male & female betta

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mcox3

Veritas Aequitas
Dec 26, 2006
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Phoenix, AZ
About 3 weeks ago i purchased a female betta and a male crowntail betta. They seemed to get along fine, up until last night. When i went to go feed them, i couldnt help but notice the males fins were almost completely gone!

she'd been picking at him :mad2: and he looked BAD!

the 2 since have been separted.

Is this normal behavior for them? are they not compatible? :help:
 
Mar 9, 2007
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NOT compatible at all together usually. You should only bring them together, even for only a short amount of time, if you plan on breeding.
 

melissa3

AC Members
Mar 28, 2007
253
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Western MA
Hmm, they could be spawning and she just got tired of him chasing her and fought back. Does she look gravid or did he build a bubble nest?

If your tank is big enough, I'd buy at least 2 more females (I have 3 females/ 1male myself) or some small quick fish to divert their attention.
 

mcox3

Veritas Aequitas
Dec 26, 2006
929
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Phoenix, AZ
she looks plump to me. i would have no idea if she was pregnant or not, but there is no bubble nest. maybe i'll pick up 2 more females like you suggested.
 

echoofformless

Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Oct 1, 2005
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Phil Uh Del Feeya
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In general you should never keep betta splendens with each other in the same tank; females, males, etc it doesn't matter the configuration of sexes. Just not a great idea unless the tank is very large and has lots of rockwork, plants, etc. Even then I just don't do it. Not because you will definitely have an issue, but because the chances are there and not worth taking.


In my opinion it's a lot more fun to give each fish a 5g tank of their own in a sexed pair. You place them right next to each other and just watch the male going through what is not unlike a teenage boy's behavior - constantly staring and showing off for the female. He'll likely build many bubble nests. You can choose to keep him in a sexual haze of fantasies or you can try breeding.

Otherwise, keep them away from each other.
 

mcox3

Veritas Aequitas
Dec 26, 2006
929
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Phoenix, AZ
good looking out guys...

like The Offspring says... "you gotta keep em separated!"
 

melissa3

AC Members
Mar 28, 2007
253
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Western MA
In general you should never keep betta splendens with each other in the same tank; females, males, etc it doesn't matter the configuration of sexes. Just not a great idea unless the tank is very large and has lots of rockwork, plants, etc. Even then I just don't do it. Not because you will definitely have an issue, but because the chances are there and not worth taking.
I have 4 bettas in a 10gal and they all get along well. No fighting or nipping and they barely flare at each other. I have kept 3 different males with females and never had any issues.

Actually, its funny to watch them together. You can always tell which female is "female of the week" becuase she's the one proudly displaying her colors a rubbing up agaisnt the male. Then the next week they rotate. =) But if you have enough complete set-up's to house each seperately, then go ahead and keep em apart. But if you don't have enough tanks, then I'd suggest buying a few more females.

But I do agree with "echoofformless" that you should never keep a pair of bettas (m/f, m/m, or f/f), however, in my experience, 1 male and 3 or more females is just fine.
 
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crharvel

Just another...
May 18, 2007
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Cohabitation didnt work for me (my betta's actually)

Given past fuzzy guidance about possibly keeping a male and female together ..... I decided to try this out with our 5 gal kitchen tank which has heavy plantings and a small terra cotta pot for cover.

While my daughter initally named them Romeo and Juliet....we quickly had to change their names to Tina and Ike if you get my drift. The male badgered the female consistently to the point I had to remove her and put her in the community tank with the platys and the cory.

Needless to say, they both are happier apart than together.
 
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