Is a Marine Betta reef safe?

[stingnyc]

Marine Betta reef safe?

Has anyone ever put a marine betta into there reef tank? I made a mistake recently by introducing a betta into my reef. So far it doesnt seem to have done any damage yet... I just wanted to see if anyone else has tried this fish before.

 

[marrone]

They're reef safe but will eat small snails and small pods. I have one and Dean also has one.

 

[jhale]

I like them, they are neat looking.

 

[ctxmonitor]

don't they hid all the time?

 

[drunktank]

do Marine bettas eat shrip as well?

 

[Dave ESPI]

awesome fish, no worries mate

 

[Deanos]

don't they hid all the time?

Not once they get accustomed to the tank. Mine took 3 months to show itself regularly.

do Marine bettas eat shrip as well?

They will eat any shrimp that will fit in its mouth. So most ornamental shrimp are safe unless you have a large betta...or small shrimp.

 

[marrone]

don't they hid all the time?

Once all the food to eat was gone, like small snails and such, it had to to come out to eat. I would put some Forumlar I or II in a Turkey baster and he would come right up to it and I would shoot it right at him. They do need shelter and caves to hid in. They live a very long time and are almost bullet proof.

 

[stingnyc]

Thanks for the info, I feel more secure about the fish now. I couldnt resist buying the fish , it was miss marked at petco for $24.99

 

[Deanos]

That's a great price! How long is it?

 

[ctxmonitor]

Thanks for the info, I feel more secure about the fish now. I couldnt resist buying the fish , it was miss marked at petco for $24.99

For that price, I would setup a new tank just for him.. Nice catch.. Too bad you won't have any snail or shrimp in your tank anymore..

 

[stingnyc]

For that price, I would setup a new tank just for him.. Nice catch.. Too bad you won't have any snail or shrimp in your tank anymore..

he/ she has been pretty good. all my snails and shrimps are still alive, but its still early...

 

[stingnyc]

BTW the store in Howard Beach still has 4 more bettas. They are calling the m Royal Dotty Backs.

 

[marrone]

For that price, I would setup a new tank just for him.. Nice catch.. Too bad you won't have any snail or shrimp in your tank anymore..

It's just the very small snails and shrimps which alot of them eat zoo's and such. I wouldn't worry about the larger shrimp, like fire or cleaners, as they'll be fine. I have a pistol shrimp with mine and he never try to eat it.

$24.99 is a very good prices, I think FishTown usally has them for $29.99-$39.99, but I just get chills purchasing things from Petco.

 

[Deanos]

Too bad you won't have any snail or shrimp in your tank anymore..

Not true Tom. At the sizes Petland/Petco usually get, only shrimp the size of mysis or smaller and baby snails will be eaten. If it doesn't fit in the bettas mouth, it'll be left alone.

 

[stingnyc]

but I just get chills purchasing things from Petco.

and you dont from ft fish?

 

[marrone]

Believe it or not I trust FT alot more than Petco. Even though FT fish may have some dieases Petco fish usally aren't in the best shape and alot of them usally die over time. The place in Union Square needs to a major overhaul on their salt water tanks and the place on E86th is really bad.

 

[jhale]

I was in the petco on union square yesterday.
their tanks are a mess. it looks like they have some kind of disease in all the tanks. they are trying to offer more salt water livestock. I don't know if that's a good thing. they now have a tank of seahorses $60 each, a tank for live rock, large plates and some big pieces, and a "show" tank with lots of rock and some leather coral and a mandarin. it's a funny looking tank but some one was trying to make it look good.
they also have a tank full of inverts, it looked like world war 3 in there, things were trying to eat each-other.

 

[Dmitry]

I recently added one too. It doesn't hide a whole lot. Stays in the rocks, but I see it every day peeking out, coming out for a second. Only when MHs are off, though. My biggest challenge is getting it to eat frozen foods. I've bought live brine shrimp a few times and it's eaten that, but I don't want to do that all the time. So far I'm not sure what the success has been with frozen foods. Twice I saw it grab a piece of krill and swim into the rocks...I don't know if it ate it. I saw it grab at frozen mysis a couple of times. I've also seen it grab at something on the rocks, but too small to notice wha it was. Probably pods. Today I dropped some silversides in front of it and it grabbed and ate one piece, but left the other.

I've seen it try to eat one snail: it grabbed its shell (a small snail), but immediately spit it out. Sometimes it just hangs there staring at one spot on the sandbed...ready to attack.

My Skunk shrimp is still around.

But all these attempts to get it to eat has meant a lot of uneaten food got dropped into the tank...and now I have major cyano break-out! :banghead: :irked:

Even as I was writing this I turned to look at my tank and saw the Betta swimming the entire length of my tank, right up front, from one end to the other, and go into the rocks. A swim-by.

 

[inkblue]

They have a couple (2"-3") in Aquatic Creations... :usa1: