# First tank - Betta, Cories and a Snail



## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

On a whim we decided to set up a tiny 5G tank and get a pretty betta. My first attempts at photographing a tank, so far from perfect.

The betta - Luongo(the water doesn`t look that bad IRL, but I couldn`t get a better shot):









The snail - Tiger Woods:










The cories - Cory Schenider and Sid the Kid:


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

Very nice, and better pics than I can take. Are those cories Aeneus? If they are, they will out grow a 5 gal.

Steve


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Thank you Steve. I believe you are right about the cories, however my understanding was that they stay under two inches? Or is this alresdy too big for the 5G? If they do outgrow this tank, the 65G will be ready for them. We just started cycling (again), so the tank should be livable in 2 months tops.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

2 things about the cories. Sand is a better, more natural substrate for them, although finer gravel works ok (I have some in both substrates, but you get more natural digging behaviour and happier cories in sand). And Steve is right in that a 5 gallon is too small for those. You should look into Pymies or hastatus or habrosus if you want to have happy cories in a tank as small as a 5 gallon.

That betta is great looking. I had a blue crowntail which I loved but didn't fit in with the current and the tetras in my 15 gallon and had to give him away, and I still miss him.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

I don't think we are quiet ready for the sand, but it sounds like they would feel better in a bigger tank, once that is up and running. I googled Pymies, and it su8ggested that I should look for Pygmy Coriadoras. Also I, for some reason, thought that albinos are a variation of habrosus. Not sure where I got that from... Perhaps internet is not always the most reliable source. However, in my defense, the cories were IPU suggestion for the 5G. We originally wanted to keep betta with a larger shrimp, but they talked us out of it and suggested snails and cories instead. I was only too happy, because, well, cories are awesome.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

IPU was right. Shrimp would have been betta food. Cories would have worked, but these will eventually be too big, but since you have the big tank to put them in, it shouldn't be a problem. One thing to be aware though, is that most cories don't do well at the higher Discus level temps. C. sterbai are one of the exceptions. If you want to look up catfish sizes and habitats, Planetcatfish.com is really the best place for that. Not the friendliest forum in the world at times, but lots of experienced keepers and scientists on that site.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Understood. Well, that's starting to sound not so good... I think we are going to need a third tank soon. Now only to get rid of some furniture in the house....


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

giraffee said:


> Understood. Well, that's starting to sound not so good... I think we are going to need a third tank soon. Now only to get rid of some furniture in the house....


And so it begins..... Better start making room for that Oceanic Starphire 210 with dual overflows.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Well, with enablers like you...  One needs strong will power to not become obsessed with fish. 

So it appears that my cories will grow upto 6cm (2 inches). What size tank would be ideal for them in that case. I do realize that you seem to have over 30 cories in your pleco tank, so please keep in mind that so far only I have succumbed to the catfish/pleco obsession, but husband is still more into discus  And finally is there a good reference source for the size of the tank/quantity of inhabitants?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Hahaha...I have 30+ in the 125 and another 24 in the cube (Sterbai there). I think if you only have 2, a 15 gallon would be great, but they really do better in groups, so in the 15 you can have 5 or 6, and they'll have plenty of swimming room. What I have found that they really come alive in bigger tanks. When I had Sterbai in a 15 gallon they kind of just lay around, but in the 100 gallon cube and in the 125, they shoal all over the tank and are really fun to watch.

And in case you haven't seen it, there is this, which is a rough guide for compatibility and stocking. It doesn't work for advanced setups and overstocking, but it does give you some idea as to what will work: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

15G would probably fit in the dark corner of my kitchen, if I got rid of the toaster oven - we don't use it much anyways. But that is a whole other issue, as it's not recommended to keep a tank in the kitchen... Thank you for the link, I was looking for something of that sort, but in all honesty there is so much to read, that I just relied on IPU to help choose the tank-mates for betta. At least all the fish are happy and eating for now. Though that Chi is just asking for cover...


