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  L# Female betta compatability (?)
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SubscribeFemale betta compatability (?)
123mjb
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male usa
I have a moderatly planted ten gallon aqurium containing 7 neon tetras, 1 ghost shrimp and a snail.
I want to add a female betta to it. Would any of the inhabitants be harmed? What would it do to the bioload?


Thanks!
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile PM Edit Report 
xlinkinparkx
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male canada
i'm not sure but mabey ghost shrimp

10gallon: 8neons 5gallon: 1betta
1oto
2platys
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
monkeyboy
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male usa
i've had ghost shrimp in with a male betta. they would be fine.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
illustrae
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female usa
It really depends on the temperment of the betta you bring home. Even though females are not as agressive as males, they may still feel the need to stake out their own territory and chase other fish for a few weeks until she becomes acclimated to her new environment. As for the shrimp, it's sort of the same deal: She may ignore them completely, or she may be curious and discover that shrimp are tastey and then no shrimp will be safe. I have sparkling gouramis (another labrynth fish with somewhat similar tendancies) who attack shrimp that are almost as big as they are...

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
123mjb
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male usa
I'm more worried about the neons than the shrimp. Would they be alright? Would there be any way to test the fish's agression in the store?
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Theresa_M
 
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female usa us-maryland
Would there be any way to test the fish's agression in the store?


Not really.

I've personally not had luck with bettas in community tanks...if you really want to give it a try I'd make sure to have a backup tank available just in case.

With the ghost shrimp it depends on the individual fish, my betta thinks they're a great treat

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
123mjb
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male usa
I will put the betta in but I will keep one of those in-tank betta keepers on hand. That should work!

Thanks everyone!


Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
djtj
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male usa
Not to sound cruel, but ghost shrimp are very cheap. I really wouldn't worry too much.

And as for agression, most females are kept in community tanks (at least by me). Just watch how they behave.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
bettachris
 
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male usa
no, it would be fine, but yor tank seems kind of full. maybe only 1 female. i have had females with neons/cardinals with no problems.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile Homepage Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
kitten
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female usa
Assuming the neons aren't TOO small (or the betta girl rather large), you should be fine. I keep betta girls with black neons - the blacks are quite large though, and have no issues with the females. General rule is nothing small enough to fit inside her mouth... or nothing small enough that she THINKS she can fit it in her mouth!

I have personally never had a female betta that wouldn't work in a community tank. (Except for one incident with a short tailed male being mislabeled as a female. )There's ONE of my new ones that seems a bit more aggressive, but she'll settle in once I put her into one of the main tanks... she'll soon find out that she's 1/3 of the size of the other betta girls.

Best way to judge aggression (and this is only a general guideline, by no means the final say on aggression) is to take two girls from opposite sides of the display - assuming they're sold in cups, of course - and put them next to each other. Watch them. I specifically say opposite sides of the display, because bettas will get used to their neighbors and may not flare or act aggressive. Try the same with a MALE and female... grab an aggressive male that will flare at her. See how she reacts. The second part is a good test, because some fish won't act aggressively until they feel threatened... and being put into a new environment with swarming neons all around her is going to be stressful.

You may want to invest in a breeder net to hang on the side of the tank... put her in that for a while to get her used to the idea of fish nearby.

Despite what someone above said, your tank really isn't overstocked at all... Both neons and ghost shrimp provide VERY little waste. I certainly wouldn't go wild and toss six betta girls in there, but having one in there wouldn't be bad. At the most, three, I'd think, but then you have to find THREE betta girls that aren't very aggressive, and your neons might get in the way of their dominance disputes.

Good luck, and keep us updated.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile Homepage AIM MSN Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
djtj
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Yeah I can't see anything wrong with 3-4 betta girls. I like to keep 2 schools of 6 small fish (ie. neons or cories) and a pair of centerpiece fish. at most in a 10 gallon. As you have one school of fish already, you certainly have room for a nice group of betta girls. Ghost shrimp also clean up more waste than they produce, meaning their biolode is in the negatives!
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile AIM PM Edit Delete Report 
123mjb
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male usa
I only meant one betta. I have had bad luck with multiples...

Thanks for the replies! right now she is in a vented container hanging on the inside of the tank so she can kinda get used to her new neighbors.

Thanks for all the help!
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:49Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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