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Old October 2nd, 2006  
Fish Newbie
 
compatible companions for a siamese fighter

i had a siamese fighter in a small unaerated unfiltered tank n then decided to put him in my big tank where he recently chomped a guppy n zebra danio's fins, before he convicted any more murders i decided 2 (regrettably) place him back in his small tank, alone . now i bought a 1 foot tank especially for him, but he was 2 lonely. i got info that mollies can be compaible companions for him so i bought a couple of them, but only resulting in him being put back in in his tiny tank coz he started fighting with them. i feel really swak keeping him here so i wanna know if there are other compatible companions for him (ones that he wont fight with), HELP PLEASE
Prasheen is offline  
Old October 2nd, 2006  
Fish Bum
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

Yea i think you have to be really, really careful with bettas (SF's) because they are quite aggressive with many other fish types.
I have looked into getting a betta too and i have been told that really, if a betta has any tank mates at all they could be possibly cories or some ottos. Although i dont even think you need these, often i believe bettas are fine by themselves, they get all the companionship they need from their human carer.
I really wouldnt try any other fish species as it might be a bit of a blood bath, i am not particularly hot on bettas but this is a bit of important info, you may be better posting this in the betta forum for someone like Butterfly to answer!

Hope this helps, good luck!

Lucy
Lucy_kk is offline  
Old October 2nd, 2006  
Fish Master
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

Before you can think about getting your Betta companions you need to make sure he is receiving proper care.
Contrary to the popular belief, all Bettas MUST have heated and filtered water. It is vital for any fish to have a filter to break down the toxic ammonia in the water. Without a filter, even if you are doing daily water changes, the fish will essentially suffer from poisoning.
I do not know if the tank is heated, but Bettas need very warm water (80F) to stay healthy and happy. A Betta in unheated water is suseptable to cold-water diseases such as ich and velvet, and they will be listless and inactive.
I don't know what size tank you are keeping him in, but they need at least a 5 gallon tank. The main reason is that a smaller volume of water cannot easily and safely be heated and filtered. But also, Bettas need room to swim around. I have heard so many personal accounts of how much more active a Betta has become simply because he was moved to a larger tank.
I am not trying to make accusations here, but this is a topic I feel very strongly about. If your Betta is not right now, please for his sake move him to a 5+ gallon, heated, filtered tank. Now, just a few questions about your tank...please answer them to help us to help you...
What size is the tank?
Is it heated? filtered? lighted?
What is the temp? ammonia? nitrites? nitrates?
What is your Betta's name?...we like to address them properly
Welcome to the forum, and sorry for all the questions.
0morrokh is offline  
Old October 3rd, 2006  
Fish Newbie
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

Thanks Lucy n thanks again Omorrokh. Yesterday i was feeling really sorry 4 him, his name is Spot, coz he was looking really depressed n had this glum look on his face. I got a 120+ gallon tank and a 10 gallon tank n ofcourse Spot's little tiny tank. I decided 2 move Spot 2 the 120g tank where there are 4 kribensis, 2 bala sharks, 1 pangasius shark, 2 angels, 4 tiger barbs, 2 swordtails, 1 pike-nosed gar n 1 gourami. He doesnt trouble anyone coz he spends most of his time fighting with himself in the mirror ( i hav a mirror as a background). The temp is 80F, im not sure of the ammonia, nitrites n nitrates value of my tank, but every1 is happy, and as long as Spot is happy im happy

Thanks
Prasheen
Prasheen is offline  
Old October 3rd, 2006  
Fish Bum
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

That sounds great !
Buuut i dont know if it is very good for them to be in constant "flare and fight", i dont know.
Someone else can probably help you...
Lucy_kk is offline  
Old October 3rd, 2006  
Fish Master
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

It is extremely stressful for a Betta to be able to see his reflection all the time. Comparable to a guy with a gun standing at your window staring in at you 24/7. It is obviously upsetting and stressful.
Also, a Betta is incompatible with the other fish in that time. I am guessing it is only a matter of time before Spot gets killed by one of the other fish.
So in other words, he needs to be removed from that tank immediately.
What size is his little tank?
Is there anything in the 10g? That would be a perfect place to put him.
Also, do you have test kits? These are essential to have. I can't stress it enough how important it is to know your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. These compounds can kill fish so you need to be able to monitor how high they get.
0morrokh is offline  
Old October 4th, 2006  
Fish Bum
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

Ok although 0morrokh is correct- it would be much better for your betta to be in the 10g by himself with maybe some ottos or some corries before he gets eaten or dies of stress.
I wouldnt go and spend a load with the tank testing though. I know it is REALLY IMPORTANT and i understand about the cycle and stuff but i test my tank every so often with test strips (which are not as reliable and mine only test nitrite content) and my tank is fine and thriving and it is a little overstocked. So i mean test kits are fairly expensive (at least in the UK they are) dont know about anywhere else? SO if you want to get a testing kit i would save and get a good one, but if you are skint like me or have alreday got a test strip one i would stick with that as it does 'make do' in the short term.

No disrespect people, these are just my views..
Lu
Lucy_kk is offline  
Old October 4th, 2006  
Fish Master
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

It's ok for everyone to have their own opinion. It personally think that it is money well spent to buy a good test kit since ammonia can kill fish in an instant. You can get a fairly cheap master test kit (Brand??) online at the Petsmart site, like $14 I think. Just take that price to a store and they should respect that.

However what's important now is that the Betta gets put in a safer home. We can worry about test kits later.
0morrokh is offline  
Old October 5th, 2006  
Fish Bum
 
Re: compatible companions for a siamese fighter

That is correct!
Lucy_kk is offline  
 

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