New set-up for 1 or 2 female bettas...Need advice :)?

Question

I currently only have one female betta, but I'd like to get her a bigger tank and possibly another female betta tank-mate :) Would a 5-gallon tank be suitable? I realize that isn't very big, but I don't have much room right now and plus I'm not very experienced with fish tanks. I know I would need some kind of tank with a cover since I have a cat. Does anyone have any suggestions of what kind of filter/heater to get? I'm not sure which brands are best. I'd also like to maybe get a few live plants, but I don't know what kind would work with the bettas. Any advice would be helpful :)

Two female bettas will not kill each other as long as the tank is big enough and they have places they can hide.

Answer 1

Two females will squable, but they will NOT fight each other as the males do. There are many many many female betta sorority tanks that are funtional. I would concider getting a 10 gallon if you plan on adding anymore females. But with a 5 gallon as long as you have MANY plants and hiding spots, diftwood and caves work very well.

I would suggest getting more then just two females, 4+ is a good number concidering females can become dominant of territory if it is just the two of them.

Also check out the tank calculator for future addings. http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/areajava.html

Filter: A Whisper 5-15 would work ok, if you're worried about current, (which in some bettas can cause stress and lead to the dreaded tail biting) Check out this
section in a forum I go to. http://www.ultimatebettas.com/index.php?showtopic=2062

Heater: Hydor Mini-Heater is a decent choice. 78-80* is a good range for the temp.

As for the peope above, please PLEASE do NOT keep your bettas in "jars"!!!! It is CRUEL CONFINMENT! The MINIMUM size one betta, male or female, should be in is 1 gallon. Stop cruel confinment of jars, bowls and vases!

Answer 2

Female Betas generally will not fight so you can get another or even a 3rd in a 5 gallon tank. Perhaps even a catfish for the bottom. But no more.
For just the Betas and the 1 catfish you probably don't need a heater if you keep the tank in your normally heated house at about 70F. Don't use the basement b/c the tank will cool down further.
A very small power filter (internal submersible or external hanging filter) that cycles about 20-30 gal an hour is more than enough. A small sponge filter powered by an air pump is also a reasonable option.
I would not consider this a large enough tank for live plants but I would consider low-light plants like java moss, fern, banana plants.

Answer 3

I would suggest a 10-gallon aquarium instead. As for the number of females, I would also suggest a quantity of three. This would stop any possible bullying between the females. I owned two at one time and one female killed the other dispite having a 10-gallon tank. Go to your local Wal-Mart to purchase a starter 10-gallon aquarium kit. I would suggest an undergravel filter than a standard type overhang filter and the heater has to at least be a 25-watt. I would suggest a java fern for the betta's enviroment.

Answer 4

You can keep multiple bettas, but I would suggest getting two instead of one. Even females will be aggressive, but not to the point of males. The females will establish a pecking order among themselves and once the order is established, everything is usually fine. I suggest two, because this will spread out the aggression from your current female so she doesn't just pick on one fish all the time. It would be good to have multiple hiding places in the tank for them as well, so your plants would be a good idea.

The choice of plants would really depend on the lighting more than any preference by your betta. The intensity of the lighting will determine whether a plant will grow or not. Anubias (banana plant), Java fern, and Crypts are all low-light plants, so these would be good choices.

There are several brands of 5 gallon bowfront acrylic tanks on the market, most come with brightly colored trim, a hood with a light, a filter, water conditioner, and trial sized flake food for about $35 - $50 US: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3635107

You can get a color to show off your bettas and find a matching color of gravel as well. As far as a heater, I'd recommend against the cheapest you can buy. I like ones that are completely submersible and can have the tempetature adjusted. There are several companies that make this size, and you'd only need one that's 25 watts for a 5 gallon tank. I'd also consider upgrading your light to a full-spectrum bulb. The color is more natural and it would benefit your plants, but may also benefit algae!

Answer 5

I work in a petstore and we sell bettas male and female. we house the males seperately but the females are fine to go in together. Bettas are known for being able to live in horse shoe imprint of water so they're not entirely fussy fish. whatever you house them in they just need to have fresh water and regular water changes and conditioner added to keep the ph at the right level etc. they do not need any fancy filters or heaters but they can only benefit from these. it is entirely up to you but remember that most people keep bettas in little tiny jars or tanks, so yours are getting five star treatment!!

Answer 6

I got an aqua- tech 5/15 power filter at walmart for my 5 gallon betta tank that I really like.

Answer 7

From personal experience.......Don't put two Betta's together. Betta fish are very aggressive and will fight to the death over space and food. It doesn't matter if they are the same sex or opposite sex, they still fight. A five gallon tank is perfect. They stay pretty small in size. They don't need a heater!!!!! You can buy a 5 gallon tank at Walmart that has everything you need to start. Including the filter!! The tank and accessories are inexpensive and easy to do. Also, you'll only want to use bottled water. The tap water has chemicals that are known to be fatal to fish. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

Answer 8

A five gallon tank is plenty for a couple female betas. I would recomend a larger tank just for the ease of maintenece, larger tanks tend to be more stable.

As far as the issue of female bettas fighting, I've had 20 at a time in a 20 gallon tank and never saw any agresive behavior.

Answer 9

A 1-gallon tank would be just fine. Some live plants and very light filtration .A small heater or light bulb for warmth.
You could also add one male;males are beautiful.

Answer 10

two female bettas WILL fight.
female bettas aren't as hyper aggressive as males, but they are still aggressive, in varying degrees.

keeping multiple females has been tried and tested many times, and the best formula is to have 5 or more in a tank no smaller than 10 US gallons, well planted with lots of hiding places.

female bettas are not schooling fish, they will develop their own little territories and a strict pecking order. if you keep only two, you may find that one will be more dominant, bullying the other to death. three you would find two bullying one, four you would be pushing your luck, with a number of 5 or more that aggression is spread about and peace should be restored, well relative peace, until you find you have a hyper-aggressive female (they exist!) that is best kept alone like a male. or even a male plakat in disguise (short-tailed male betta).

with regards to tanks, visit your local large chain petstore, they'll do good deals on tank packages that include heaters, filters etc. remember you need to cycle the tank before any fish go in, check the link below. with live plants, stick to low-light types such as java fern or java moss, other plants will need more light than a regular set up provides, or even CO2 pumped into the tank too.