Female betta with stress stripes

Kaylab2021

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I have 4 female bettas in a 240 litre tank, they all get on ok no chasing or nipping have the odd flare if they get to close to each other, but one of the females constantly has stress stripes the rest of the fish in the tank are all happy and healthy just this one female. I change water 20% weekly and its fully planted and a few hiding places but she still has stress striped. I put her into a breeders net with a few plants to see if she settled but next morning she had jumped back into the big tank. I dont know why she is always stressed can any one help
 

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She's stressed because she's trapped in a tank with other females she cannot get along with or escape from...
Even if you haven't witnessed fighting, they establish a pecking order. If she's unhappy about her place in that pecking order, or by living with other females, then she's going to develop stress stripes, of course. There are also nips in her tail in those photos, so there has been aggression that you've just not witnessed.

She needs to be moved to another tank where she's alone, and it needs to happen fast! Stress kills fish. By the time a betta develops stress stripes, it means they've been stressed for a long, long time, and they're reaching the end of their rope.

You need to get hold of another tank to move her to, is that possible?
 
Right ok i do have a 28litre tank i am cycling at the minute, but as for her not getting along with the other females i bought all 4 from the same tank from the petshop and petshop said they were all sisters so guessed they would be fine in a big tank together, i sit constantly watching them and like i said never witnessed aggression towards her unless its happening at night. If she was been bullied like i said i put her in a big breeders net to seperate her and she jumped straight back into the big tank you would think she would stay in net away from the rest of the females
 
Fish aggression is less straightforward than visible fighting. I will try and find the article I read but there is a series of (pre) aggressive behaviours that would seriously stress fish, such as darting, barging, hormone signals... before fighting. Fighting is a last resort because an injury could mean death to either party.

Aggression in fish may be sparked by many things - competition for mates, access to breeding territories, competition for food resources, sexual selection for male vigour, and response to habitat complexity and increased/decreased exposure to predation or other interference. Perhaps you could give the water conditions and parameters in case there is any source of stress in the tank? Fish aggression can be determined by temperature or even substrate type! From the photo I would suggest the tank is too bright with too little surface coverage. Dim the lights and/or add more floating plants to help the fish feel safe and secure.

Also, you have the bear minimum number of female bettas for a soriety so the aggression may not be distributed well. But removing the stressed fish would reduce the number to 3 which is below minimum. Betta sorieties are not easy!!

The tear on her tail may also be caused by plastic plants. Plastic plants are best avoided in betta set-ups, silk or live are best.

And regarding having the sense to stay in the breeding net - fish are not that clever.
 
Yeh iv been buying floating plants to cover top but my apple snail loves eating them so i have taken him out to let the plants grow, i get paid friday would you suggest me buying a couple more females? Also i thought the lights were to bright and thought that might be a reason why shes stressed i have been looking at getting a blue light thats not as bright but dont know what size bulb to get as no instructions for lights. Was guna just buy a light that sits in water at back and just turn them lights of. Im at work at minute so cant test water but only did water change on saturday and my readings were fine. Would you suggest more plants my plants dont seem to grow
 
I don't know if a couple more females would help or not, if not you would need more tanks for these fish. I would concentrate on adding more cover.
Live plants would be great. I find Vallisneria and dwarf water lettuce grow well in my water. I use flourish comprehensive and root tabs. Egeria densa, water sprite, heteranthera and hygrophila all grow quickly.
 
Yeh i have dwarf water lettuce and a giant one and frog bit all growing on the top, and i have a few different types of plants at bottom, iv got drift wood in there 2 hide holes a large fake plant to hide in live stones for them to hide behind betta hammock leaves and i have just ordered some almond leaves to and more wood which will darken water in the tank. Im eventually going to make it into a under water forest with java moss attached to my wood. I have also got to small glass circle vases i was going to cover in java moss with a few stones inside for hides to will that work? I have a liquid fertiliser and i have just order root tabs in the hope my plants start growing
 
Right ok i do have a 28litre tank i am cycling at the minute, but as for her not getting along with the other females i bought all 4 from the same tank from the petshop and petshop said they were all sisters so guessed they would be fine in a big tank together, i sit constantly watching them and like i said never witnessed aggression towards her unless its happening at night. If she was been bullied like i said i put her in a big breeders net to seperate her and she jumped straight back into the big tank you would think she would stay in net away from the rest of the females

You have to remember that this is not how bettas live in the wild. You're putting them in an un-natural situation by expecting females to get along while staying together, with no escape from each other. So betta sororities are always a very difficult balancing act, and often end in disaster.

