female betta with tropical community fish?

Question

I had a female betta in with guppies and mollies and she killed them; she is now in her own 3g tank. My daughter really wants to try another female betta in her community tank, but I am leary. The pet store says it was unusual for the female to be aggressive. Anyone with any advice on whether to try another female?

Answer 1

thats kind of weird -- some are very aggressive though -- betta have very different temperments and personalities -- males and females. you could try another one -- get a really really small one and it will grow. the juveniles adapt better than grown adults. females are still territorial. i keep a small tank with just female bettas and lots of plants and things for them to hang out in. it can be hard to balance because some are too aggressive and some are too passive and won't get enough to eat at feeding time. i never buy fully grown ones and get 2 or 3 at a time. i think that might be part of it.

in general you are over mixing your tank though. bettas do best alone or with other bettas. mollies are brackish and usually great friends for bettas but have different needs. guppies and bettas seldom get along. most people think its the colors or tails.

to do a female betta tank you need lots of plants that reach the top of the water and decorations that serve as territories -- things they can hang out in.

community tanks are good for communities -- schools of tetras and danios and rasboras -- a couple rainbows or angelfish or dwarf gouramies -- these things are better well planned just not whatever they have at the petstore.

or go brackish with mollies and platies and swords.

Answer 2

What most people don't realize is that all betta are territorial, and that it varies from betta to betta. If had females who beat up male betta rather than mate, and bullied 5 inch sailfin molly males. Generally this is directed towards other betta but fish with fancy fins like guppy are often targets. That said my females live in a tank with pearl gourami, dwarf gourami, sailfin molly, and a few other peaceful fish. The girls seem to only fight with each other.

Given that this female killed molly, and guppy tank mates. She'll likely kill another female betta. Even my most aggressive female never did more than chase my mollies. One thing to keep in mind putting a betta into a tank with other fish works better than putting fish into a betta's tank. Females will fight each other, but generally work things out. Adding more betta generally starts a new round of fighting. Also remember than size of the tank, and cover play a big role.

Answer 3

The reason that your betta breeding didn't go quite as you planned is because you're ignorant about the subject, and probably didn't do it properly. First of all, betta's cannot and should not be kept in bowls - no fish should. Bowls are absolute deathtraps for fish, you've had your betta in there for a year, but when kept properly, betta's can live for about five to eight years. If yours continues to live in the bowl, she'll probably live another six months to a year, if you're lucky. Your 36g tank is pretty overstocked. Tetras and zebra danios need to be kept in schools of five to six. Do not keep schooling fish alone or in pairs - that's how they become very stressed out. Angelfish shouldn't be kept with danios or tetras for two reasons: a) the angelfish may, and probably will eat them, and b) tetras can be pretty nippy. A 36g tank is only large enough for your pair of angelfish or a school of bleeding heart tetras, a school of zebra danios and a dwarf gourami. Silver dollars require larger tanks, they also do better when kept in larger groups. Roseline sharks are also pretty nippy and aggressive, your other fish would suffer. I don't recommend anything smaller than a 55g for one single roseline shark. You could try and keep your female betta with your dwarf gourami and a school of BH tetras and zebra danios, but this doesn't always work. Especially if you have a male gourami, since they can be pretty aggressive. Try it, once you return the other fish and up the number of tetras and zebra danios, and then keep an eye on your fish to make sure that there's not much aggression going on.

Answer 4

The females can be just as aggressive as the males. With small fish like the guppies I would not recommend a fish that is semi aggressive. I would stay away from the Betta in the tank and just stay with the community fish.

Answer 5

It's uncommon, but it's not impossible. Fish are not robots, they each have individual personnalities and some are just ornery.

You should give it another try. But I would suggest that you take the following precautions:
1 - provide lots and lots of plants (silk or real) for the fish to hide in and feel safe in.
2 - make sure your tank is large enough. a comunity tank with a betta and some varied guppies / mollies should be 20 gallons or more.
3 - get more than one female betta; get 3. fish kept with other fish but none of their species can get aggressive because they can't take out their energy on each other. if you get 3, they can interact with each other and not as much with the other fish.

Answer 6

The pet store is correct, it is unusual behaviour. Fish have a tendency to have personalities, so while it is safe to put a female (or male, for that matter) betta in a community tank GENERALLY speaking, there are always one or two fish that are the exceptions. It is unlikely that another female will react in the same, untypical, fashion as the first.

Good luck!

Answer 7

You can have all the female beta in the same tank, that you want. It IS uncommon for them to be agressive, but smaller fish are usually food, for any type of fish. Male beta's need to be alone. They are VERY agressive, and will go after any other male fish. Fact: Someone did a study on male beta's, by taking 2 males, and putting them in a huge lake. The 2 males searched for each other, and fought to the death. Why? Territory, and females. If you have more then one male in the tank with a male beta, he'll kill them. Female beta's can be together, and you shouldn't have a problem with them. If you have a problem with the same one, take her back to the store, and tell them that you want to replace it, because she's killing all your other fish.
They should replace it. If not, raise cain in the middle of the store! lol I would!

Good luck to ya!

Answer 8

Shannon is exactly right , it is unusual , and I have had similar results with males and females in community tanks. The males have such nice fins that look allot like flake food that faster fish tend to pick on them.

You could also plant your tank with dense foliage to provide hiding places for all fish like this.
http://www.bridgewatertaekwondo.com/Aquarium.html

Answer 9

That is strange that she killed them. Are you sure that you didn't have problems with your water that contributed to their death?

Either way, I'd go for a new one. I once kept a male betta with community fish, and he was the one fish that got picked on!

Answer 10

When a tank gets too crowded the stronger fish tend to kill off the weaker ones in order to keep themselves healthy.
A bigger tank would be ideal.