Females in a community?

[Nataliey]

What type of fish can i put with female bettas in a 95 litre tank? Dont want anything that will nip at the females but dont want anything that will get attacked by females...like iv had neon tetras before with females and the females would attack them and peck their eyes out!

Any ideas anyone??

[Time-Out]

Mine live with bloodfins, BNs, picti, angelfish, butterfly fish, flying foxes... I think that's it. Just don't go for guppies. Nasty things.

[kizno1]

What type of fish can i put with female bettas in a 95 litre tank? Dont want anything that will nip at the females but dont want anything that will get attacked by females...like iv had neon tetras before with females and the females would attack them and peck their eyes out!

Any ideas anyone??

Theres loads
steel blue killis
marble hatchets
ember tetra and pretty much every other type of tetra. Try to stay away from deep bodied ones like black widow tetra because there known for being nippy.
harlequin rasbora
copper rasbora
glowlight rasbora
platys
endlers
pretty much any cory
upside down catfish
banjo catfish
hara hara
sturisoma festivum
Hara jerdoni
two spot catfish
bumblebee catfish
pyjama catfish
The list goes on and on. What sort of fish would you like?

Mine live with bloodfins, BNs, picti, angelfish, butterfly fish, flying foxes... I think that's it. Just don't go for guppies. Nasty things.

Just so you know butterfly fish are predatory so ones that fully grown some of the tetra and maybe evan the bettas might start to dissapear I doubt the angels and the butterfly fish will get on to well ones fully grown aswell and theres a risk both might get nipped by the bloodfin tetra. Whats a picti? pictus?

[Time-Out]

Thank you for the lesson. Do you have to patronise people every time they mention stock? My tank has been running for ages and works well. Extensive research was done for each species, it wasn't just thrown together. I hope to upgrade them to a 2' by 6' tank next year, bulk out the bloodfin shoal to at least 24 and add a few picti (it may not be the right word, but it's a grammatically correct plural for 'pictus', don't you think?).

Oh and I've had problems with a red tail shark being nippy in the past.

[kizno1]

I wasnt being patronising i just thought you might want to know. Ive read quite a few reports of butterfly fish eating other fish and bloodfin tetra nipping other fish. It wasnt that i just didnt know if it was a different type of fish that ive never heard of. How big a tank are they in now? pictus need to be in groups of 3+ in a 55+G. Im not going to get into a argument over it i was just letting you know that it might work now but it could turn nasty in the longrun.

[Time-Out]

You know what? Forget it. I was only trying to help Nat.

[kizno1]

You know what? Forget it. I was only trying to help Nat.

So was i. I just thought i would let you and her know that putting butterfly fish in with smaller fish is a big risk.

[Nataliey]

Thanks to both of you...just asked as i dont know what fish would be best, will look into all the fish mentioned from both of you

[silverrabbit]

I know it's not generally recommended, but I have mine in with platies. Haven't had a prob with them as the platies seem to mind their own business, but I think mollies are a bit too full of attitude for females

I used to have shrimp (biggish ones, at 2 inches) but the females assassinated them

Rummynose tetras are pretty but don't seem to last very long

[kizno1]

I know it's not generally recommended, but I have mine in with platies. Haven't had a prob with them as the platies seem to mind their own business, but I think mollies are a bit too full of attitude for females

I used to have shrimp (biggish ones, at 2 inches) but the females assassinated them

Rummynose tetras are pretty but don't seem to last very long

I would stay away form male mollys aswell because they will try to mate with anything which i dont think the female bettas would like to much. Rummy nose tetra are normally fairly hardy but they do seem to do best at slightly higher temps 28-32C But anything from 24+ they should be fine in.

[Nataliey]

Thanks everyone, have been looking at the pretty endlers, i suppose its just the males that are the really bright coloured ones, but definately no more mollies for me and i know what you mean mollies are way worse than rabbits,

Been looking at plec's too just just getting the right one!

[silverrabbit]

Some of the plecs are sooooo pretty... but pricey!

[Nataliey]

Some of the plecs are sooooo pretty... but pricey!

I know, i paid £20 for a golden nugget plec he/she was gorgeous, but died about 2 weeks of having it due to an attack by a CAE! I wasnt impressed

[KalandraJane]

Ooh how about a zebra plec? They're beautiful and don't get too big... not sure of the temps though?

[kizno1]

Ooh how about a zebra plec? They're beautiful and don't get too big... not sure of the temps though?

They are stunning but they will cost you about £75 for a juvi and about £100 for a adult. Chocolate zebras arent as nice because there a off white colour but you can normally pic them up for £20-30.

[KalandraJane]

My lfs had the proper black and white zebra juveniles in the other week for £26... they were about 2". Looks like I should have snapped one up at that price!!! (not that I have anywhere to put one, my boyfriend's albino rainbow shark would not have been happy if we had added one to the community tank!)

