Fair warning, I am a noob at actual tanks. A bowl I can do, that's easy. Add a heater and replace the water weekly. Tadaaa happy heathy betta. Tanks are new for me, and seem to have more to worry about.
Firstly, I've put together a 14 gallon tank with plants, and moved in my male halfmoon betta. I got a bamboo shrimp who's pretty happy there, and likes to chill by the filter.
Then I got 3 mollies (a silver and a dalmatian who were in the same tank and a mickey mouse molly). They are very energetic fish, and little piggies, but my betta was happy to leave them be. However I noticed the mickey mouse molly (mmm for the sake of saving time) was always around him and getting in his space, and my husband noted the mmm was nipping at the bamboo shrimp's tail.
I added three ghost shrimp, and after everyone settled down (and I separated the shrimp I noticed had eggs) i noticed some little orange spots on my betta where it was like a scale had been nipped off, and there was a bit of tattering on his tail. Betta was also getting reclusive, though active, and was not eating. I actually saw him take food then spit it out, and in a bowl he always devoured his food. I gave him the same hikari betta food in the tank as I did in the bowl.
So I've moved my betta back into a bowl even though it was for his sake that I set up the community tank. I think I am going to return the mmm to petsmart, but I am unsure if I should return the silver and dalmatian as well as I'm not sure if it was only the mmm or all three of them getting up the betta's space and nipping him. I know the silver and dalmatian chase each other around a lot.
What do you think? If I return all three I guess I will try platy or tetra unless someone has a better suggestion. Any ideas? Are mollies often little buttheads?
Firstly, I've put together a 14 gallon tank with plants, and moved in my male halfmoon betta. I got a bamboo shrimp who's pretty happy there, and likes to chill by the filter.
Then I got 3 mollies (a silver and a dalmatian who were in the same tank and a mickey mouse molly). They are very energetic fish, and little piggies, but my betta was happy to leave them be. However I noticed the mickey mouse molly (mmm for the sake of saving time) was always around him and getting in his space, and my husband noted the mmm was nipping at the bamboo shrimp's tail.
I added three ghost shrimp, and after everyone settled down (and I separated the shrimp I noticed had eggs) i noticed some little orange spots on my betta where it was like a scale had been nipped off, and there was a bit of tattering on his tail. Betta was also getting reclusive, though active, and was not eating. I actually saw him take food then spit it out, and in a bowl he always devoured his food. I gave him the same hikari betta food in the tank as I did in the bowl.
So I've moved my betta back into a bowl even though it was for his sake that I set up the community tank. I think I am going to return the mmm to petsmart, but I am unsure if I should return the silver and dalmatian as well as I'm not sure if it was only the mmm or all three of them getting up the betta's space and nipping him. I know the silver and dalmatian chase each other around a lot.
What do you think? If I return all three I guess I will try platy or tetra unless someone has a better suggestion. Any ideas? Are mollies often little buttheads?
