# Betta + Ghost shrimp = :(



## mdreher (Jul 31, 2011)

This may be a little different for a male betta, but my female betta did the same thing. After a couple days of chasing them around she's given up and they've come out of hiding. Now they can be right next to each other and everyone gets along. My female always chases new comers at first and then settles down. Hopefully yours will too.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

I believe the peacefull, shrimp friendly Betta is an exception. 

My last & current HMPKs are hard core killers. My current one even eats smail snails. He's suck one up chomp iy and spit out shell pcs.

I 'd tell you just to get the Betta/Shrimp idea out of your head.


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

This is unfortunate. Hopefully he will calm down and not kill them all. My tank is pretty heavily planted so Im hoping they can hide out till then. Right now most of them are hiding in the anacharis I have floating waiting to be planted. 

I have to say I did see a snail shell empty today and wondered how that happened...


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Qwedfg said:


> ...I have to say I did see a snail shell empty today and wondered how that happened...


My experience is based on HMPKs my latest is a Thai import. They have moderate finnage and are a lot closer related to the PlaKat that is used in fighting in S.E. Asia. I feel they are more aggressive than the more fancy fined forms. I had a large colony of Scuds in one of my crypt grow-out tanks.

I didn't care until I decided to grow some Taiwan moss in there. I put the Betta in and he hunted them down without mercy.


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

Bettas hunt shrimp and pretty much anything else they can catch. They are not puppies that you can train with the "Leave it!" command, lol!


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

BAD Betta!!! Bad. 

:hihi:


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

it depends on the betta. some see them as food, some dont. 
i have 2 RCS that hitchhiked into my betta tank (probably as shrimplets), and he swims right by them not caring (they get really scared though and dart away).


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

I left the lights off today when I went to work in hopes of lessening aggression. Last night I found one which had jumped and was stuck to my cover. I was able to save him but I think Harold is hellbent on their demise. I wish the websites that claim their compatibility would more transparent about the reality that bettas hate shrimp and they aren't ideal tankmates


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## Daximus (Oct 19, 2011)

As stated, depends a lot on the Betta. Tank size seems to play a role as well. My current Betta is in a 30 gallon with some shrimp and he is playing nice, but when he was in a 5 gallon he was very territorial. Almost like he got bored and just started mangling things, lol.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

Qwedfg said:


> I left the lights off today when I went to work in hopes of lessening aggression. Last night I found one which had jumped and was stuck to my cover. I was able to save him but I think Harold is hellbent on their demise. I wish the websites that claim their compatibility would more transparent about the reality that bettas hate shrimp and they aren't ideal tankmates


that is simply not the reality. see my prior post.


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## Cynical Fish Guy (Feb 19, 2012)

It all depends on the temperment of the Betta. My MALE VT lives in a whole community of fishes and for a while shared his 1 gallon tank with 5 ghost shrimp. The shrimps were small. They all got along swimmingly, so I knew it wouldn't be a huge problem transferring SAM (the Betta) into the 15 gallon long tank. However my Betta is a Wuss, a big fish, but a WUSS; and as such he gets along with other fishes and shrimps. I have found half eaten shrimp in my 15 gallon, but arthropods die during the molting process naturally quite commonly, and I have omnivorous fish that will happily eat a dead shrimp. My shrimp were old to start with too.


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## Cynical Fish Guy (Feb 19, 2012)

PS: Do not feed a Betta living with Ghost Shrimp, Brine Shrimp. I think all shrimps taste alike...... Pellets & worms are ok!!! Flakes too if your betta will take em!!!


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

@[email protected] said:


> that is simply not the reality. see my prior post.


I'm not sure what you are referring to with this post. What is not reality?

edit

I think you are referring to where I said bettas hate shrimp. I understand this works for some people but the way its stated in most online sources it would lead you to believe there is about a 99 percent success rate. I have found this not to be the case...

edit 2

Thanks for the useful information about feeding. I currently feed my betta NLS pellets and frozen bloodworms. I did feed him a couple freezedried brine shrimp when I first got him and he wasnt eating but he didn't seem to like them. I guess he changed his mind.


