25 Gallon Stocking Questions

[emilyladwig]

So I set up a 25 gallon tank last week (running with filter with established media in it, heater, lots of rocks, and a couple large artificial plants). I have a female Betta (named Wanda because I'm crazy about Marvel) in there right now and I have some decisions to make regarding stocking. I did a ton of research on Bettas and the fish they can and can't go with, but I still can't decide what combination of fish would look the best (and behave the best) with Wanda ...
I want to do some kind of combination like this, but I'm open to any suggestions...
- platies and/or mollies and guppies
- Ottos, corydoras, or pigmy corydoras(for algae, and their so cute!)
- African Dwarf frogs (just a couple, no more than 2)
- Harlequin Rasbora or any type of compatible tetra or Rasbora
I'm so excited about this tank, but I don't want to overstock it, so I could really use some advice, thanks in advance!

 

[Fljoe]

Hi! What type of mollies? I love how the Black Mollies look against my plants. They have an awsome gold color in the tails and fins. They also love eating algae. I hope you find a good combo. However, I’ve read hear that’s its best to add a betta last to avoid territory problems.

 

[emilyladwig]

Hi! What type of mollies? I love how the Black Mollies look against my plants. They have an awsome gold color in the tails and fins. They also love eating algae. I hope you find a good combo. However, I’ve read hear that’s its best to add a betta last to avoid territory problems.

For me I would be open to any type of Molly because I think they're so cute thanks for the comment

 

[dragonflyaquatics]

A couple of notes, cories don't do anything to algae, and its not the best idea to have ADFs with fish, they tend to not do very well as far as I've heard. IMO I wouldn't do mollies, they produce so much waste that you can't have a lot of other fish with them. Guppies and platies produce quite a bit of waste too, but they are smaller. How about
3-4 guppies or 2-3 platies
about 8 harlequin rasbora or other small schooling fish
4-6 otos but wait until tank is mature, at least a 6 months old until adding, as they are sensitive. If you don't have a lot of algae don't get them, they don't always accept other foods. Or you could get 6-8 pygmy cories, they won't eat algae, only leftover food, but make sure to feed them food, not just leftovers. You can always get snails and amano shrimp for the algae.

 

[Fljoe]

A couple of notes, cories don't do anything to algae, and its not the best idea to have ADFs with fish, they tend to not do very well as far as I've heard. IMO I wouldn't do mollies, they produce so much waste that you can't have a lot of other fish with them. Guppies and platies produce quite a bit of waste too, but they are smaller. How about
3-4 guppies or 2-3 platies
about 8 harlequin rasbora or other small schooling fish
4-6 otos but wait until tank is mature, at least a 6 months old until adding, as they are sensitive. If you don't have a lot of algae don't get them, they don't always accept other foods. Or you could get 6-8 pygmy cories, they won't eat algae, only leftover food, but make sure to feed them food, not just leftovers. You can always get snails and amano shrimp for the algae.

She likes mollies, and they also eat algae. A few in the tank won’t produce so much waste as to become a problem. I’ve been cycling with 10 Black Mollies and never had a major ammonia spike.

 

[emilyladwig]

Hi! What type of mollies? I love how the Black Mollies look against my plants. They have an awsome gold color in the tails and fins. They also love eating algae. I hope you find a good combo. However, I’ve read hear that’s its best to add a betta last to avoid territory problems.

A couple of notes, cories don't do anything to algae, and its not the best idea to have ADFs with fish, they tend to not do very well as far as I've heard. IMO I wouldn't do mollies, they produce so much waste that you can't have a lot of other fish with them. Guppies and platies produce quite a bit of waste too, but they are smaller. How about
3-4 guppies or 2-3 platies
about 8 harlequin rasbora or other small schooling fish
4-6 otos but wait until tank is mature, at least a 6 months old until adding, as they are sensitive. If you don't have a lot of algae don't get them, they don't always accept other foods. Or you could get 6-8 pygmy cories, they won't eat algae, only leftover food, but make sure to feed them food, not just leftovers. You can always get snails and amano shrimp for the algae.