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

giraffee said:


> ...but in all honesty there is so much to read, that I just relied on IPU to help choose the tank-mates for betta. ...


That is why his staff are there. They were correct about the betta and shrimp. Learn one thing at a time.

The only albino cories I have seen at IPU are the Aeneus. It is possible for albino hasbrosus to exist, but I have never seen or heard of them before. Albinoism is simply a genetic mutation where the animal can't produce any colour. It happens in humans too.

Steve


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Unfortunately, as evidenced by my tank, one thing at a time is not really good enough. Need sand instead of gravel and potentially homeless cories. Well, at least betta and the snails are not raising any flags. I'm sure you guys will let me know if they do 

I suppose I should also say that I'm Vira. Nice to meet you Steve


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Those cories will be ok for a while, and it's not undoable if you look at my pics for my 125, with gravel. but it's just not ideal, that's all. Setups which fit well tend to be easier to keep, is what I found. Trying to force a setup always ends up being more work and over the long haul, unsustainable. But there's no reason why your setup won't work for a year or so.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Well, that's a bit easier to live with, thank you. I started panicking here just a little. 

Looking at the journals it seems that mostly tanks change a lot within a year. So I suppose we'll just enjoy the cories as is for now and try to come up with something better for them in the future. Since the 65G has black substrate I really enjoyed the bright colors in the Chi. But I suppose once the novelty wears off we can just switch to black sand... As for your 125, no I haven't even noticed the gravel, too busy counting plecos and gasping over the coloring.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Hahaha...thanks. I think they're in "my other fish" picture thread.

Here's a pic:


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

How big are these guys now? They look like little vacuum cleaners in the video  And this is a much smaller gravel than in our Chi, so I guess that allows for more nose digging... Nice warm color of the gravel btw. And of course the clarity of the picture is amazing. I had to actually use manual focus *gasp* to make a picture of the cories yesterday. If things go like that I might have to find the manual to my SLR...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

They're fully grown and huge. Around 2" SL (standard length). That's Estes Aquarium gravel I got from Big Al's with the tank. I like the natural colour stuff.

I actually shoot with autofocus 99% of the time with my Nikon as I can't focus as fast as the camera.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Big Al's online? Or IPU? I am not sure what I like yet... In the pictures white sand looks the best usually, but I've seen that sand very nasty looking in some places... So sand scares me a little as it seems more difficult to maintain. As for the gravel - black and white seem pretty safe, but for bright and colorful betta silly colorful gravel seemed appropriate at the time. 

Autofocus seems to be very fond of colorful gravel and not so much of white cories. Betta came out sharp enough with auto, but water looks horribly muddy in that pic. I have no idea how to correct that (are you going to refer me to a photo forum as well? )


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

How did you know? 12 Quick Tips | Aquarium Photography Info

There was more stuff but it got messed up. The owner is a member here.

I got the gravel at Big Al's in Richmond before it became IPU, and before there really was much of a BCA presence.

White sand was chosen in my cube because of the black background. I would have chosen tan if the background was blue or lighter.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

I am a big fan of white sand. A little more work to maintain, but not bad. I started out with bllue gravel in a 33g, then black gravel in a 46g, then switched it to natural color gravel. Now in my 90g I have white sand and that is definitely be my substrate of choice.

If you do decide to switch it to the sand, you will find the color of your betta will show up really bright as well. I loved how light my fish looked with the sand.


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## rescuepenguin (Apr 21, 2010)

giraffee said:


> ...I suppose I should also say that I'm Vira. Nice to meet you Steve


It is nice to meet you too Vira.

Steve


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

How did I know - just a hunch  Looking at the camera requirements I can just barely pass the ISO - at least 1600 and that's the highest ISO in my Canon. Not only do I need another tank, I need a new DSLR! ))
Background - we went with black in the 65G, and black substrate... We shall see how the plants look in there. Half or more of the original plants in the 65G did not survive the week in a bucket, so more shopping for us. Lights should be up today, and the plants will be re-evaluated to see if any are recoverable...


