3 female bettas in a 10 gallon

True...but I was talking more of keeping the three of them in a way of avoiding aggression.

I know of betta keepers who have experienced bettas being less happy in larger tanks than in smaller ones. But it always depends on the betta. They're so variable. They're weird people.
 
I have 2 female bettas in a 10 gallon and they're doing fine. They're the friendliest little creatures and the habitat is perfect for them IMO. dwarfgourami7 go ahead and bite my head off, but I know what's right for my little bettas. And I'll be getting a third soon.

BTW, I turned on the lights late one night and the two bettas had slid in between a rock and the glass and were sleeping together. It was very sweet. :)
 
Aussie_hippie_2 said:
I have 2 female bettas in a 10 gallon and they're doing fine. They're the friendliest little creatures and the habitat is perfect for them IMO. dwarfgourami7 go ahead and bite my head off, but I know what's right for my little bettas. And I'll be getting a third soon.

BTW, I turned on the lights late one night and the two bettas had slid in between a rock and the glass and were sleeping together. It was very sweet. :)
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That is very sweet. Female bettas are my favorite fish of all time. They seem to have an intellect and emotional depth.

Personally I feel that people make far too big of a deal about tank sizes. The same wisdom that goes for a large, messy fish or those who require a large school cannot be applied to calm solitary fish. Bettas don't need a lot of space. Some of them might like it a little, but it's not much different than a human. Many of us can live happily in a small apartment while others will feel cramped unless they're in a palace.

For the most part, I keep my bettas in very small vessels and never have I noticed any of them to be the slightest bit unhappy. No less happy than the ones in larger vessels.

If you give them a bed of java moss, they will be especially lazy and cute.
 
Auryn1026 said:
I have 3 female bettas in a ten gallon with 2 hob filters on a low output setting. I originally had 4 bettas but recently lost one due to an unknown illness that we believed to be swim bladder disease. They are in a moderately planted tank with 2 large amazons in it and various other plants like java fern on driftwood.

The water perams are always amo 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5-10, and pH 6.8. There's a little bit of an algae problem but I am trying to cut down on it by only lighting the tank for 8 hrs/day.

My question is this: The bettas seem bored and used to seem to enjoy swimming around with the tetras in the larger tank they used to be in. Should I add some company to their tank? If so, what and how many could I add? They just seemed to be so much more lively and active when they had tankmates.

Any advice at all would be appreciated. I LOVE my fish and want them to be happy.
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Hmm. This is the first time I've heard of a 10g with two HOB filters. Didn't know anyone did that...
 
dwarfgourami7, if your concerned about a fish's swimming space, i hope you know that your rainbow shark will outgrow (if not, be stunted) in a 30G tank.

IMO, 3 females in a 10G is perfectly fine. only thing i would be worried about it agression between them, but as long as theres hiding places such as plants, driftwood, or decor. in fact, 4 would work as the females will better establish a pecking order and eventually live nicely together.
 
Well, from what I've learned in animal care with fish it is an inch per gallon. Don't bettas usually get up to 4 inches. So it should be larger, they may feel crowded. So I would get maybe a 20 gallon that seems pretty good.
 
iluvfish89 said:
Well, from what I've learned in animal care with fish it is an inch per gallon. Don't bettas usually get up to 4 inches. So it should be larger, they may feel crowded. So I would get maybe a 20 gallon that seems pretty good.
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hi, welcome to AC. unfortunately, the 1 inch per gallon rule is flawed, if not useless alltogether. the only use for it is with small tropical fish. even then, i would be wary of it. theres much more to stocking fish than just size. (you have to take into account what species they are, how much of a bioload they will present, etc).

if people started to use the 1 inch per gallon rule, they would stock a 10G with a 10 inch oscar, which is a disaster waiting to happen.

also, bettas stay small, around 2-3 inches, especially female ones.
 
iluvfish89 said:
Well, from what I've learned in animal care with fish it is an inch per gallon. Don't bettas usually get up to 4 inches. So it should be larger, they may feel crowded. So I would get maybe a 20 gallon that seems pretty good.
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The inch per gallon theory is largely untrue. There are too many variables from species to species and from tank to tank for such broad generalizations to be applicable.

Bettas for example are not strong swimmers, nor do they often show a desire for exploration. They generally like to just relax and stare at things. They like tanks with less current than normal - they have a labyrinth organ so they can breathe air and thus don't require heavy oxygenation.

Compare that to say, zebra danios. These fish do best in a school and are very active swimmers. They would actually do better in a 20g or larger even though they are so tiny.

So again, too many variables for that rule - bettas being a fish that don't require much space at all.
 
OHHH I'm so telling my teacher about that one lmfao, thanks for the warm welcome ^_^. Also thanks for the info on the untrue 1 inch per gallon rule.
 
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