Can I Keep My Male Beta In A Breeder Box To Heal?

[KuronoEnyo]

Well I got a double tail delta betta fish in a 20 gallon aquarium and seems he likes to mess with the tetra's then when he slows down they BITE Him.

SO I was thinking... Could I stick him in a breeder box till he's completely healed then release him back into the water?

Do any of you think this will cause him too much stress and kill him or think this would be a good safe haven for him to heal but still be familiar with the aquarium.

I mean in my head logically I"m thinking "Its a container with an open top still inside my water and decently deep I can put some moss in there to rest on and even his betta log to sleep in, AND He's still in the aquarium so I wont have to separate him from the aquarium"

(Btw that's him as my icon)

 

[Flute]

To be honest, if the tetra are nipping and ripping his fins now, once he's healed they'll just carry on hounding him and it'll be a continuous cycle. My advice would be to buy a little 5 gal tank for him to live on his own. If not, why not divide a little section of the tank so that he can rest up by himself? Lots of clean water will help, as will soaking his food in garlic to give his immune system a boost.

 

[KuronoEnyo]

To be honest, if the tetra are nipping and ripping his fins now, once he's healed they'll just carry on hounding him and it'll be a continuous cycle. My advice would be to buy a little 5 gal tank for him to live on his own. If not, why not divide a little section of the tank so that he can rest up by himself? Lots of clean water will help, as will soaking his food in garlic to give his immune system a boost.

Ah nah no fin rot and there's new growth on the bottom fins. Just wondering if it'll be a good place to stick him for a month or so this way they'll fully heal. I'd rather not do the 5 gallon as well since I don't like the idea of sticking beautiful things in tiny containers. Thanks for the idea about the section I have a sanded side I can easily put a divider on.

 

[Flute]

A 5 gal is plenty of room for one single male, anything smaller isn't as great IMO. I've seen them struggle in larger tanks due to how big their fins are, which is also what makes them a target for nippy fish like tetra. Sounds like your best bet is to go with a divider if you don't like the idea of a smaller tank Good to hear that it isn't fin rot either, he should heal fairly quickly as long as he gets some peace from the tetra.

As to sticking him in a breeders box, I personally wouldn't just because I find it stresses them out more. Others might have better experience and advice with that idea though

 

[Chad]

Yes, that works fine for a betta short term. It allows you to feed him directly and keeps him out of harms way. A 5 gallon is great for a betta.
I agree with Flute that a tetra tank isn't really the right place for a betta. Even if they aren't nipping the fins the conditions (such as flow) are generally different for the each species...but yes...the breeder box should work as a hospital.

 

[iantaylor]

As soon as the fins re-grow and release him back into the aquarium the tetras will still nip his fins, the 5 gall tank is a better idea

 

[LucyB]

This happened to my betta, He has his own 3 gallon planted tank now, his tail has grown back

 

[saffholly]

My betta is in a 5g too and is perfectly happy, has plenty of room. If you put him back in with the tetras he will just get nipped again and might end up with fin rot/infection (so would be a waste of time letting him heal).

 

[KuronoEnyo]

Yes, that works fine for a betta short term. It allows you to feed him directly and keeps him out of harms way. A 5 gallon is great for a betta.
I agree with Flute that a tetra tank isn't really the right place for a betta. Even if they aren't nipping the fins the conditions (such as flow) are generally different for the each species...but yes...the breeder box should work as a hospital.

Thanks I had a previous betta that I gave to a friend in the aquarium and they only nipped the betta for the first month or so then stopped since he was a veil tail I could tell when he was completely healed and this is a new betta fish that's been in the tank maybe 2 weeks I figure that's the issue specially since this one looks a bit younger, thanks for your opinion!

My betta is in a 5g too and is perfectly happy, has plenty of room. If you put him back in with the tetras he will just get nipped again and might end up with fin rot/infection (so would be a waste of time letting him heal).

Not in my experience its just a short term thing I believe and I'll never own anything under a 10 gallon aquarium, too much of a hassle owning small aquariums in my opinion but I appreciate your opinion thank you.

 

[KuronoEnyo]

A 5 gal is plenty of room for one single male, anything smaller isn't as great IMO. I've seen them struggle in larger tanks due to how big their fins are, which is also what makes them a target for nippy fish like tetra. Sounds like your best bet is to go with a divider if you don't like the idea of a smaller tank

Good to hear that it isn't fin rot either, he should heal fairly quickly as long as he gets some peace from the tetra.

As to sticking him in a breeders box, I personally wouldn't just because I find it stresses them out more. Others might have better experience and advice with that idea though

Yeah I'm really glad its not fin rot thankfully I have tons of live plants, keep up with my water changes and have my mature filters going, so my water is at top quality currently which should help with his healing. Thanks for your advice were going to go with the idea of a medium breeder box so he can get some chill time because my last betta in the tank got nipped at only temporarily then after healing his fins really never showed any signs of nipping that said he was in the aquarium much longer then this current one.

This happened to my betta, He has his own 3 gallon planted tank now, his tail has grown back

That's awesome yeah my last betta got nipped at a little bit then his fins healed up, then they never really showed any sign of nippage. Then after giving him to a friend I got a new betta fish a few weeks later and boom fin nippage I figure it could be like my first betta in that it got nipped in the first few weeks of being in the aquarium then after healing they didn't really bother him but if I'm wrong I have a empty 10 gallon aquarium in my spare bedroom

As soon as the fins re-grow and release him back into the aquarium the tetras will still nip his fins, the 5 gall tank is a better idea

If it doesn't work out I refuse to put him into a 5 gallon aquarium that said I do have a empty 10 gallon aquarium in my spare bedroom I can set up for the little guy :3