Ok, thanks for the advice

 

[Fljoe]

Ok, thanks for the advice

Mollies get to be 3-4 inches depending on sex. If your committed to doing the work to keep the tank clean, go with what you like. This is a fun hobby, for me the work is part of the fun.

 

[Madison1017]

If you get any of the livebearers try to get all the same sex otherwise they will breed excessively and quickly overrun your tank. I've also heard that guppies and bettas don't always do well together because the guppies' long flowy fins can trick the betta into thinking it's another betta and they become aggressive.

I had harlequin rasboras in with my betta, I love my rasboras but my betta killed some of them. My betta also used to pick on my corys.

If you're going to attempt any kind of betta community make sure you really watch your betta's temperament and have an extra tank that you can use to separate the betta if it's too aggressive.

 

[MicheleRRT]

A little late, but I have a 29 gallon with a female betta (Betty Blue) the only fish I named. I threw her in with two male platy fish I had in my 10 gallon. (my first tank) That tank has a female platy with tons of babies and they are going to the LFS as soon as they will accept them. ugggg. I wish that didn't happen. I later added 3 green cory catfish and than 2 more green corys. Later on again I added 5 Columbian Tetras, and finally a few weeks later I have 5 Emperor tetras. Everyone gets along great. The Columian's are shy at times, but peaceful as everyone else. I have read so many negative things about Mollies (mainly waste and prone to sickness) that I didn't want to deal. Plus I read quite a few times that they actually thrive better in salt water. Betty Blue is the world traveler of the tank and very peaceful with the others.

 

[emilyladwig]

A little late, but I have a 29 gallon with a female betta (Betty Blue) the only fish I named. I threw her in with two male platy fish I had in my 10 gallon. (my first tank) That tank has a female platy with tons of babies and they are going to the LFS as soon as they will accept them. ugggg. I wish that didn't happen. I later added 3 green cory catfish and than 2 more green corys. Later on again I added 5 Columbian Tetras, and finally a few weeks later I have 5 Emperor tetras. Everyone gets along great. The Columian's are shy at times, but peaceful as everyone else. I have read so many negative things about Mollies (mainly waste and prone to sickness) that I didn't want to deal. Plus I read quite a few times that they actually thrive better in salt water. Betty Blue is the world traveler of the tank and very peaceful with the others.

Sounds like a nice tank. I really love platies, and I've been thinking of getting some (just to see how they act and such, maybe do a little breeding of some sort) thanks for sharing

 

[FinalFins]

Hi, like to add, what is the pH of your water? Livebearers can be a little sensitive to pH levels due to being fragile.

I say go for the betta, cories and cardinal tetras.

 

[emilyladwig]

Hi, like to add, what is the pH of your water? Livebearers can be a little sensitive to pH levels due to being fragile.

I say go for the betta, cories and cardinal tetras.

Every time I test it says 7.2 ish. I actually changed the stock of my tank since then. I had a few danios before as dither fish for my Betta sorority, but I put them in the larger tank because I've read that they like space. They are a group of 4 (in the 25) there were 5, but one disappeared mysteriously.

 

[Mochiiaki]

So I set up a 25 gallon tank last week (running with filter with established media in it, heater, lots of rocks, and a couple large artificial plants). I have a female Betta (named Wanda because I'm crazy about Marvel) in there right now and I have some decisions to make regarding stocking. I did a ton of research on Bettas and the fish they can and can't go with, but I still can't decide what combination of fish would look the best (and behave the best) with Wanda ...
I want to do some kind of combination like this, but I'm open to any suggestions...
- platies and/or mollies and guppies
- Ottos, corydoras, or pigmy corydoras(for algae, and their so cute!)
- African Dwarf frogs (just a couple, no more than 2)
- Harlequin Rasbora or any type of compatible tetra or Rasbora
I'm so excited about this tank, but I don't want to overstock it, so I could really use some advice, thanks in advance!

A warning if you do decide to get guppies, sometimes female bettas can mistake guppies for sorority members and bully them be careful to watch for that! The best combination of them is a female betta with female guppies.

