(no subject)

[sublimatedangel]

So, need to change the bettas water today. I also like to rearrange them when I do it, so they all get a chance to flare, etc. But I'm starting to wonder if I should put only Icthulhu in the middle with the ghost shrimp.

You see, the ghost shrimp scavenges the bottom of the tank, eating algae and fallen fish food. I tuck a little fish flake in there for him every so often. Well lately, he's not been around much... I thought I might have lost him, but then I finally found him... looking very small and weak and timid. And today I found out why.

The crowntail in his tank is *eating* his food. The little pigletfish! I keep my bettas well fed, and even cater to their whims a bit, and I try to keep their diet varied. Icthulhu is picky and will not eat flake food. The majority of them like to eat floating food... they will *occasionally* eat falling food. Well, creature is actually bottom feeding off the fishy flake food. Even if I put it in a hard to get to place, he will squeeze in and gobble it up. ::wonders when the last time the shrimp ate was::

So today I'm going to put Icthulhu back in the middle tank since he won't even eat betta flakes, yet alone regular flake food, and he *won't* eat anything that's on the floor. Would move the shrimp into a different tank, but he's hard to catch. And if I put him in the big tank, I worry the puffers might eat him - they're supposed to like crunchy snacks like shrimp and snails.

In main tank news: the dojo loaches have taken to hiding alot. I wish they wouldn't, they were so much fun to watch snuffling and tumbling around. I wonder if it's a permanent change of if they're just seasonal or bored or if something is bullying them.

Comments

[katlyn.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of going to pick up a shrimp or two for my guys. Proteus (the white one) doesn't like his flake food very much, and tends not to eat as much as Nereus, so his tank is usually so much dirtier looking. I need to change their water... I try to do it at least once a week, if not more, and it's been longer than that.

Do you know of other things who suck off the bottom that get along with bettas?

[sublimatedangel]

I think my crown tail ate the shrimp. :( Now he is nowhere to be found, even during the water change. I might get another one though, as both the veil tails got along with it just fine.

Other options - snails are a maybe. Sometimes they get along fine, but sometimes bettas will eat them. I may be getting experience in this soon... my puffers are supposed to eat snails as part of their diet (they need to teeth on the shells, just like rats need to gnaw wood) and so I'm thinking about getting some snails and letting them breed in one of the spare tanks. I might try putting one in with the bettas and see how they get along.

Will have to research some, not sure if oto's are compatible... but the ones we got are very small and not flashy, so I would think they might? They don't get as big as other suckermouth fish like the plecos... eventually they might outgrow the tank, but you could probably trade it at the fish store for a new small one.

[hughmanatee.livejournal.com]

I hope it's nothing serious....remember my platy was hiding a lot before it died. I imagine we'll get another and prolly name her (it) Taiyo II (T2...heh)....

[sublimatedangel]

I hope they are not sick.. it might just be natural though, loaches are supposed to be kind of shy and nocturnal... it's just that they used to be so active, so I'm a teeny bit worried. No other symptoms/sicknesses in the tank though.