselves on them. 

As for the cories and their temp differences, I can so see that as an issue. Didnt think about parameters being an issue, I imagined it was a behavioral thing! Awesome, thanks for pointing that out! Although both my tanks (cories and betta) are kept at a steady 79-80F, I am still re-homing my albino cories with my bff, as I dont want my tank to be overstocked. 

I hope my betta has no issues with my cherry barbs... as 4 of my 9 are males and they have a beautiful deep red coloring since they are surrounded by females. I dont think the betta will do too bad, considering he was fine with a school of bright neon tetras. And I am not worried about the fish and their movements, as 1-most all the fish he will be with are slower swimmers, and 2-he currently happily deals with 10 annoyingly fast loaches. LOL 

Thanks everyone for all their info, it has been a very enlightening thread for me!!!:-D


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

It is funny you should bring this up...I was actually wondering the same thing about aq adviser...:lol:..
I keep my betta with peppered corydoras and they get along fine...The only troubles I have run into is that my betta is a pig! he will try to eat all of my cories sinking pellets..and he will if I let him!haha

I have platies and guppies with my other betta in my 29 gallon..they get along great..I had to move my snails into their own tank though..because my guppies and my betta seemed to see them as a snack..and I felt bad for them.:lol:


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