How do I get my female Betta's to get along?

Question

I have 3 female Betta's in my tank and after a day (and some initial fighting) they seemed to get along good. One I had for 2 weeks, the others too I put in 3 days ago. Today one of the new ones had torn fins and looked really depressed. i separated all three of them immediately. I heard that if I reintroduce them to the tank after some time they might be less territorial about it. But for how long do I separate them? Also, one of them started making a bubble nest. I don't know which one it is, though. I checked and all three of them have that little white dot behind their belly. I am positive that all of them are female but how can i be really sure? Is there another way to tell (except by fin size and that white dot)?

Answer 1

Keeping female bettas can be tricky business, I'm afraid... But worth it if you can make it work. :D I've been keeping one fairly successfully for quite a while now and it's by far my favourite tank, but still experience complications here and there. In your case, I would keep them separated for about a week, rearrange all the tank ornaments, and reintroduce them. It's likely that the original female got used to being by herself in the tank and wasn't too happy when you introduced the other two, forcing her to share "her" territory. Keeping them separated and rearranging the tank should clear her memory of the tank and territory, and if you introduce them all at the same time this time around, I think it will be more of a "fair fight" among them. Keep in mind, they WILL be aggressive with each other -- there will be flaring and possibly mild fighting as well, but they'll establish a heirarchy and will eventually get along. Bettas are naturally aggressive fish, even among the females --- I introduced 2 new females to my 20 gallon betta sorority tank today (originally 3 females), actually, and all I've seen up until about now is flaring and sparring off. They're looking much more peaceful now, but I know there will be flaring and nipped fins and scales for the next few days. They're fast healers, though, and with small every other day water changes, they'll be just fine. :)

Out of curiousity, how big is your tank? I wouldn't keep a sorority of bettas in anything less than 10 gallons (Group of 3), and I think it's probably better to keep them in something a little larger. I keep about 1 female betta per 4-5 gallons, and have never been successful long-term with anything smaller than a 20 gallon with a group of 4 females. Keep in mind that they need a heavily planted tank (Live plants are best because they're softer (Java moss is great!), but plastic will work also) with lots of places to hide so that if the dominant female decides to give chase, the "lower rank" females can run away and hide. It's also helpful if all the females are relatively small and seem to be around the same size.

I realize I can get a little wordy, so here are the Cliff Notes: Separate them, wait a week, rearrange the decor, reintroduce. For a successful sorority tank in the long run, be sure that there's plenty of hiding places (Driftwood, ornaments, etc.), heavily planted (Real plants are better!), fish are about the same age/size, and seem to be not too aggressive. Don't worry too much about the aggression shown early on -- it's perfectly normal for these fish to exhibit these kinds of behaviours. You'll still have to determine where to draw the line, but a few nipped fins and a little flaring is nothing to worry about. Keep the water clean (Especially in that first week - two weeks)!

All of these factors are key to having a successful sorority tank. You'll have to learn to live with ripped fins and a little aggression here and there -- I've had females who've had whole chunks taken out of their fins sometimes, and they grow back in just beautifully -- but these tanks can be some of the most rewarding tanks you can own. Bettas are so personable and quirky and INTELLIGENT that you can't help but love them. Females often have more personality than the males simply because their territorial/aggression tendencies are not as dominant, and so show off some of their other individualities.

I wish you the best of luck, and please let me know if you have any other questions. :)

C.G.

Answer 2

I as quickly as had a 25 gallon tank with 6 Neon Tetras. I extra a woman betta and before everything she chased them around. After installation that she ws the dominant fish, she paid them no suggestions and have been given alongside high-quality with them. a pair of week later, I extra 6 Phantom Tetras. The addition of extra "enemies" under pressure her out and she or he went into hiding so I took her out. the different lady betta I put in the tank deliver approximately the comparable effect. the factor i'm attempting to make is that with 3 lady bettas they might have one yet another to fret approximately no longer to show the different fish species. It sounds like those women folk have by no potential lived at the same time till now so they are going to set up their pecking order righta way. observing the girls pecking order ritual is amazingly thrilling yet may additionally very demanding. you ought to visual show unit them intently for rigidity and grant a great form of locations they might disguise. watching the female, different fish will merely be an extra distraction which could lead on them to get much extra under pressure.

Answer 3

hi i'm having the same problem, people kept telling me that bettas wether they are female or male shouldn't be together but don't listern to them as my females live together without any problems, my problem is i bought some more females and i believe there is a short finned male in with them. I've also been told what you have been told about the white dot and fin size.I also spoke to a very knowledgable fish expert today and he has told me that males don't have the white dot. i trust this expert but if in doubt contact a betta breed to be on the safe side. good luck

Answer 4

The Betta that's building the bubble nest could very well be a "wild" male. By wild I mean one that has reverted to the wild type of finnage,a sort of throw back to the old "fighter style" of Betta. That would also account for the torn fins,etc.
If all three of your fish are truly female,then you could try providing more hiding places for them in the community tank,as a way to limit damage.
BTW,some Betta enthusiasts would be very interested in having "wild type fish".

Answer 5

Rarely female bettas will make a bubble nest but when they do dont worry. I would say keep the fish away from eachother for a week or so. That sounds right. Good luck ;)

Answer 6

if one of the fish had torn fins, i would not be so sure that they will all be friendly when you re-introduce them. As far as telling the gender goes, it is extremely difficult to tell. If possible, i would leave them seperated because betta fish dont usually go well together, even if all female.
I dont think that you could seperate them for any amount of time, re-introduce them and not have problems. Unfortunatelt, i dont think your fish will be able to be tankmates.
Thats probably not what you wanted to hear but thats the way it goes sometimes.