My Betta fish unexpectedly died! Now what!? (options for my brand new Aquatop)

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Ok, I'm over Betta keeping. My pretty girl Spark was found unexpectedly deceased. This topic is not to discuss what happened with her (meaning troubleshooting), trust me I did this already. 

What I am here to say is that I'm totally over Betta keeping. With the exception of 1, they never live long enough to justify my attachment to them. The complete irony of this sad event is that I just got her a 4.12 gallon cube from Aquatop and was going to set it up on the very day I found her. 😔

That aside, now what?! Unfortunately I've had no luck with shrimp so that's out for me. Tank has driftwood, a shelter, java, anubias, a small collection of red root floaters and subwassertang. It's not running as hot as all my other tanks do (right now it's only hitting 70 which is weird since the tank right next to it is at 78). So I'll likely get a small heater to bring it up some. Spark's Nerite, Curlyque and her bladder snail friends are settling into the new tank. 

Somebody give me ideas! Please. 🙂 

Edited September 24, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[laritheloud]

I'd consider a freshwater bumblebee goby, a sparkling gourami, a licorice gourami, or a pea puffer for a tank that size.

[sudofish]

Agreed with above, except no pea puffers if you want to keep your snails.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On the subject of pea puffers would they be a danger to the Nerite? I wouldn't have a problem moving her elsewhere. @laritheloud @sudofish Are they a bit hardier than the Bettas? I know they have to be "de-parasited" when you get them. 

[laritheloud]

Ah, I glazed completely over the nerite. Yeah, no puffers with the nerite! I'd try the licorice or sparkling gourami, though. 🙂 I think you can even get away with a pair of licorice gouramis in that tank. They look very much like teeny tiny bettas. They do like softer, more acidic water, but if you can give them good care they should live a good 5 years.

[Guppysnail]

Celestial pearl danios are tons of fun tiny so more will fit very hardy colorful and do well at 70 😁

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@laritheloud I have pretty hard water so that's a consideration, not sure I want to invest in anything to change that. I'm half tempted to move my 6 teeny tiny Embers into this tank and putting something bigger into the Flex9 (which is more like a 7gallon). The Flex could use another Nerite so I could move the Nerite to the Flex and still get a puffer. 

...maybe I'll get ADF.  

[laritheloud]

On 9/23/2021 at 8:52 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@laritheloud I have pretty hard water so that's a consideration, not sure I want to invest in anything to change that. I'm half tempted to move my 6 teeny tiny Embers into this tank and putting something bigger into the Flex9 (which is more like a 7gallon). The Flex could use another Nerite so I could move the Nerite to the Flex and still get a puffer. 

...maybe I'll get ADF.  

Get the frog. 😁

And I completely hear you. I have hard, alkaline water, too. I'd love to keep something like chocolate or samurai gouramis, but they're not meant to be with what I've got. Sparkling gouramis are hardier and would do fine in neutral to harder water, I'm not convinced licorice gouramis would be okay.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Well so far I'll put poss ADF and Pearl Danios on my research list!

[GameCzar]

I agree with CPDs!  Or maybe a Scarlet Badis. 

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

What I think might be nice about the CPDs is that I can keep a small group and won't get terribly attached like I would with a pea puffer or other solo species. (not to say it still doesn't suck when one of a herd dies. )

Edited September 24, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX
to clarify

[Guppysnail]

On 9/23/2021 at 9:05 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

What I think might be nice about the CPDs is that I can keep a small group and won't get terribly attached like I would with a pea puffer or other solo species. 

It is much less stressful to me. Still an attachment but not to the individual in such a relationship way…if that makes sense. I fret over centerpiece fish to my detriment.

[GameCzar]

On 9/23/2021 at 8:05 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

What I think might be nice about the CPDs is that I can keep a small group and won't get terribly attached like I would with a pea puffer or other solo species. (not to say it still doesn't suck when one of a herd dies. )

We made a very similar decision when we lost our betta, it still sucks but not QUITE as bad. 🙂

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

What about guppies either male or female would they do ok in a tank like this?

