Solitary betta

[Fenriswolf]

Hi there ya'll,

My boy came to our vet because someone was sold two males as a male and a female. Funnily enough they were both pretty shredded. We don't really have the facilities for extra fish so I took my little boy. He's the most fantastic fish ever. *cough* Anyway.

So I finally set up my 200L and moved him into it from my 50L. He looooved it, exploring every inch and playing in the bubbles. So I got him three girlies, expecting him to relish being the man (and planning to get a couple more females). He was basically a big jerk, flaring at them and chasing them around. My partner and I observed. A few times, him and one of the girls had a bit of a scuffle, with the other two watching. I was hoping this would be a dominance issue, like a bit of posturing and growling with dogs who don't know each other.

Cut to now, when the girls have his 200L and my tail-less wonder is in a tonic treated 50L. *sigh*

Now, I'm planning on getting a cube made for him, 50x50x50cm where he can be alone with a pleco or something which hopefully won't be an issue. I'm not quite willing to give him a whole 200L to himself, but I'd like him to have a decent sized tank because he is so awesome and I may as well use it as an opportunity to play with a planted cube.

What I'm really asking, is what do people think of getting a horde of female bettas? My girls definitely flare at each other a lot, displaying constant little power struggles. So I want a bunch more but I'm not sure. And what would people personally want to put with them? I want to get a handful of cories (probably leopard & panda, not 100% yet) with them, but was wondering about maybe a school of congo tetras or something.

I'm also curious as to whether I could get some killie males to live with them? Killies just look so damn similar to bettas: surely they're anabantoids? And given bettas and gouramis are not advised to live together I thought killies and bettas were probably a bad plan... But they're so pretty... :lol:

I have a few plants, a few spiral val, two teeny java ferns, and one random thing which is going for gold. Would like to get more to make my girls more secure.

And opinions and advice would be welcomed!

[Adrienne]

I have a single male in tanks with multiple females and yes sometimes the males tails/fins do get nibbled at. I also have tanks of just females and they also do occassionally have a scuffle. However a planted tank full of different coloured females looks really good. I have kept female fighters and gourami together and also the occasional male without hassle but sometimes it just doesn't work out. I have also had guppies, platties, angels and fighters together without a real issue. It depends on the individual fishes nature (like humans they can't always get along). I find its not usually the male causing a problem in the community tank but often the other fish like to nibble at it.

[Fenriswolf]

I have a single male in tanks with multiple females and yes sometimes the males tails/fins do get nibbled at. I also have tanks of just females and they also do occassionally have a scuffle. However a planted tank full of different coloured females looks really good. I have kept female fighters and gourami together and also the occasional male without hassle but sometimes it just doesn't work out. I have also had guppies, platties, angels and fighters together without a real issue. It depends on the individual fishes nature (like humans they can't always get along). I find its not usually the male causing a problem in the community tank but often the other fish like to nibble at it.

Well they mostly hid/ran away from him when we were looking but obviously they were having a go back when our backs were turned because I finally pulled him out when his tail was down to two teeny strands after being out for an hour.

He also has pop eye, which is the other reason for fishing him out. I wasn't sure if he just had weird eyes (have stuck out since we got him but he's otherwise happy), but they bulge way more now and he's got a couple of scales missing at the back. I'm really worried about him but all the advice I can find online advises using antibiotics and the nurse who orders drugs at work is being an arse at the moment

I guess I'll just have to get some cories and see how the girls go if I find a couple more females. Still curious about the killies though!

Oh, and thanks adodge

[Adrienne]

its possible you have a short finned male in the tank that has been sold as a female, try putting the troublesome female? in a clear container in the tank with the females and see if he/she blows a bubble nest.

[Fenriswolf]

I don't think so. Their bodies look very different to my boy's, though I suppose that could be a breed difference. The girls have fat bodies and short fins. Can males come out looking exactly like females? Because the girls really are identical apart from colour.

As for the trouble maker, it was mostly my boy chasing them around and them running away, apart from two occasions where there was definitely a face off (circling with a bit of nipping - it sometimes looked like he was trying to mate with her, and the other two were watching intently from close by) but it was with different females each time.

It's hard to know who the aggressor would be also because there wasn't that much nipping when we were looking, but we'd go away and come back to more missing tail!