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Daniel, white sand does look beautiful. However, I think I'm too afraid of doing too much with the tank right now, as I still fret that the betta will get stressed and jump out. Chi doesn't have a cover, so I keep checking if the fish is still there. And I do think that natural looking gravel is the next step...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Just get a piece of mesh/screen to put over it for now until you're sure that it's not going to jump. Bettas are notorious jumpers.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Good idea. Home Depot? Where does one buy a screen? Can you cut them with regular household scissors? And how do you keep your nearly 3 year old away from it? ) (no, please do not refer me to parenting forums, i'm on plenty of those as is)


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

The top of my tank is higher than either of them can reach (4 and 1 year olds). I use the eggcrate light diffusers. $13 a sheet at HD or Rona.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Well, mine is two month short of three, but she will gladly bring a stool over - that is how she scratched the aquarium


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Looks like my betta has died. According to dear husband it got really freaked out when he turned the light on in the morning and suddenly flipped on her side. Since he only told me that on lunch I had hope that he was just playing dead. However, my son came back from school and reports that betta is on the bottom of the tank, not moving. *Insert profanity here*


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## Momobobo (Sep 28, 2010)

Thats unfortunate =\...Sounds odd so have a fish die JUST from the shock of changing lights.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

It is very odd. According to him betta was at the top of the aquarium and suddenly charged towards the bottom (when he reached to turn the lights on). Half way through betta suddenly flipped on his side and floated down... I haven't read anything of that sort before.... First aquarium, first dead fish... Milestones I suppose...


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm sorry to read that your betta has died. I had just looked at your first post and was going to post how beautiful he is, when I read about his sudden death.

It's really weird that he died so suddenly. If he was looking completely healthy before then, maybe it was some kind of defect that wasn't visible to you -- a stroke, or a heart problem, something that affected him very suddenly. I once had an elderly hamster have a stroke and then die in my hands.

The cories are very cute, by the way.


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Thank you Morainy. It did look very sudden, so perhaps your guess is right and there was some kind of an internal problem... 

We've had three hamsters pass away in the last year (tumor, unsuccessful escape attempt and old age accordingly), and just last week one of the finches died (since those can be only kept as a couple or a small group - replacement was bought the same day...) 

I will not be replacing betta just yet, we will fiddle with the tank a little and see if there is anything wrong with the water etc. Cories are very active and eating, so they do not seem to be affected. 

P.S. I like your biography  Though I'm allergic to cats and have half of the amount of kids, we balance it out with three birds and a turtle in addition to the fish )


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Giraffee... After reading your post, I thought, "Biography? What biography?" Then I looked up my own profile and saw that I had listed our cats ahead of our kids, lol. Well, that's where our cats would place themselves, I think. One of them (growing senile, perhaps) now thinks that her proper place is in the middle of the table at all times.

You've had a run of hard luck with your pets. I hope that your kids are not feeling too upset. 

A betta should do well in a 5 gallon tank and as long as the water is clean and dechlorinated, they seem pretty tolerant of different water conditions. So, if your corydoras are looking happy and active, I don't think that your water parameters are too far off for a betta. (Although it would take a test to tell.) In my experience, long-finned bettas are not fond of a fast current, but he'd be more likely to hide behind the water intake pipe than have a heart attack if that was the problem. And when bettas are sick, it is generally pretty obvious: fin rot, fungus, dropsy, not eating, lethargy, etc. So, if your corys are fine and your betta was fine until his sudden death, there might be very little you can do to make things better for another betta. However, it is good to check the water, just in case. Good luck!~


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## Chappy (Apr 21, 2010)

I love this tank  Very cute and a very pretty betta boy.
Shelley


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## giraffee (Mar 28, 2011)

Thank you Shelley  50% water change today again.


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