stocking a 3gal....Betta's

Mystroe_TheMyst

Mystroe_TheMyst

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My brother just bought a male betta. He wants to put 3 females in with it..it is only a 3gal..I said no for obvious reasons...now if he was to put females in with it..would 1 be ok? I suggested to perhaps get 1 and then add a separator until they get interested with each other...I also thought that a few dithers would help.

can you guys give me a few breeding tips or some good info on bettas...not just a blurb but an actual page or two on bettas...

what are your thoughts on the whole thing so far?

possible tankmates for male betta:

1 female betta
2 platy's (currently in my tank)
some sort of plant elodea most likely..(no filtration as the only filteration he can offer distrubes the water)

thanks
 
Unfortunately, the 3gal is really only just big enough for the one male fighter, if that even. So I would certainly advice against adding any other fish. Certainly not a female fighter - as, although not as aggressive with females, there will be a level of harassment between the male and female, and in a 3gal there would not be the space for the female to get away from it. SO I would leave just the single fighter in there.
 
Some water disturbance is not necessarily a bad thing...Bettas can deal with a smaller amount quite well...

Thom hit the nail on the head--no females, because the male might kill them when he's ready to breed and they're not (or vice versa, though that's much more rare).
 
Breeding tip: I got this from reading the Betta forum over at Toms.

Lower the water level.
When the male starts building a nest, place a globe from a small hurricane lamp in the tank and put the female in there for a while.
When they look interested in each other let the female out. If they dont spawn put her back in the globe. If they do...get her out when they are done...for her own protction.

Rae suggested to my wife that lfs bettas are probably kind of old for breeding and it can be hard on him.

I would definately post over there though...they are quick to respond, and really know what they are doing.

Hope this was OK with the mods and admin here.
 
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stocking a 3gal....bettas

I just want to add to what Childawg said about the current in the water. From my own experience with one of my male bettas (he resides in a 75 gallon tank with a 65-100 whisper filter) is that I think the disturbance in the water is actually beneficial to the fish. It helps them build muscles and tolerance to stress and other things. Recently, my male was breed twice in one week, and he didn't show any sign of exhastion, unlike another male I had breed who lived in a tank with no current. Anyway, it's just something I thought I'd throw in.
 
My betta likes to spend a good portion of time playing in the bubbles of his box filter. Then he heads for calmer pastures. If you wanted to add anything to a tank that size you might be able to get away with 3 white cloud minnows. They like to swim but don't need a super amount of room. My cousin uses them to keep his betta on his toes. There is at least one chase scene a day. But if you do use anything but the Betta you must have a filter in there.
 
OK Thanks for the Info...My bro isn't a real fish hobbist just likes the look of his new fighter. I agree with everything you guys said, and yes he does seem a little "tired looking" most of the time. I think he might take up on the White Clouds. Filtration wise I think he'll have a problem. He wants to keep is as plain as possible without having to need a filter. So I suggested a plant of some sort just to have somthing putting O2 into the water.

What would be a good plant that wouldn't grow to large? But I too am thinking about getting a betta for my little 1gal which is a hospital tank for the little fish in my 18gal. It would have an air stone as it is near my 18gal and my 5gal. It seems unusal talking about keeping fish in <5gal tanks because I'm used to discussing cichlids:)

If I do eventually get a female I would try to breed her with the male. I always thought that the only way to breed them was to put them next to each other (with some sort of separator) until such time as he is interested or has built the nest.

well thanks for the info....
 
Try some java fern. Low light needed and isn't very demanding. Other water sprite is good but needs more light. But it can grow rooted or floating.

Make sure your brother changes water quite often if he isn't using any sort of filter.
 
yeah today I took some water out of the tank because I think it was a bit high for the little guy. I will tell him to change the water every 3 days...is that sufficent? I've put in a little mosquitoe eater fish forsome stimuli
 
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