[Guppysnail]

Yes guppies would. I have fraternity and sorority tanks. With boys it’s hit or miss how much nipping and squabbling there is. Some batches stress me and I can’t wait for them to be big enough to rehome others play nice. Females are 99.99999% of the time pregnant when you get them. Getting a colony started is miserable business as @GameCzarcan verify they are terribly unhealthy and don’t live long no matter where you get them. The fry born to you though are a whole other happy story but they will reproduce to the point it becomes stressful.  I love my guppies but it is WORK 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Guppysnail ok so that's a BIG no to guppies then! 

[Guppysnail]

These are my strictly fun no stress CPD 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Guppysnail what are your tank parameters for them?

[GameCzar]

On 9/23/2021 at 8:18 PM, Guppysnail said:

Yes guppies would. I have fraternity and sorority tanks. With boys it’s hit or miss how much nipping and squabbling there is. Some batches stress me and I can’t wait for them to be big enough to rehome others play nice. Females are 99.99999% of the time pregnant when you get them. Getting a colony started is miserable business as @GameCzarcan verify they are terribly unhealthy and don’t live long no matter where you get them. The fry born to you though are a whole other happy story but they will reproduce to the point it becomes stressful.  I love my guppies but it is WORK 

It has been gut wrenching at times!  I'm now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but finding spots for the babies is going to be a challenge!

[Guppysnail]

I have kept them in soft water 6.8ph when I bred them and moved them to very hard water 7.6ph for retirement but they still spawn. The upside they eat all eggs if one does hatch it’s hunted down unless I rescue it. They are sooo forgiving and hardy I adore them.  Temp in soft was 72 now their retirement tank is 77 degrees

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@GameCzar I'd probably only do males if I did them at all with guppysnail's comment--- I'd be the one that got the pregnant female. Nope. Nope. Nope. 

[Guppysnail]

On 9/23/2021 at 9:29 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@GameCzar I'd probably only do males if I did them at all with guppysnail's comment--- I'd be the one that got the pregnant female. Nope. Nope. Nope. 

They are more prolific than bladder snails for me. I do have suspicions they are born pregnant 🤣

[Odd Duck]

On 9/23/2021 at 7:41 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

On the subject of pea puffers would they be a danger to the Nerite? I wouldn't have a problem moving her elsewhere. @laritheloud @sudofish Are they a bit hardier than the Bettas? I know they have to be "de-parasited" when you get them. 

Pea puffers are even a danger to large mystery snails.  They will peck at them to the point where they don’t eat enough or succumb to multiple minor injuries.  They are also not really happy alone.  Will they survive?  Yes.  But they are a shoaling species and best kept in groups of 6 or more, species only, in 15 gallons or larger, with more females than males.

They are extremely picky eaters and do best with a variety of live and frozen meaty foods. I’ve heard of them eating some freeze dried on VERY RARE instances, only.  I couldn’t even get mine to eat live, wingless fruit flies.  Bettas are much easier than pea puffers, and I’ve bred both, now, even though the puffer breeding was semi-accidental.

I’ve read about, but not tried, scarlet badis (Dario dario) as an option in nano tanks.  But I don’t know if they would be any easier than Bettas.  Maybe you need to source your Bettas differently?  Sorry for your loss.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Odd Duck I have tried sourcing as I have had several Bettas in my fish keeping experience. Their life spans have been erratic at best where I can keep several other species of fish easily in the same tanks. I've had them shipped, gotten them from breeders, LFS, big box. Honestly I've had the best luck with the big box fish but not by a lot. I've had males and females different "types" all the way up to this female who was a GloFish which some have said seem hardier than others. 😐 I'm just over it and don't want to keep them again. 

I am hesitant to have a pea puffer as they do seem to be moody fish and do enjoy the company of others, maybe I'm just anthropomorphizing them- also I have a harder time feeding live foods though I have a love/hate relationship with my bladder snail population. 

So ultimately I may be going with the CPD suggestion if I'm keeping fish- or, my Mum's 3 gallon ADF pair have been doing so very well in her tank that I set up, I could go that direction.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I ordered some apparently "extra small" CPDs from AquaHuna, let the experiment begin!