female betta question?

Question

I recently bought two female bettas with plans of keeping them together in my ten gallon with my three cherry barbs. While reading about betta care I discovered that if kept in small numbers female bettas can be just as agressive as males (My two females flare at each other every time they swim by each other in their bowls). It was suggested that the females should be kept in groups of four or more but since I already have the cherry barbs, I am trying not to overstock my tank. Has anyone ever kept 3 females together successfully and do you have any tips for keeping the peace? I may consider four female bettas. Does anyone have experience with small betta sororities? I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with the fish I have and the limited tank space. I also don't want my fish to fight.

Answer 1

You definitely have enough room for 4 female bettas and 3 cherry barbs. It'll be a little tight, of course, so make sure to do weekly water changes; but it's not overstocking.
Be sure to also provide lots of plants for the girls to hide in if they feel threatened.

It is normal for them to flare at each other from their respective bowls; but they should calm down when they have more room.

Answer 2

You should have no problems at all adding a few more females to the tank. I would add at least two more, maybe even three. I have kept 3 and even 2 females together peacefully before, it's as much a matter of the individual fish as anything else. Most will flare at each other, but rarely will you see any actual fighting or nipping occur. As long as it's limited to flaring and some minor chasing it's not a reason for concern. As was suggested several batches of floating plants would almost certainly prevent any possible damage from the occasional encounter turned ugly. If plants aren't your thing, you can make floating spawning mops that will serve the same purpose.

Answer 3

in general its best to buy them very young when they are less than an inch. if you put them in the tank they will probably be fine. make sure you tank has lots of plants and ornaments that the bettas can be territorial over. once they have territories they are usually much more sedate. i think you could probably get away with 4 with 3 cherry barbs in 10 gallons but i think the whole "sorority" thing is kind of myth. what works for one person won't work for everyone.

Answer 4

i don't be attentive to if it relatively is common in the wild Bettas, yet it relatively is the factor the place the fish should not be mutually and introduced out NOW. ultimately, the female will kill the male or vice versa and that's why the 1st sign of aggression could be your cue to chop up them at present. this is why getting to know and conditioning in the previous relatively breeding Bettas is mandatory. EDIT: i will make it easier to be attentive to that for the duration of case your breeding pair of Bettas are aggressive in direction of one yet another then meaning they do no longer seem to be waiting to reproduce. It takes weeks of conditioning the two male and lady and in basic terms slightly of success to permit a efficient spawning with none fights.

Answer 5

Keep in mind bettas vary greatly in temperament. Generally I keep them 1 per 5-10 gallons. With a pair of females there is the tendency to for one of the them to get picked on. With more the aggression is spread out a bit more. Of course with more females you increase the odds of getting a pair of equally matched females. (Who can decide to fight to the death, or just keep fighting until one dies of stress.')

PS- Male betta with any number of females rarely works out well.

Answer 6

Just to let you know, you can put 2 females with 1 male. Just don't put 1 female with the male.