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## josolanes (Feb 28, 2012)

My female crowntail betta is very calm. I have her in a 20g with 7 platies, 5 ghost shrimp, 5 nerite snails, and a bunch of cories and have only ever seen her chase a cory rarely (when she was in the 10g). In the 20g everyone gets along very well. The shrimp are the only thing in the tank she's never chased at all. She rarely nips at the platies (when they're all over her) and she tests the snails occasionally and seems to get bored of them


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## josolanes (Feb 28, 2012)

@[email protected] said:


> that is simply not the reality. see my prior post.


This, exactly. Bettas vary heavily by personality. Where one may be passive another may be aggressive in the same scenario. It's a matter of monitoring the betta during changes and learning how it acts


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

Update...

Harold has rid his domain of all but the largest ghost shrimp. I found two today which had somehow jumped out through the lid and dried up. Unfortunately it seems like some did not make it out of the tank and instead made it through my filter floss and into the return pump of my tank. I am not sure how this happened because this powerhead is pretty wimpy (aqueon 4) but it seems they were shred to bits by it. This probably happened last night and today I came home during my break to check out what was up and it seemed that my betta has the beginning of fin rot. His top fin had two white tips to it that seemed pretty unusual. In response I did about a 80 percent water change during which I was able to suck out most of the shrimp guts. 

I also went to the fish store after work today where they recommended I use melafix as it was "the best and safest fix for fin rot and they have been using it for years." Luckily before I added it I did a little snooping around the internet and saw that melafix could kill my betta and that it does not treat gram negative bacteria...which is what causes fin rot. I did some further reading and saw people had good results using stress coat, which I already had. I am planning on doing daily water changes and using stress coat as recommended till he gets better. I also have some furan-2 lying around somewhere that I am contemplating using if it gets any worse.

Needless to say, that was the worst 5 dollars I've ever spent.


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## @[email protected] (Oct 24, 2007)

Qwedfg said:


> I also went to the fish store after work today where they recommended I use melafix as it was "the best and safest fix for fin rot and they have been using it for years." Luckily before I added it I did a little snooping around the internet and saw that melafix could kill my betta and that it does not treat gram negative bacteria...which is what causes fin rot. I did some further reading and saw people had good results using stress coat, which I already had. I am planning on doing daily water changes and using stress coat as recommended till he gets better. I also have some furan-2 lying around somewhere that I am contemplating using if it gets any worse.
> 
> Needless to say, that was the worst 5 dollars I've ever spent.


melafix is just melaleucia extract. it is an antiseptic, not an antibiotic, and does not discriminate between gram- and gram+. it also harms fungi and protists. i use it whenever im treating for anything at 50% dose. 
yes it can hurt the betta, but it hurts the pathogen more.

fin rot is a symptom not a disease. it is ANY INFECTION IN THE FIN AND/OR TAIL. it could be bacterial (caused by either gram+ or gram- bacteria), or fungal. you said white, where bacterial fin rot is usually red or brown. white is probably fungal (especially if its fluffy and white). 
i would treat with salt, melaleucia (50% dose), and either ethyromycin (antibiotic), or an antifungal (havent had a fungal issue in years) depending on what the fin rot looked like. i would do daily 50% water changes (replace medication), and bump the temperature up to 81-82F.


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## Qwedfg (Mar 7, 2012)

Hmmm ok I read that fin rot is frequently caused by Flavobacterium columnare...which is gram negative. Can I get those medications at a pet store?

edit

This is what I read:

"Basically Melafix is best used for external wounds, and other minor EXTERNAL & gram positive infections where there are proven results in many cases, however for diseases that go systemic (which most gram negative infections common in aquariums often do), Melafix is TOTALLY USELESS.
Using Melafix for Columnaris or similar more serious gram negative infections is analogous to using Neosporin for a 3rd degree burn and then blaming the Neosporin for someone's death after receiving 3rd degree burns. Sadly though, this is just the type of logic that has gone into many of these "Melafix Betta Dangers" articles that come up in internet searches!!!"


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## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

@[email protected] said:


> i would treat with salt, melaleucia (50% dose), and either ethyromycin (antibiotic), or an antifungal (havent had a fungal issue in years) depending on what the fin rot looked like. i would do daily 50% water changes (replace medication), and bump the temperature up to 81-82F.


I would not treat with all those at the same time! Pick one and try it but don't bombard the fish with 3 different additives to the tank.

I personally use a bit of salt and lots of clean water to start with, and if that doesn't help I switch to antibiotics.


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