I know two male beta fish will fight but if i put one female and one male together, will they still fight?

Answer 1

This is long but it was cute and gave you the info you asked



Betta Behavior.com
The behavior that resulted in the sport of Siamese Fish Fighting is still a distinguishing trait of the Betta, despite the customized breeding that defines the various types of this species. A warrior by nature, their aggressive behavior appears to stem from the male Bettas need to protect his territory. For this reason, males should be kept separate at all times. However, both male and female Bettas adapt well to community tanks, provided that there is only one male Betta in residence. Take precaution not to place them in a tank with other fish that are aggressive, because Bettas tend to get “picked on” by the others, which could result in injury to him due to the nipping of the other fish. Females, on the other hand, tend not to be antagonistic at all and will do well when placed together. A pecking order will be established in the community tank. One fish will establish itself as dominant and the others will act in submission to the ALPHA fish. As long as there are no new additions placed in the tank, there will be peace.

Talk to any Betta enthusiast and you will learn that Bettas each have their own personalities. They are friendly, curious and will get to know their caregivers. Some enjoy swimming into a hand and being raised out of the water to be stroked. There have been cases of Bettas who have suffered from depression and after sulking for a time, will starve themselves to death. This can occur if a male is removed from the tank immediately following spawning. In addition to their graceful beauty, these personality traits are what make Bettas ideal pets for people of all ages.

If you have ever seen a male Betta when it is “flaring”, you will understand the attraction to these exquisite fish. Flaring is a manifestation of their aggression and occurs when a male Betta’s territory is threatened in any way by another male. Bettas tend to become more aggressive as they mature, so don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.

Let’s pretend that Fred, a two-year-old Cambodian Betta is swimming around in his tank enjoying his solitude. Ever the optimist, Fred has made a bubblenest on the surface, hoping for a ready and able spawning partner to appear. He hears the slight splash of another fish entering his space, turns and immediately spots, not his long-awaited love, but Harry, the Piebald Betta. Without hesitation, Fred attempts to make himself appear as large as possible by turning his gill covers outward and extending the dark red branchiostegal membranes beyond the gill cavity. His “flaring” or “displaying” makes him look much larger to Harry, since Harry has a low visual acuity. While an actual attack tends to not follow this position of warning, Fred and Harry assume a side-by-side position, head-to-tail and the two males twist into a lateral S-shape as they will beat currents of water against each other. On occasion, Fred slaps Harry with his tail, and Harry responds by slapping him back with the side of his body. Neither is injured by this action, and Harry submissively retreats to a place in the tank that is beyond Fred’s territorial boundary. Minutes pass and Harry flares again, showing off to Fred, who displays his own colors. The battle cry has sounded and they repeat the same dance. This time however, Fred chomps into Harry’s tail. Although tempted to, Harry doesn’t retreat and instead bites Fred’s tail. After a couple of nips, a mouth-to-mouth battle ensues. Harry swims toward Fred, with his mouth wide open, and they lock jaws. Wrestling, they push and turn each other in violent jerking motions. Suddenly, Fred breaks free to surface for a bubble of air. Harry mimics him and then the battle continues for another minute. Obviously defeated, Harry capitulates and lets Fred know that he has surrendered by clamping his fins close to his body and assuming the submissive posture of a head-up position. Dejected, Harry swims away, with no injuries other than some tears in his fins.

Some might find the fight between Fred and Harry to be entertaining to watch. However, there is no question that placing two male Bettas together for the purpose of watching them do battle is a cruel and inhumane practice. Occasionally a fight will ensue between a male and female, if they are placed together before the female is ready to spawn. These fights can be equally vicious, even though the female, by nature, is not aggressive.

Fred is alone is his tank. Solitary Bettas can be kept in a variety of habitats. In the wild they can survive in shallow puddles, so small plastic or glass containers are sufficient. However, remember that the smaller the container that the Betta lives in, the more often you should change the water. The reason that a Betta, unlike a goldfish, can thrive in lesser amounts of water, is because it is a Labyrinth fish. It will not suffer oxygen deprivation like a goldfish will because it has the ability to take in air at the water’s surface. Labyrinth fishes have accessory breathing organs which enable them to actually live outside of water for short periods of time. Fred, like other Labyrinth fishes, has a gill cover that is partially connected to his branchial bone. His first and second gill arches are webbed together, so that a passage is formed from the mouth through the gill cavity and into the labyrinth cavity. When he gulps air, it immediately goes to this cavity, providing needed oxygen. The need for this supplemental oxygen is the reason why both Fred and Harry surfaced to the top of the water in the middle of their fight. They went up for air. Since Bettas originated from shallow, stagnant waters, the need for oxygen was profound. Speculation is that they adapted by developing a new organ which would allow them to get needed oxygen from the atmosphere.

Notice that prior to Harry’s arrival, Fred is making a bubblenest. That’s because Betta splendens are bubblenest builders, unlike many other species in the Betta genus, who are mouthbrooders. Although ichthyologists differ in their opinions of which species are valid, the Betta splendens class is one of 15 – 23 Betta varieties. The only other two bubblenest builders are the B. smaragdina and the B. imbellis species. Fred was blowing hundreds, possibly thousands of tiny bubbles, which were accumulating in a corner of the tank. This is known as a bubblenest and Fred was doing it in preparation of spawning with a female, who would produce eggs that he would carry in his mouth to the nest. Male Bettas will often make bubblenests when they are stimulated by the sight of a Betta in a different container.

Being territorial, Fred immediately went into action protecting his territory when Harry arrived. Both of the males flared upon seeing each other. Had Harry been a ripe female, Fred would have reacted in a similar manner, displaying to attract the female rather than to repel the male. The female would have flared herself, although not in as dramatic a display as Fred’s. Males and females tend to be easily distinguishable, but occasionally a female will look quite similar to a male. When courting, both flare and their colors intensify. Generally the female is less beautiful than the male and her colors are dull in comparison. In most cases, her fins will not be as long or as showy, however there are always exceptions. Often her caudal fin is roundish, in contrast to the very long and flowing fin of the male. The only way to know for sure if you have a female is to look for her ovipositor or ova. This is where she produces her eggs and bears the appearance of a small white dot located behind the ventral fins. When they are very young, it is impossible to decipher their gender.

If a female that wasn’t ripe, or ready for spawning, would have entered Fred’s tank, it’s possible that she would’ve been attacked, as non-ripe females are not tolerated within the vicinity of the nest. By not fleeing, a female indicates her readiness to spawn.

Answer 2

I have heard that you can only put a male and female together, when they are ready to breed, other wise they will fight.

I have put a male beta and a chinese algae eater in the same aquarium together, with out a problem.

I now have what I believe to be a female beta and a golden algae eater and a frog together in a 6 gallon. The algae eater is the only one who appears to be aggressive. But it actually looks like he is playing with the other two. I have never seen this behavior.

Answer 3

I always thought that the female eats the male but I could be wrong they have to breed some how

Answer 4

the male will eat the female

Answer 5

Unless they are both ready to breed, the male will attack the female.

Answer 6

Most times no but if you have an extremly aggresive male they might.

Answer 7

supposeably you're not to mix any fish with a beta.

Answer 8

sometimes its just how aggressive the male is.

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

haha i did that nothing happened.

Answer 11

they are ment to be alone!!!!!