Could Use Some Advice Plz

[knigec28]

i read somewhere on here that bettas could possibly be kept in a species tank as long as they are all females or males (?) i was thinking about a 20 gal or so because i can use some of the left over parts from my 55 gal to run it (lights, hood, filter, etc.) sooooo my questions are:
1) is it true that you can house multiple bettas together so long as they are the same sex?
2) if #1 is true, then how do you sex them?
3) what are the possible ramifications of putting a 200w heater (from my 55gal tank) into the 20gal tank?
4) whisper 60 filter (by tetra i think) would be used, can adjust flow rate...is this better than an UGF?
5) any other advice?

Thanks in advance for the help everyone!

 

[K.J.]

You CAN NOT keep males together, as they're naturally aggressive and will fight and most likely kill each other. However, most females are more passive and you could probably keep 12 or 13 in a 20 gallon tank, provided you have adequate filtration. And yes, UGF are bad. Use the Whisper...

 

[lilfishie]

they can be kept together but only females, males will tear each other to shreads, females generally have shorter fins but as do Plakat males, if you look in my signature the middle 4 are female and the two at the end male, not sure about the heater as i don't have one of that wattage, bettas prefer still water so you will need an adjustable filter or you can make is slower but i'll let someone else say that as i don't know the method, make sure there is a lot of hiding places as they can get aggressive especially when new, they have to sort out whos queen bee etc. try and get them all at the same time otherwise you'll have to completely rearrange the tank each time you add one so she doesn't get picked on.

the link in my signature on Female betta tail types also shows how to tell a female from a male Plakat, so you should look at that

 

[knigec28]

thank you for the information! my current betta must be a male then b/c of the long fins, can 1 male be housed with all females? lol would feel bad for him if he couldn't get into the big tank

 

[lilfishie]

no you can't mix the two sexes i'm afraid, when breeding the female ends up beaten and shes only in there probably a day or two

 

[Dibari]

What you're thinking of are the wild species of betta - In example, I know someone who keeps a betta mahachai tank.
But unless you're speaking of specific wild species that can be kept in species tank, the answer is a firm, resounding NO.
Do not, ever, under any circumstances keep male Betta Splendens together. Do not ever keep male AND female Betta Splendens together.
You can only - Under certain guidelines - Keep FEMALE betta splendens together.
And a 55 gallon heater in a 20 gallon would be a bad idea.
Bettas like a temperature of 74 - 82 ish, on average, and something that powerful for a 20 gallon tank might boil them - You'd have to be careful to moniter their temperatures.
And never ever use a filter (especially one for a 60 gallon tank!) with bettas. Bettas are designed for still (or at most, very slow moving) water, and currents will stress them to death. (Long finned bettas can have torn fins as a result, however I have heard of some short finned ones liking a very very soft current. As always, there are exceptions that prove the rule, but I would err on the safe side....)

And no, you cannot keep one male in with females.
THey fight - That's part of their name. Siamese fighting fish. Females will fight females. Females will fight males. Males will fight males.
Unless you have 4 (preferably 6 minimum) female betta splendens, do not put them into a tank together, and do not add a male in the mix.


Edit: I also would not rely heavily on finnage to decide the sex of your betta.
There are long finned females and short finned males alike.
When sexing bettas, check the underbelly for short ventrals and a white spot between them - That would be the ovipositor and it means the fish is female (Most of the time, sometimes Juvie males have an extended rectum that can resemble an ovipositor)

 

[lilfishie]

i have a filter in my 15 gal and they are just fine with it, i often see them swimming in the current with my guppies

 

[Dibari]

i have a filter in my 15 gal and they are just fine with it, i often see them swimming in the current with my guppies

As I said, I've heard of exceptions with soft currents, but I advise against it most of the time. What type of filter is it?

Edit: Wait, what? You keep bettas and guppies together? Uh.. That's really not a good idea. The bright colored fins of guppies can lead to slaughter with bettas....

 

[stang1]

I wouldn't dream of keeping my Bettas without a filter I'm afraid, but it is down to personal preference.
As long as the flow is controlled creating minimal current then they should be fine. My boys divided tank has an external filter so it's easier to control the flow.

 

[lilfishie]

the guppies are juvis so not much colour there also in with neons and a shrimp, as for the filter i haven't a clue what it is

 

[Dibari]

the guppies are juvis so not much colour there also in with neons and a shrimp, as for the filter i haven't a clue what it is

Neons might be fine.. But guppies - I dunno. Once they start showing some color, I'd pull them immediately before they become a snack..
It may be fine for a few weeks.. Or even a few months. But in the end, it will end badly.


Stang, as long as there is little to no current created, it's perfectly okay. it's the water movement and sometimes the fact that bettas are such jumpers (I've heard horror stories of bettas ending up inside filters...) that makes it such a huge no no.

 

[SoCalMom]

Dibari gave you great advice

 

[lilfishie]

i think if they had wanted to kill them they would of done it by now, the smallest two are only just bigger than there mouth and they show absolutley no agression towards them, the little male has a luminous yellow tail with black stops and they hardy notice him, but if there is any trouble the guppies will be removed and put in my sisters guppy tank

 

[knigec28]

thanks everyone very much for the wonderful advice! i really appreciate all of your effort
i wanted to post a picture of the filter:

it's hard to see, but it hangs on the back, it also has a knob on the top/middle (hard to see b/c of the cover to the top) which can vary the flow of water, bringing it to literally a trickle of water... as well as a screen thingie-ma-jig that is on the end of the tube that goes in the water...i was thinking that i could maybe use it at a very low water rate (like at minimum or so because of the size of the tank) and save some money...
the hood is fitted and is already cut for the filter...which might help with them attempting to jump out of the water. Do you think that this type of set-up as far as a filter is still problematic?
(i'm really not tryin to be obstinate, just curious )

 

[Dibari]

i think if they had wanted to kill them they would of done it by now, the smallest two are only just bigger than there mouth and they show absolutley no agression towards them, the little male has a luminous yellow tail with black stops and they hardy notice him, but if there is any trouble the guppies will be removed and put in my sisters guppy tank

I'm not trying to come down on you - But we all want our fish to be safe.. I would hate for your guppies to get older and their color to come through and one day your betta just goes nuts.
I just wanted to warn you that one day, it will most likely be a problem. (It's one of those.. 1 in 10,000 bettas might be okay with it).
All in all, I just would't recommend it, but I wish you the best of luck.

thanks everyone very much for the wonderful advice! i really appreciate all of your effort
i wanted to post a picture of the filter:

it's hard to see, but it hangs on the back, it also has a knob on the top/middle (hard to see b/c of the cover to the top) which can vary the flow of water, bringing it to literally a trickle of water... as well as a screen thingie-ma-jig that is on the end of the tube that goes in the water...i was thinking that i could maybe use it at a very low water rate (like at minimum or so because of the size of the tank) and save some money...
the hood is fitted and is already cut for the filter...which might help with them attempting to jump out of the water. Do you think that this type of set-up as far as a filter is still problematic?
(i'm really not tryin to be obstinate, just curious )

If you realy can bring it down to an absolute trickle, then by all means, try it. Make sure there is no way for your betta to be sucked into the filter (I'ven ever used your type, so I don' tknow much about it).
Go ahead and give it a go - If your betta shows signs of stress, though, you'll have to remove it.