[Nataliey]

As iv mentioned before iv got 2 albino corys already in the female betta tank, here's a few photos of them...iv had them over a year now so i would say fully grown?
This is the biggest one of the 2:
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This one is a little bit shorter with a fat silvery tummy:
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This is the pair together...9 times out of 10 you'll see them chasing one another and looks sometimes like they are dancing!!
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Looking to getting at least 4 more corys to add to their group.

[kizno1]

My lfs had the proper black and white zebra juveniles in the other week for £26... they were about 2". Looks like I should have snapped one up at that price!!! (not that I have anywhere to put one, my boyfriend's albino rainbow shark would not have been happy if we had added one to the community tank!)

Are you sure they where real zebras? if they where that ridiculously cheap. You should have brought a few and had a go at breeding them its apparently not that hard.

As iv mentioned before iv got 2 albino corys already in the female betta tank, here's a few photos of them...iv had them over a year now so i would say fully grown?
This is the biggest one of the 2:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This one is a little bit shorter with a fat silvery tummy:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

This is the pair together...9 times out of 10 you'll see them chasing one another and looks sometimes like they are dancing!!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Looking to getting at least 4 more corys to add to their group.

The first on is defiantly male. The second looks female but she looks a bit skinny but then that might just he the angle of the pic. I would say you have 1 male 1 female.

[KalandraJane]

My lfs had the proper black and white zebra juveniles in the other week for £26... they were about 2". Looks like I should have snapped one up at that price!!! (not that I have anywhere to put one, my boyfriend's albino rainbow shark would not have been happy if we had added one to the community tank!)

Are you sure they where real zebras? if they where that ridiculously cheap. You should have brought a few and had a go at breeding them its apparently not that hard.

Yes, I'd been researching loaches the night before as I'd wanted a gold ring butterfly sucker (unfortunately too cold to live in a betta tank though so I didn't get one), seen the zebras and how lovely they are, went in the next day and they had them, gorgeous little things. It's a very reputable shop but mainly a marine stockist, maybe they'd had them cheaply from a customer or something, or had them that at price because they were so small. Hehe I can't fit any more tanks into my flat... I'm already having to get rid of half my bedroom so I can fit my new divided betta tank in, I certainly don't have room for pairs of 6" zebras spawning everywhere

Natalie, are you just going to get more corys for your community tank? I love my albinos they're so fun to watch. How about a small shoal of otocinclus or some dwarf chain loaches?

[kizno1]

My lfs had the proper black and white zebra juveniles in the other week for £26... they were about 2". Looks like I should have snapped one up at that price!!! (not that I have anywhere to put one, my boyfriend's albino rainbow shark would not have been happy if we had added one to the community tank!)

Are you sure they where real zebras? if they where that ridiculously cheap. You should have brought a few and had a go at breeding them its apparently not that hard.

Yes, I'd been researching loaches the night before as I'd wanted a gold ring butterfly sucker (unfortunately too cold to live in a betta tank though so I didn't get one), seen the zebras and how lovely they are, went in the next day and they had them, gorgeous little things. It's a very reputable shop but mainly a marine stockist, maybe they'd had them cheaply from a customer or something, or had them that at price because they were so small. Hehe I can't fit any more tanks into my flat... I'm already having to get rid of half my bedroom so I can fit my new divided betta tank in, I certainly don't have room for pairs of 6" zebras spawning everywhere

Natalie, are you just going to get more corys for your community tank? I love my albinos they're so fun to watch. How about a small shoal of otocinclus or some dwarf chain loaches?

I wish i was closer i would have snapped up a few. At 2" they still normally cost £50+. Theres always room for another tank lolJust stack them up ontop of each other :]

[Nataliey]

Went to a pets @ home today just for a look as i wont buy from them from past bad experience, but i saw a few fish that took my eye...
the Rummy-nose tetras and the Zebra & Leopard Danio. Iv looked on wikipedia about these types of fish and they seem to be okay for a community. What do you think?

[Time-Out]

Danios are VERY zippy. I found they stressed my more sedate fish out. How your females react depends on their character. You'll have to assess that. They are one of the most hardy fish around.
Rummy-noses are kept by a lot of aquarists with expensive fish. The red starts to fade if water quality deteriorates, so it's a good fore-warner.
Either would be fine with regards to nipping. Now it's just personal choice :-)

[Nataliey]

Right ok Time-out thanks for that really dont want any fish that may nip fins...mmm maybe a rethink.

[KalandraJane]

I really dislike danios... in my experience they do fin nip, though you may not find that. In my boyfriend's community tank there are a couple of zebra danios which have long fins, which is a common mutation in them. The other danios are always taking chunks out of the long-finned ones, and have had a go at juvenile swordtails too.

Also, they swim constantly and boisterously at the surface, so you'd have to assess whether that might stress your girls. The tetras sound good though

[kizno1]

Like time out said the danios are zippy and can be a little nippy. They also do best at slightly cooler temps. Rummy nose tetra should be fine they do better at higher temps 26+. If your looking for something colour full ember tetra, galaxy rasbora, harlequin rasbora or black neons would all work well.

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