 

[emilyladwig]

A warning if you do decide to get guppies, sometimes female bettas can mistake guppies for sorority members and bully them be careful to watch for that! The best combination of them is a female betta with female guppies.

Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. She's really aggressive towards the other Bettas, or at least she was previously. That's why stocking is so hard, because this particular betta hasn't gotten along with most fish.

 

[emilyladwig]

So I set up a 25 gallon tank last week (running with filter with established media in it, heater, lots of rocks, and a couple large artificial plants). I have a female Betta (named Wanda because I'm crazy about Marvel) in there right now and I have some decisions to make regarding stocking. I did a ton of research on Bettas and the fish they can and can't go with, but I still can't decide what combination of fish would look the best (and behave the best) with Wanda ...
I want to do some kind of combination like this, but I'm open to any suggestions...
- platies and/or mollies and guppies
- Ottos, corydoras, or pigmy corydoras(for algae, and their so cute!)
- African Dwarf frogs (just a couple, no more than 2)
- Harlequin Rasbora or any type of compatible tetra or Rasbora
I'm so excited about this tank, but I don't want to overstock it, so I could really use some advice, thanks in advance!

Just an update for you guys. The tank is now fully cycled (I've been testing every other day and the tank is now 0,0,0) and it looks great Wanda (female Betta) is still in there, and I put 4 zebra danios in with her. They're all doing very well and I haven't had any issues yet. But I want to know if I should put more fish in the tank,(what fish should I get I have no idea) or if I should just leave it be (it looks a little empty tho).

 

[FinalFins]

I would add more zebras because they are notorius fin nippers and they may nip the betta so a larger school should hopefully disperse the fin nipping

 

[emilyladwig]

I would add more zebras because they are notorius fin nippers and they may nip the betta so a larger school should hopefully disperse the fin nipping

Thanks I haven't had any fin nipping problems yet with the Betta, but I'll be sure to get some more to prevent it. How many do you think I should get?

 

[Fljoe]

Just an update for you guys. The tank is now fully cycled (I've been testing every other day and the tank is now 0,0,0) and it looks great Wanda (female Betta) is still in there, and I put 4 zebra danios in with her. They're all doing very well and I haven't had any issues yet. But I want to know if I should put more fish in the tank,(what fish should I get I have no idea) or if I should just leave it be (it looks a little empty tho).

I was waiting to see if someone more experienced pointed this out.
But I don’t think your cycled if your at 0,0,0!
I’m assuming that is your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong. But you should be showing nitrates if your cycled.

 

[FinalFins]

Agree. If you are 0,0,0 you are probably did not cycle. Where did you get cycled media from? and how was that media cycled?

 

[emilyladwig]

I was waiting to see if someone more experienced pointed this out.
But I don’t think your cycled if your at 0,0,0!
I’m assuming that is your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong. But you should be showing nitrates if your cycled.

The tank was showing nitrate, I just wrote it wrong cause I was excited to share my tank. The tank is actually 0 (ammonia), 0 (nitrites), 20 (nitrates). So is it cycled?

 

[emilyladwig]

Agree. If you are 0,0,0 you are probably did not cycle. Where did you get cycled media from? and how was that media cycled?

The media is just an old filter media cartridge that I took from another tank. I also put a bunch of old decorations and old gravel in it too (that was vacuumed, but not washed with anything)

 

[Fljoe]

The tank was showing nitrate, I just wrote it wrong cause I was excited to share my tank. The tank is actually 0 (ammonia), 0 (nitrites), 20 (nitrates). So is it cycled?

I’m sorry! I would say yes you are cycled with 20 nitrates.

 

[emilyladwig]

I’m sorry! I would say yes you are cycled with 20 nitrates.

Thanks for the help do you happen to have any advice on how many danios I should add?

 

[Fljoe]

Thanks for the help 4] do you happen to have any advice on how many danios I should add?

An ideal group would be a minimum of 7 the more the more happy they are.

 

[emilyladwig]

An ideal group would be a minimum of 7 the more the more happy they are.

Ok thank you