In the wild, new betta fry live together in the same area without fighting while they grow and mature. But once they're old enough, they begin to strike out on their own. Males go and find their own territory, and guard it fiercely. Females are natural travellers. They venture though different water ways in search of a male they find acceptable to mate with. Once they've mated and eggs have been released, the female leaves, and the male will chase her off too. These are a solitary fish. It is in their genetic make up to live this way, the way they've evolved to be successful in their environment. When people thought bettas lived in puddles because they found them in tiny muddy puddles, they assumed they lived like that all the time. But no. It's because of their environment, so when water levels are low, they can breath air using their labyrinth organ, and survive conditions that other fish could not. Those fish were usually ones that were using small water ways to travel in search of territory or mates, and it's not how they *enjoy* living- it's a way they've evolved to adapt to their environment so they can survive travelling like that and the seasons in their location. It's temporary, not how they live usually, which is in huge bodies of water.

They live together when young and immature. When people suggest sisters for a sorority, it's because they're still juveniles in the store and haven't been separated yet, so they haven't yet had that "get away, go find a mate" instinct kick in yet. They would fight with an unknown betta if it was introduced, but the ones they've been raised with are still okay. So that's why everyone says to get sisters when you want to build a sorority.

But now your fish have matured, and instincts tell them to go, find a mate. Leave this baby area and your siblings. But they can't. Mature betta don't live with other betta in the wild. The males are fiercely guarding their own territories, the females travelling alone, only staying around another betta if it's a male she's mating with. If a mature adult betta that had left the nursery area later ran into one of their siblings, they're not going to be friendly. By that point, it's just the same as any other betta. Drive them away, and fight if you have to.

I saw your previous post about your tank, and you said you're new to the hobby. May I ask why you started with a sorority? Because they really are difficult to manage even for experienced keepers who have kept bettas for years.
 
Hi there yes that makes sense, and i have been reading and watching videos about bettas for months before setting a tank up with bettas. I always read that females was always over looked as there not as fancy as males and that they can be put in a community tank as long as its big and heavily planted and i already have a male in a 20litre tank and thought it would be nice to have different coloured females in my 240litre. Everything iv read and watched gives different opinions some it works some it doesnt. I just thought with it been such a big tank and i do want to turn it into a under water forest the females would be fine and find there own arrears in the tank to call there own. Like i said the other three seem fine and have there own little arrears in the tank but just this one stays near top with stress striped. She eats when all the others come to eat and there isnt no chasing while there eating they seem to get on fine. Like i said i put her in a big breeders net last night in main tank with her own plants and ornaments to try see if she settled been on her own but this morning she was in big tank again so must of jumped out of the net. I know people say it is very difficult but i am one of these people who like to try the difficult i just dont no were its gone wrong i guess it could do with loads more plants and hides and the lights could be to bright again i can fix all that and buy more and a new light. I want her to stay in main tank if i can help her calm down if not i dont mind moving her in a tank on her own but then i will only have 3 females in my big tank and dont want it to cause aggression between them
 
I also can not find the right bulb for my fluval roma 240 tank, could i just leave the bulbs in and keep it switched of and just buy a light that hangs on back. As the light fitting i have is fitted into the lid for the top so cant remove it.
 
Hi there yes that makes sense, and i have been reading and watching videos about bettas for months before setting a tank up with bettas. I always read that females was always over looked as there not as fancy as males and that they can be put in a community tank as long as its big and heavily planted and i already have a male in a 20litre tank and thought it would be nice to have different coloured females in my 240litre. Everything iv read and watched gives different opinions some it works some it doesnt. I just thought with it been such a big tank and i do want to turn it into a under water forest the females would be fine and find there own arrears in the tank to call there own. Like i said the other three seem fine and have there own little arrears in the tank but just this one stays near top with stress striped. She eats when all the others come to eat and there isnt no chasing while there eating they seem to get on fine. Like i said i put her in a big breeders net last night in main tank with her own plants and ornaments to try see if she settled been on her own but this morning she was in big tank again so must of jumped out of the net. I know people say it is very difficult but i am one of these people who like to try the difficult i just dont no were its gone wrong i guess it could do with loads more plants and hides and the lights could be to bright again i can fix all that and buy more and a new light. I want her to stay in main tank if i can help her calm down if not i dont mind moving her in a tank on her own but then i will only have 3 females in my big tank and dont want it to cause aggression between them
When you move this one it is very likely that two of the others will gang up on the third - please be alert for this happening. You may be lucky as it is a big aquarium, so if you plant it up more heavily (real plants) they may establish their own areas. However there's o guarantee of this.
 
Wow! I love your tank.

Those are NOT stress stripes. Stress stripes are vertical. She looks perfectly fine.

I disagree with alot of the other comments. I breed bettas and keep all of my girls in sororities. It may not be entirely natural, but they can and do get along. I actually had an unseperatable pair of sister that would stress when alone.
 
She does have a little fin tear but that is not a bite, but prob from the fake plants. Live are better and there are tuns of easy low tech ones.
 
I always understood that stripes from nose to tail are stress stripes while vertical stripes are breeding stripes?
 

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