I made a mistake but fixed it (I think)

For the past two months my 30g. long has housed 7 rasbora espei's, 6 cory's (3 julii's and 3 panda's) and my beautiful male betta. In the past 4-5 days the cory's have not been coming out but hiding under the driftwood.

I met with a new friend today who has run freshwater tanks and he watched my fish, trying to figure out was going on. Well, unbeknownst to me, the betta was starting to chase the cory's. I'm not sure how I missed this, but I did. :-[

A few days ago I moved my nano powerhead so as to create a bit more flow towards the plants. Very mild flow, but flow nonetheless. What we think happened is that due to the change in flow, the betta started working too hard to swim so he was resting more, and more towards the bottom where the cory's are. The betta didn't want to share space. It's weird because until a few days ago he would go down by them and everything was fine.

So, today I went to WalMart and bought a really nice little 3g. cube with a small LED light. I also bought some black sand and a heater. I took 3 anubias from the 30g. and put them in the 3g. along with 2g. of water from the 30.; there is a VERY small filtration system. If a cycle does begin the plants will absorb the ammonia and nitrites so I'm not worried about my guy. I'll also be doing large water changes if I see anything bad beginning to happen.

Interestingly, he appears to be swimming more peacefully (if that makes sense) and looks to be doing very well. And, the cory's are starting to come out and it's only been two hours since I moved the betta.

I hope I did the right thing today and rectified my mistake. Rock and a hard place situation--damn I hate those. Wish my betta luck that I didn't mess this up.

 

Thank you all for the feedback.

 

Was there a question? Plants preferentially absorb nitrates... if they absorbed ammonia and nitrite... they would be used in tank cycling as a "cure all". Keep some test strips around and test for ammonia and nitrite.

 

Yes, thank you, I will definitely watch the water chemistry. I could be mistaken, but from what I've read plants absorb all 3 which is why many people start with plants from day 1. I will be doing a 70% water change 2 x week so the water should stay quite pristine.

I guess I was asking if this was a good solution to this particular situation. I want my betta more than my cory's but with the plants and flow, it was just too much for the betta.

 

Hey there.(first post, and still sort of a newb to the hobby so please bare with me = P )

Like I said, im new so correct me if im wrong, but betta typically do better in still water or very low flow tanks. I think its entirely probable that increasing that flow could cause enough stress to bring out the aggression in him. I dont feel like it had anything to do with being tired. Just downright uncomfortable. Ive found bettas to be pretty fickle personally. I wouldnt worry about him. Some bettas just dont play nice and are happier isolated with their own space. Beware of walmart filters though. They break quickly.

On another note, if I understand right then the bigger the water change the cloudier it will stay for a while right? I read that the healthy bacteria goes macro in order to aclimate all that new water, so smaller changes get clear faster than larger changes. So wouldnt 70% 2x a week actually keep it very cloudy?

 

Plants are capable of absorbing all three, but they're rather inefficient at ammonia and nitrite. Just keep a bottle of Prime nearby and if anything shows on the tests... hit it with some Prime. (Be careful not to do to much or it'll change pH).

It's true, decorative betta have long flowing fins that do better outside of rough flow. Additionally, betta have adaptations to cope with water that is lacking enough oxygen (they can breathe air). This can happen in water that doesn't have enough flow. The nitrifying bacteria are benthic (they live/grow on rocks) so changing the water will remove a negligible amount of them. Large water changes tend to be avoided because they can cause large swings in parameters. If you are doing them frequently, with the same water... that shouldn't happen.

 

Thank you so much for your input.

Ok, I'll only do one weekly water change. I guess I kinda freaked out because I want him to be healthy and very comfortable, and this is such a little tank. He definitely looks better since the water is calmer. The nano powerhead is providing minimal flow, but obviously it was too much for him.

I don't even know what prime is but I'll get some today. Poor water conditions are simply unacceptable.

Several weeks ago I had a great conversation with 2n10 since I'm very new to freshwater tanks. I ran a reef for 9 years but this is very different. Fortunately he has helped me think in a different way regarding my system. I really do appreciate your input because I want to make sure my betta will thrive in this little 3g. tank. And fwiw, he likes the 3 little anubia I put in the tank.

Again, thank you for your input.

 

As long as the water you put in is close to the water in the tank... you'll be fine to change the water. Also, betta are very hardy fish. Honestly, it's amazing that they can survive in little shipping cups like they do. Prime neutralizes ammonia and nitrite. The neutralized complex can still accumulate and cause issues, but with any sort of water changes, that shouldn't be a concern.

 

Yes, I always make sure temperature and ph match as closely as possible. Ah, Prime. Ok, I use Amquel Plus which detoxifies ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, chlorine and chloramines so I think I'm good to go.

 

Update: my betta has been in the 3g. for weeks now and is doing very well. The little filter thing (if that's what you want to call it) makes bubbles so there is plenty of oxygen in the tank. I realize they breathe air but still... I do 30% water changes 2 x per week and have the Amquel+ on hand just in case.

And, the new rule in the house is that at least once a day my son has to look at my betta and comment about what a lovely boy he is. No dinner for my son if he doesn't participate in the "oh you're so pretty" club. j/k