I know males can't be together or that male and females can't be together, but what about 2 females? I put them together and they were fighting! What can I do?
2006-07-28 12:37:59 · 18 answers · asked by xSilverStarx 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
Okay most you folks have obvious never owned multiple female bettas. Or raised bettas from birth. The basic answer is no unless they were raised from birth together, they've spent months looking at each other, or you get a very rare very mild mannered pair of females. Basically a bowl doesn't have space for the less dominate female to hide, and it will likely die from wounds or stress.
All bettas are territorial with other bettas regardless of sex. Females tend to be less so than males, but some are nearly as aggressive as a male. If you've seen a tank full of females together it's because they were raised from birth that way. Throw in 3 or 4 new females and you could get a blood bath in a sorority tank.
Now that's not to say you can't put females together, but you have understand the 3 keys of betta aggression.
1)Bettas are territorial, and will attack any betta in their territory. In the wild loser runs away, but a tank/bowl you tend to get a death match.
2)Betta aggression is sight based. A betta reacts based on sight of other bettas. (This why males will flare at mirrors.)
3)Aggression tends to decrease over time.
The trick to keeping female bettas is to give then lots of hiding spaces, and never put a betta into another betta's territory. When I put a new female into my main tank. I remove all females from the tank to jars. Then put the jars together so they can see each other for about a week. This makes the ones who were in the tank forget it's their tank, and get all of them use to seeing each other. Then when they are put into a new tank the fighting is minimal as they work out the pecking order. Generally a pair females is bad as the less dominate one is constantly being harassed. Personally I only put 1 female betta per 5-10 gallons with lenty of hiding places..
2006-07-28 17:40:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If they were fighting, one of them might be a betta imbellis. That is a strain of betta splendens where both the male and female have short fins like the regular females. Does one of them have a black border on the tail fin? If so, that is a good clue that it is an imbellis betta.
Any number of females can be kept together in a tank. They will not fight to the death as the males will. There may be some picking to determine the pecking or feeding order, but ultimately females will get along with each other. I have seen 25 or 30 in one tank with no problems.
If the female is not ready to spawn, you cannot have her with a male. He will harrass her to death. The only time a male will accept a female in his area is when she is ripe to spawn. After they spawn, he will drive her away or kill her and he assumes the parental duties of caring for the bubble nest and the eggs and babies.
2006-07-28 14:51:43 · answer #2 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Females may or may not be able to coexist peacefully in the same tank depending on their temperaments. They are not schooling fish, and are still rather aggressive, but with enough room and many hiding spaces, they can learn to get along. There should never be exactly two female bettas in a tank together—a pecking order, a hierarchy, is necessary for them to live peacefully. With only two fish, one will be the bully and the other will be picked on. However, with three or more, a hierarchy is established.
2006-07-28 13:02:00 · answer #3 · answered by Jess 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
EVERYONE is right exept for Casey She is SO wrong. If you put TWO Betta fish or usually called Fighting Fish No matter WHAT gender they are they will fight to the death. And if you let them do that, that would just be really cruel. But unless they are BIRTH fish they will not fight with each other, because they have got used to one another from when they are born!
2014-03-29 10:45:17 · answer #4 · answered by Jennifer 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've kept females together very successfully. They need more space than just a bowl. I keep two to three females to 20 gal. of water. They do have a pecking order, and spar a little, but they tend to just flare at each other if they have the space. If they don't have enough space they will fight. You need to have lots of plants and places for them to explore and hide if they need to. They also co-exist with other community tropical fish very well.
2006-07-28 17:24:46 · answer #5 · answered by astarvingartist 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Female bettas won't fight to death in the same tank. As you can see in most of the fish shop, they put female betta together in a tank.
2006-07-28 14:55:54 · answer #6 · answered by gazard 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Males and females can be together in the same tank. It is a better idea to keep three females together. This keeps one from becoming the "bully" and the other from being picked on.
2006-07-28 13:56:17 · answer #7 · answered by NCConfederate13 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If u hav an ivy(plant),u could put 1 in a bowl of water w/ a piece of an ivy.I did it w/ my beta and it lived 4 2 years.
2006-07-28 13:28:49 · answer #8 · answered by Lou Zerface- X-]p 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i worked at a pet store years ago and our female bettas were in the same tank males were separated
2006-07-28 14:32:06 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the only combonation that won't get along are two males and a female.
2006-07-28 21:23:19 · answer #10 · answered by nintendo_6400 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