Ghost shrimp and betta?

I'm thinking of putting a couple ghost shrimp in the tank with my betta. Is that a good or a bad idea? ???

 

I haven't any experience with ghost shrimp, but it is my belief that the betta will have them for dinner.

CherryRose

 

I haven't any experience with ghost shrimp, but it is my belief that the betta will have them for dinner.   

CherryRose

Dinner you say? What about a gold snail?

 

8) A gold snail would be great. I am planning on getting some snails for my betta tanks. They are great for keeping the algae down too.

CherryRose ;D

 

8) A gold snail would be great.  I am planning on getting some snails for my betta tanks.  They are great for keeping the algae down too.

CherryRose  ;D

Awesome, I think I'll grab one as I swing by Wally World tonight. :-*

 

;D ;D ;D

 

Mystery or Apple snails work very well with bettas but be sure your tank has a cover and that you only get one the bettas become very fond of them and they do not multiply on their own but two will make 200 in a hurry and that is too big a biological load for your tank and will make the betta crazy as they will crawl on him.

Rose

 

Mystery or Apple snails work very well with bettas but be sure your tank has a cover and that you only get one the bettas become very fond of them and they do not multiply on their own but two will make 200 in a hurry and that is too big a biological load for your tank and will make the betta crazy as they will crawl on him.

Rose

Yes... I just bought one gold mystery snail, I acclimated him a little to quick maybe( about 45 min) but he's sticking to the filter... probably eating?
Also I spent a buttload of money on aquarium things, including a python hose and a cycle booster just called 'Cycle'. Man... I went nuts, haha. GUTIAR HERO 2 HERE I COME!!!

 

Yes... I just bought one gold mystery snail, I acclimated him a little to quick maybe( about 45 min) but he's sticking to the filter... probably eating?
Also I spent a buttload of money on aquarium things, including a python hose and a cycle booster just called 'Cycle'. Man... I went nuts, haha. GUTIAR HERO 2 HERE I COME!!!

Do you have some algae wafers for your snail? They'd be a good supplement to his diet, especially when there's not much algae for him to eat in the tank. Depending on the Betta liking them or not, you might have to put the wafer right in front of him or even a little under him so he can get a chance to eat it.

 

Yes... I just bought one gold mystery snail, I acclimated him a little to quick maybe( about 45 min) but he's sticking to the filter... probably eating?
Also I spent a buttload of money on aquarium things, including a python hose and a cycle booster just called 'Cycle'. Man... I went nuts, haha. GUTIAR HERO 2 HERE I COME!!!

Do you have some algae wafers for your snail?  They'd be a good supplement to his diet, especially when there's not much algae for him to eat in the tank.  Depending on the Betta liking them or not, you might have to put the wafer right in front of him or even a little under him so he can get a chance to eat it.

Good idea... I thought about it last night as I went to buy him, but I never really considered buying them. Would he eat shrimp pellets?

 

Also spinach and romaine lettuce--ideally a little wilted--or cucumbers are nice treats for snails. You need a veggie clip ideally for them.

 

Good idea... I thought about it last night as I went to buy him, but I never really considered buying them. Would he eat shrimp pellets?

I'm not sure on shrimp pellets, but you could try them and see if he likes it. poefox's veggie recommendations are excellent for your snail and hopefully nobody else in the tank will try stealing his veggies.

 

are you asking if a snail will eat shrimp pellets? I know mine will. heck, they'd eat anything just about

make sure to have good Ca levels so the snail will have a good shell

 

Yes... I just bought one gold mystery snail, I acclimated him a little to quick maybe( about 45 min) but he's sticking to the filter... probably eating?
Also I spent a buttload of money on aquarium things, including a python hose and a cycle booster just called 'Cycle'. Man... I went nuts, haha. GUTIAR HERO 2 HERE I COME!!!

Careful using Cycle, I was originally planning on using it in my tank but I opted against it after some of the warnings I received from people around here about it. Ultimately it boils down to it being nothing more than a money grabber. Are you using a filter in your tank? If not, then I may see the point in using Cycle. If you are using a filter, I wouldn't bother, if the tank is cycled you shouldn't need to worry about the biological filtration so long as you are using the proper filter (Bio-max, or a Bio-wheel for example).

 

Asinity is right - Cycle's a waste of money.. we threw some money down that hole ourselves. What it does is throw your tank into a series of mini-cycles and we've been doing a lot better since we stopped using it.

 

Well, I'll give it a try anyways since it's my larger aquarium that I'm using it in (which has no fish at the moment ). What type would be good for someone as amateur as I am at this to get?

 

If you haven't opened it, you could probably return the cycle & get something else that would be better for your tanks or put it towards the larger aquarium. We went thru half a bottle before realizing how it was affecting our tanks when I tracked the water parameters for a while.

How big is your larger aquarium?

 

If you haven't opened it, you could probably return the cycle & get something else that would be better for your tanks or put it towards the larger aquarium. We went thru half a bottle before realizing how it was affecting our tanks when I tracked the water parameters for a while.

How big is your larger aquarium?

The cycle stuff I bought was only 6 bucks, so I don';t feel at a loss.

 

good.. we bought the big bottle of it.

how big is your larger aquarium?

 

good.. we bought the big bottle of it.

how big is your larger aquarium?

