Betta Groups?

[Rex740]

My dad has always wanted to just fill his fish tank with just bettas but he knows that if he does they will kill each other. I have just heard about Betta Imbellis and that it's possible to keep them in groups of males and females. Is this true?

 

[blue_betta]

yes you can keep imbillis in mixed groups, but they can be hard to find. try keeping a "sorority" of females. shop around and you can find females just as colourful as most males. at one point i had a group consisting of a black pk, a blue cambodian vt, red cambodian vt, purple camnodian delta, a pink marble pk, black marble pk and a pineapple coloured delta. it made for a very colourful display!

 

[Rex740]

You can have different species of females together?

Also, what would be the ratio for male to female with peaceful bettas? I have a 48 gallon tank if I ever actually consider this.

 

[Night61]

males and females shouldn't be kept together.

but there right females are beautiful as the boys take a look at some of mine.

this one lives on her own and this was just after she started a fight with her neighbor.

 

[bronzecat]

Yeh, with females Betta splendens you can have Crowntails, halfmoons and loads of different colours Just make sure you have more than 5 or 6 as they can bullies.

Betta Imbellis (Imbellis = not warlike) are apparently the same as Betta rubra. They can be kept in pairs or as a group. In a 48gallon i would suggest 2 males with a minimum of 10/12 females. Lots of tall plants and caves Even using plants and/or rock to make a "line of sight" barrier in the centre of the tank would assist the males to establish their territories. Although they are more peaceful than B.splendens, the males can still be aggressive, so the more room you give them the better. I would add all the females at the same time, and the males a few weeks after.

There's also Betta smaragdina (smaragdina = looks like an emerald) The are not as common as imbellis but i have seen some for sale recently. Again they can be kept as pairs; in peaceful community tank, or in a species tank. Your 48 gallon would be perfect, as per the imbellis.

Both imbellis and smaragdina are prolific jumpers so a tight fitting hood is a must. Similar to splendens, they prefer light water flow and water soft to neutral ph.

Hope this helps.

 

[blue_betta]

You can have different species of females together?

Also, what would be the ratio for male to female with peaceful bettas? I have a 48 gallon tank if I ever actually consider this.

the differant colours and letters i mention from my previous fish are different tail types, not different species

the different species of betta "can" be mixed. i had a pair of betta simplex in my sorority for some time.

 

[Rex740]

Just want to get this straight also, You can mix any species/tail types of female betas together?

 

[blue_betta]

Just want to get this straight also, You can mix any species/tail types of female betas together?

yes you can mix tail types and you CAN mix species, so long as they are fairly peaceful speacies.

 

[Rex740]

And is I want to add one male, how many females should I have? Also, Can I put any male or a crecent would be the best choice with multiple females (Mixed species/tails)?

 

[blue_betta]

And is I want to add one male, how many females should I have? Also, Can I put any male or a crecent would be the best choice with multiple females (Mixed species/tails)?

you can not put a male splendens in, thats a big no no. a male pimplex or a male imbellis would be ok if the tank is big enough.

 

[Rex740]

The tank is 48 gallons. I'm assuming I should have atleast 4 females to one male?