A couple weeks ago the betta I've had for several months was found floating. I have the worst luck with bettas. The longest I've kept one alive is for six months, maybe seven, and I've kept them in a range of conditions. In a ten gallon solo and community (heated). In a 3 gallon solo (heated). In unheated vases with bidaily water changes. And I always seem to get the same results: death.
Bettas are tropical fish and "should" have heaters but I've had 4 (2 males, 2 females) which I've lost for no apparent reasons in 78 degree, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, less than 24 nitrate water. I've had almost as much luck with bettas as I've had with puffers, which is almost zero.
And speaking of puffers... remember the pair of red eye puffers I had? Turned out the larger female, after a couple weeks, became the dominant one and eventually killed the male. So in my experience, a pair of red eyes ain't going to work in a ten gallon no matter how much fake foliage you cram in, and I doubt they'd work in a 29 or 20 gallon long either given their homing seek and destroy nature I've observed.
In other news... the two clown loaches I bought for the 55 gallon are getting aggressive and nipping at the angel's fins, and surprisingly enough, the pleco's as well. I'm going to get a 20 gallon long and keep them solo in that, maybe with a silver dollar for kicks.
That nasty algae in the ten gallon freshwater just won't die so I've about given up. My next step is to bleach the hell out of everything in there.
- Josh