10g... I actually think I'm gonna have to use it for my betta for a while and give away my 2.5, cause I just sucked out all the water! 20 gallon here I come!

 

A product I have tried recently and highly recommend is called "Tidy Tank" made by Kordon. It's much better than Cycle. It's a different kind of bacteria than the nitrifying bacteria that cycles your tank. It's an all natural (no chemicals) product that greatly reduces the sludge and dirt that accumulates in the gravel. You need to add a little every two weeks (or more often if needed) but I have noticed a dramatic difference in the cleanliness of the gravel in my tanks since using it!  Another product which does the same thing but made by a different company is called "Liquid Gravel Vac".  I've never used it but if it's as good as Tidy Tank then I'd get it.

These aren't products that cycle your tank though, it's a different bacteria that eats dirt and sludge.

 

I like the Kordon products (and want to try Zymbac FW) .. maybe when I order that, I can try the Tidy Tank product. Do you think it would be good in a tank with flat marbles instead of gravel, as all of our Betta tanks are flat marbles and only the platys have gravel now. Does it do anything to break down food or poop or it just goes after dirt/sludge?

 

It should work with marbles as well as gravel. Whisper's side of the tank was always the filthiest! She is such a messy fish! I would clean it and an hour later would find tons of poop all over her white gravel. Since using Tidy Tank I see very little poop in her tank, the algae growth has slowed down a LOT (could be coincidence but maybe it eats algae too) and the gravel is sparkling white without all that fine cloudy dirt deep in the gravel. It really does help.  Would be especially helpful for tanks with a poopy Mystery snail.

 

Cool, sounds like a product we could use. Call Kordon, tell them you made a sale. I hope the DFS site has it, I'll have to check in the morning, because i've never seen it at our petco. where did you buy yours?

 

I buy all my supplies at the Petsmart nearby or when I have time I go across town to the Big Al's fish store which is a real treat for me! It's like a trip to Sea World! They have a basement FULL of fresh water and exotic marine fish including a large shark tank! The best plants I've ever seen and a large selection of fish supplies! They deal only in fish, not other pets so they are usually more knowledgable. If I just need something quick though I go to Petsmart because it's only 10 minutes away.

 

I've never thought of just using marbles with my betta...

 

The thing about marbles is, although they look pretty, they have a lot of spaces between them for dirt to build up and get trapped. It can be hard to keep it clean. A medium sized coated smooth gravel is easier to clean.

 

The thing about marbles is, although they look pretty, they have a lot of spaces between them for dirt to build up and get trapped. It can be hard to keep it clean. A medium sized coated smooth gravel is easier to clean.

Yea, they're pretty especially with the FL lights, but they are more work to keep clean because of what falls into them, the smaller rounded marbles are better than the big ones though.

 

how does the tidy tank stuff work?

 

Would the Ghost shrimp attack the betta and kill it?
What about RCS?

 

I would say not. the betta might eat it though
-j

 

Also, if Ghost Shrimp don't get enough to eat, they'll eat the bettas fins. A lot of people have had this problem. Giving them algae wafers and such will help prevent that.

 

rcs aren't as aggressive as ghosties could be....but the betta might eat them, if they don't have a lot of hiding places.

I don't really see though....how a betta would sit there, and let a ghost shrimp eat his fins. wouldn't he, like, swim off? fish are a little faster than shrimp....plus shrimp aren't suspended in the water...they are on plants, substrate, the sides...not that bettas don't rest, but still

 

...
I don't really see though....how a betta would sit there, and let a ghost shrimp eat his fins. wouldn't he, like, swim off? fish are a little faster than shrimp....plus shrimp aren't suspended in the water...they are on plants, substrate, the sides...not that bettas don't rest, but still

IME, they do at night, while the fish is 'sleeping.'

 

Sometimes, living things just seem stupid. Like when a giant python can be killed when an owner leaves a live rat in there with it. You're a huge powerful snake! Don't just sit there and let the rat kill you! It's humiliating.

 

Also depends on your tank size. Yes, hiding places would be important for the shrimp...and I wouldn't expect them to breed without a high motality, to the baby shrimp, once the Betta learns that they do that.....tasty treats!!!!

All that being said, I have heard of several folks that have done it ok.... try it with cheap shrimp first. There are no guarantees in the world of bettas...

....they like their tanks exactly how they made you set them up!!!! lol

 

I had 20 ghost shrimp in my 10G with my betta and 6 neons. Everytime my betta would stop to rest the shrimp thought he was dinner or something....they wouldn't leave him alone. So I had to move the shrimp to my 29G and they didn't bother any of my fish in there and my fish never bothered them.
I'm getting ready to try RCS in my 10G with my betta. If he ends up eating them, then I know no more shrimp for that tank.
I also just have to say I have a dwarf crayfish (CPO) in my 10G with my betta and he's just awesome to watch. Highly recommend them.

 

I've had RCS with my bettas with varying success. With my girl Athena, they were very bold, but when she died and I turned the tank into a sorority. After that, the shrimp would only really be visible in the lacefern, and when I got rid of that they started hiding all the time. I know they are still in there, I'm just not sure how many. I also have some with my male Odysseus and they hide all the time in there, too.

 

My bettas eat shrimp.