01-4-2013 at 2:10 PM

Quick question, how do you know what makes a fish happy or not?<br /> <br /> I've seen a lot of people saying 'that's what makes them happy' and the question just arose to me now.<br /> <br /> How do you know if the fish is really happy? You can't ask it. Sure, that's what they would probably prefer, but it doesn't mean the fish is not happy right now.<br /> <br /> My oto's seem perfectly fine playing with each other. They follow each other everywhere and hang out together all day.<br /> I only have one friend in real life, even though I would prefer more, it does not mean I am not happy.<br /> <br /> There are a lot of methods people use when adding fish. There is the one you mentioned, the two inch per fish rule. But in my opinion, just don't put high ammonia fish with other high ammonia fish and your fine. If you have balanced fish, then your tank is fine.<br /> Of course, leave enough room for the fish to be comfortable. In my ten we have 6 Neon Tetras, Four Black Skirts, A Pleco (Yes, I know. They shouldn't be in a ten but when we got Houdini we were told he wouldn't grow big. We learned later it's painful for the fish but we can't do anything about it.) A cory catfish (Yes, I know they should be in pairs. Had him for years, poor little guy, I tried to get him a little baby friend to care for, but she died :( My little Panda Cory :'( ) And.. A gourami. Jigsaw (my gourami) and Houdini are the only big ammonia wasters in the tank, so it's crystal clear and perfectly fine.<br /> <br /> <br /> I also got Nira her new tank! It's a 1.5 but she LOVES it so much. Her colours shot up and she's started to eat again. So she's very happy!

12-29-2012 at 1:28 PM

Actually, they need that large ttank spaces because of the ammonia they give off :)<br /> <br /> Also, they are schooling fish so they need at least 3-5 to be very happy.<br /> <br /> The rule of thumb is 2 gallons per inch of fish. If you get 5 otos, tha''s automatically 10 gallons just for THEM alone.<br /> <br /> Add bettas and you need more.

12-27-2012 at 3:49 PM

Oto's are very tiny fish, ony about an inch long. They don't need 20 or 10 gals, that's quite outrageous! And yes, I know my Five is stocked pretty bad, I have a 20 that has unwanted Hermit Crabs in them, and I would gladly set that up for them, but Hermit Crabs occupy them right now, so...<br /> <br /> As for my female, I'm sure she would be much happier, and I am already looking into getting a 2.5 for her.

12-22-2012 at 8:42 PM

To be honest, your tank is REALLY overstocked :&lt;<br /> <br /> Otos need to be in 20 gallons or more (I have one in my 10 and I've been berated all the time for it). <br /> <br /> Work more on getting a lager tank that another betta. Trut me, your fish will be thankful :)

12-22-2012 at 2:59 PM

Of course she wasn't with another betta! I'm not stupid. I have a male and a female, they have always been in separate tanks. As I think I said in the one above, I have a five gallon with three? Platy's (Yes, I know they need 10 gals or more. But really, they ARE happy in the five gallon.)<br /> Along with a little baby platy as well in a breeder trap (The others died. Caught onto a disease really quickly :'( )<br /> And 1 guppy. He wasn't actually supposed to be in there though, I only got him because long story short I had another guppy in there and his friend was dying from something, so I got him a healthy friend from the pet store so he wouldn't feel all depressed and then he died as well, so now i'm stuck with a healthy leopard guppy. :/<br /> <br /> In my ten I've got a gourami, so I can't put my guppy in that tank (even though he's terrorizing my female platy's.) cause otherwise he'd probably die like my other guppies (A sad mistake I made, I must say).<br /> I've also got two little oto's in my five, cause they don't take up a whole lotta room and a snail.

12-19-2012 at 1:52 PM

Why was she moved from anther tank? Was she in the 3 gallon with another betta?<br /> <br /> Because with two bettas, you should have at least two 'tanks regardless of gender (unless it's 5+ and you're dividing it male/male or it's 10+ and its a sorority)<br /> <br /> <br /> Wild minnows should probably be in t least a 10 gallon tank.<br /> <br /> Also, if you get minnows, you can not put bettas in with them. So the minnows most likely will have to join other fish. And since they're wild, they probably can't be with certain fish and need more experienced care.<br /> <br /> <br /> @pitbull, if your mom is caring for your fish, you shouldn't breed them. I mean, I don't know if you've seen the care that goes into it (knows quite a few breeders).<br /> You need to set up breeders barracks of possibly 50-100 1 gallon tanks OR mason jars. Also, you need a lot of live food for the fish to survive in. Breeding isn't always easy because there is a chance the male and/or female will be killed as a result.<br /> <br /> Also, the amount of water changes the babies need (daily) as well as how quick they catch diseases is very tiring and troublesome. Wait until you're able to take full responsibilty for it :/

12-18-2012 at 9:26 PM

Sorry for such LATE responses. :3<br /> <br /> My female is in a too-small animal carrier thing. It's only cause her tank is/was infected with so much disease, it was better for her to be moved to the smaller one until the other one was disease-free.<br /> The other is a three-gallon. :3<br /> <br /> That's so cool! that'll be me when I move out, lol! Betta's are hard to breed though, so make sure you've got everything down or else it could turn disastrous!! I saw some Wild Minnows at my pet store, are they hard to care for? And how big do they grow? Im interested in getting one.<br />

12-12-2012 at 12:49 PM

I currently have a 10 gallon and a 5 gallon with 5 bettas (one just pased away) and an oto cat.<br /> <br /> <br /> They require a lot of work, and room xD<br /> <br /> You can have 100 tanks, but as long as the fish isn't happy, it doesn't matter.<br /> <br /> <br /> Put the bettas together in another 10 gallon. DIVIDED, of course. I have/had 4 in my one ten gallon. The only problem is that when one gets sick, you need to quarentine the sick fish and keep them out of the tank until they are healthy again.<br /> <br /> How big are these "betta" tanks? Tanks for bettas should be at least 2 gallons and above :)

12-12-2012 at 12:06 PM

I know this is very late, but... It's okay. I have over 30 fish right now and 10 aquariums including a 15 gallon, 20 gallon, 55 gallon and MANY betta and minnow tanks. xD My fish list:<br /> <br /> 5 Rosy Red Minnows<br /> 2 Goldfish<br /> 1 Pleco<br /> 3 Otos<br /> 4 Bettas<br /> 15+ Wild Minnows<br /> <br /> And I am getting 4 more Bettas and an Oscar in a few weeks when I come home from boarding school. Oh, and did I mention that I'm making my MOM care for them when I'm at school most of the year? xD But seriously, you should get another fish, they teach responsibility (even if you're at school most of the year!). x3<br /> <br /> Edit: Oh, yeah, and I am going to breed my bettas soon, so I will have 200+ extra fish when they're born, if they survive. xD