Is it ok to keep a Betta male and a female together in a 10 gal tank together?

Question

For the moment my second 10 gal. tank is a nursery for my guppies. In a few weeks my guppies will be mature enough to keep in the main tank where all the guppies and other fish are. As soon as i move them back into the original tank i want to get a male Betta, then after a month or a half I want to get a female. i know they'll breed, and though they will eat their children, I'd like to have more than one to save space. If by any chance one of the babies survives and it is a male, will he and the father fight and kill eachother? Or will that baby have to be a damn good hider to be able to mature? And if the baby is female and it survives will she and the mother fight? Also, I dont have real plants in that tank for the bettas, so will they still be ok if they get fed Betta food? One more question: will the Betta be ok and not agressive to a Plecostomus Catfish in that tank with them? http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottkinmartin/377302275/ and do people sell female Bettas at pet stores?

Answer 1

No, you don;t want to keep a male and female together in one tank. The male will eventually kill the female.

If you breed your bettas, the male will eventually kill any of the young left in the tank with him, usually he will et them as they become free swimming and attempt to leave the nest. If not then, he will kill them when they mature. Females will not fight with each other, but the mom and a daughter fighting wouldn't be a concern since the father will have killed the mom long before that becomes an issue.

Here is an interesting trick for you though. If you breed them and remove the mom after eggs are laid, then remove dad after they hatch and then divide them by removing the females as they mature, the males can stay together and not fight hardly at all. If you ever split them up, even for a few hours though, then they will fight.

Yes, a betta can go in the tank with a pleco with no problems at all.

All of my local stores carry female bettas.

MM

Answer 2

All bettas are different, many people have successfully kept males and females together in a 10 gallon, though keep in mind some bettas are more territorial than others, so i would suggest to put LOTS of plants in there to hide, like you said. When you introduce them to each other, add the female to the tank first, than add the male. This will give the male a sense that this was her territory first. And be sure that when introducing them, watch them for about 45 minutes to make sure the male won't try to hurt her. Good luck :)

Answer 3

The majority of the time, no, it won't work. Especially in a smaller tank like a 10 gallon, male and female bettas will fight each other unless they are ready to breed. And then, they'll just fight after the breeding is done. The odds are heavily in favor of one of them ending up dead or at least dying slowly of stress.

On the other hand, three or four female bettas will probably get along fine in a 10 gallon together as long as you add them all at the same time and they are all about the same size. They will establish a pecking order in the territory and be happy together after that. Don't try to add new ones after though. They'll be seen as intruders.

Check your local fish stores for females. Here in Austin, I can easily find females and they are just as colorful and beautiful as the males. The only difference is their fins are shorter. I hope you have the same luck!

Bettas and plecos get along just fine, but I have to tell you, the hypostomus pleco, or common, you linked can grow up to 2 feet long. It won't 'grow to the size of its tank' and it will poop like a pig. You should seriously consider rehoming it before it causes problems in your 10 gallon.

Answer 4

The male will KILL the female and they will not just breed like guppies would, It is much more complicated, The make nests etc, And is best left to profeionals, Alo the male would be ok the ppleco, And may i ask why do you have a pleco in a10 gallon tank, He will get as big as that tank, Get him a 50 galllon tank or get rid of him, You but them when there cute little 2inch things and the grow massive, Alway research a fish before you buy,

Answer 5

I think that a male and a femal betta might be suitable. I would recommend you get two or more female bettas. Female bettas are always hunted by the males and even killed if the female is not ready to breed. I would add lots of hiding places for the female bettas just to be in the safe side of the hobby.

Answer 6

Only beta males fight.. we had a male and female in a 55 gallon tank and they were just fine. They really swim elegantly in a large tank .. the females are very colorless compared to the males. Yes they are found at pet stores. Ours ate beta food we didn't like greens they used to bring fungus into the tank too often so we just stopped buying them. No idea about a catfish you might want to ask the pet store people.

Answer 7

no,do not put a male and female betta together unless you are planning on spawning(breeding).if the male or female don't seem that they want to spawn,then they will fight eachother to death.when bettas spawn they always have more than one baby fish at a time.most female bettas are more peaceful than male betas and do preferably good together.and yes,the betta will be ok with a pleco.yes they do sell them at most pet stores.good luck with your tank!

Answer 8

You should not put a male and female betta together unless you were to get a divider that they can't see through,then you could get 2 males or a male and female.If you put them together one is sure to get killed,even when you are breeding them they can not stay together for along period of time.

Answer 9

No.

In the wild, when a female meets a male, the female either mate or flee.

In a tank, the male will either kill her right away, or mate, then kill her.

So, not a good idea.


ßübblëš

Answer 10

Yes. The guppies are toast though.