betta holiday

[Flash Wilson]

Hi,

Sometime ago I asked advice on my lethargic male betta.

The heating broke, and my room (normally excessively warm) got
rather cold. So as an emergency measure I took the male out
and popped him in a breeding net in my 4ft tank, which has
similar pH etc but was (by the time I realised) 11 degrees C
warmer... I left him alone overnight and in the morning he
was much happier, his finrot (which had worried me but been
stable for months) is disappearing fast and he is no longer
lethargic.

I did the same with my female betta, who was a little less
cold, thinking she would also appreciate it. She seems really
unhappy, not swimming around as she did and staying still in
the (another) breeding net. I think she misses being able to
see people etc.

So, we shall see how things go.

If the male seems much happier there then I will consider keeping
him in the big tank permanently (rather than his 2-UK-g tank)
- but what fish can a betta get along with? Would I have to keep
him separated all the time or might he be happy in a community
tank?

Advice is welcome!

If the female stays as static as she is, not swimming just
sitting still, I'll give her her own tank back when the
heating is fixed... funny how one and not the other is
seeming to be a lot better, and I'd expected it to be the
other way round. That said I have had them from different
LFS and the male loved the 30C weather over summer.. the
lady didn't so much. Are the temperatures they appreciate
sex related? or perhaps related to what they were brought
up in? or some other factor?

It was all going so well until we had no heating... here I am
typing this wrapped in a quilt!

--
Flash Wilson Restaurant, music and gig reviews,
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Pylons, Tube and sponsor children,
Visit The Gorge... Images of London, festivals & cars
http://www.gorge.org and everything about Flash Wilson!

[RedForeman ©®]

I've heard just a change in scenery can wake up a rather bored betta, but if
it's an 'old' betta, lethargic may be all it is...

Mine was excited as heck to get into a 10g from a 1g cube, but had to be put
back into a 5g because he was nipping all the fins of the faster fish, and
who said bettas were slow....

Sorry Flash, that's all I can give at the moment... my betta knowledge is
limited....

--

RedForeman ©®





"Flash Wilson" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> Sometime ago I asked advice on my lethargic male betta.
>
> The heating broke, and my room (normally excessively warm) got
> rather cold. So as an emergency measure I took the male out
> and popped him in a breeding net in my 4ft tank, which has
> similar pH etc but was (by the time I realised) 11 degrees C
> warmer... I left him alone overnight and in the morning he
> was much happier, his finrot (which had worried me but been
> stable for months) is disappearing fast and he is no longer
> lethargic.
>
> I did the same with my female betta, who was a little less
> cold, thinking she would also appreciate it. She seems really
> unhappy, not swimming around as she did and staying still in
> the (another) breeding net. I think she misses being able to
> see people etc.
>
> So, we shall see how things go.
>
> If the male seems much happier there then I will consider keeping
> him in the big tank permanently (rather than his 2-UK-g tank)
> - but what fish can a betta get along with? Would I have to keep
> him separated all the time or might he be happy in a community
> tank?
>
> Advice is welcome!
>
> If the female stays as static as she is, not swimming just
> sitting still, I'll give her her own tank back when the
> heating is fixed... funny how one and not the other is
> seeming to be a lot better, and I'd expected it to be the
> other way round. That said I have had them from different
> LFS and the male loved the 30C weather over summer.. the
> lady didn't so much. Are the temperatures they appreciate
> sex related? or perhaps related to what they were brought
> up in? or some other factor?
>
> It was all going so well until we had no heating... here I am
> typing this wrapped in a quilt!
>
> --
> Flash Wilson Restaurant, music and gig reviews,
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Pylons, Tube and sponsor children,
> Visit The Gorge... Images of London, festivals & cars
> http://www.gorge.org and everything about Flash Wilson!

[yk]

Flash Wilson wrote:
<snip>
>
> If the male seems much happier there then I will consider keeping
> him in the big tank permanently (rather than his 2-UK-g tank)
> - but what fish can a betta get along with? Would I have to keep
> him separated all the time or might he be happy in a community
> tank?
>
<snip>

I have mine in a 12g with three white clouds, 2 otos, a ghost shrimp,
and recently two pond snails. The major problem doesn't seem to be the
nipping (although he tries), but rather the feeding.

I've been trying different variations with a breeder's net. I found it
creates a nice little eddy where the betta hangs out and I feed him
there. This gives him a headstart over the minnows. The minnows and
betta have learned to hunt for algae tablets, so now I sometimes catch
the otos (I've torn up the tank the first couple of times) in the net.
Sometimes I put the ghost shrimp in there (by herself) just to make sure
she is eating. When I first introduced the pond snails the betta
harassed them. So I would alternately keep the snails or the betta in
the breeder's net, only one day to find the snails had crawled into the
net with the betta! I guess they're friends now. Since the snails like
to hang out in the breeders net, I've left it in there.

BTW Before I added the betta I was able to feed everyone successfully
without needing the breeder's net. And thus feeding everyone was
relatively uncomplicated.

Perhaps the best thing is to keep a section solely for the betta...

Here's some info on one site, but I guess it depends on the betta...
http://www.bettastarz.com/tankmates.htm

I've heard that zebra danios might work, though not the long finned ones
(and I don't know about the new red gm ones :) ). And some say ghost
shrimp are compatible. Though I found they can be aggressive, especially
if they're gravid. I returned some ghost shrimp to the store because
seemed rather aggressive. The betta had drifted into a group of ghost
shrimp hanging out on the bottom and they quickly surrounded him with
claws raised, but only the gravid one attacked. She managed to grab onto
his tail and he had a bit of trouble shaking her loose.

The current ghost shrimp will kick my betta's butt if she wants to
(she's approx 1.25in now), but only if he bothers her. She did seem a
little touchier when she was gravid (she was when I purchased her from
the store). I guess they get protective of their eggs. I'm hoping she
won't get any bigger... (and that she's not macrobrachium. I don't know
how to tell the difference...)

Sorry that's so long...








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