Keeping Bettas

[ziggy99]

hi i recently got 2 bettas 1 male 1 female to go in my planted tank...along with 12 cardinals and 3 clown loches.
the male betta seems to chase the female quite alot and sometime goes after a clown or two, but this seems not to last for to long with the clowns..
he is quite intrested in the female betta and is constantly chasing her....
should i be worried about this and if so what should i do

the tank size is 70 litres with a large rock formation a large piece of bog wood and approx. 10 plants

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Male bettas should not be kept with any other bettas, male or female. Males fight, but the male will chase down the fmeale in hopes of spawning, and since he has no bubble nest for the female to look at and accept, she'll keep swimming away, eventually getting killed.

Suggestion: move betta to a bowl or another tank, or return one or the other to your lfs.

 

[ziggy99]

Male bettas should not be kept with any other bettas, male or female. Males fight, but the male will chase down the fmeale in hopes of spawning, and since he has no bubble nest for the female to look at and accept, she'll keep swimming away, eventually getting killed.

Suggestion: move betta to a bowl or another tank, or return one or the other to your lfs.

i dont have another tank ... i could move one of the bettas to a bowl with water from the tank ... but what about the temp. of the water, it will drop after a while.....

is it best to move the male or the female ....

cheers in advance......

 

[Joby]

If it is not possible to separate them and keep the separted one in warm water then your only solution is to take one back. What about putting a divider in the tank?

Also, Clown loaches need 55 gallon tank at least. They get huge

Check out the FAQ at the top of the forum for what tank mates are suitable with Bettas

 

[ziggy99]

If it is not possible to separate them and keep the separted one in warm water then your only solution is to take one back. What about putting a divider in the tank?

Also, Clown loaches need 55 gallon tank at least. They get huge

Check out the FAQ at the top of the forum for what tank mates are suitable with Bettas

i got really small clowns with the view to getting a bigger tank in about 5 -6 months time...and rehousing them....
im aware of the size problem....

at the moment i have placed a mirrior at the side of the tank and it seems to keep him occupied at least for long enough for the female to get some energy back.... the lfs wont be open for 3 days because of a bank holiday....and i dont have a divider at the moment.....

could i float a plastic box in the tank with holes to allow water circulation and put either the male or the female in it .....
until the male builds a buble nest ... or until the shop opens....
putting the male in it would be better for the other fish ... but i would give him time to build a nest...if the female was in it...

what do you think.....

 

[OohFeeshy]

Whoah, you've been given the wrong impression

is it best to move the male or the female ....

The male.

i could move one of the bettas to a bowl with water from the tank ... but what about the temp. of the water, it will drop after a while.....

Whats room temperature like? If you've got a fairly warm room it'd be fine.

at the moment i have placed a mirrior at the side of the tank and it seems to keep him occupied at least for long enough for the female to get some energy back....

That's really not a good idea. He'll get very stressed out, meaning health problems, possibly fin biting and obviously, tirdeness.

could i float a plastic box in the tank with holes to allow water circulation and put either the male or the female in it .....

That would be good too, as long as the holes sre too small for the fish to get stuck in. Put the male in.

until the male builds a buble nest ... or until the shop opens....
putting the male in it would be better for the other fish ... but i would give him time to build a nest...if the female was in it...

The bubblenest isn't the problem... Putting a male and female together will lead either to the death of one or both, or breeding (possibly followed by the first option). Breeding is something you really don't want to happen. Just seperate them and either take one back, or get them their own tanks.

 

[ziggy99]

Whoah, you've been given the wrong impression

is it best to move the male or the female ....

The male.

i could move one of the bettas to a bowl with water from the tank ... but what about the temp. of the water, it will drop after a while.....

Whats room temperature like? If you've got a fairly warm room it'd be fine.

at the moment i have placed a mirrior at the side of the tank and it seems to keep him occupied at least for long enough for the female to get some energy back....

That's really not a good idea. He'll get very stressed out, meaning health problems, possibly fin biting and obviously, tirdeness.

could i float a plastic box in the tank with holes to allow water circulation and put either the male or the female in it .....

That would be good too, as long as the holes sre too small for the fish to get stuck in. Put the male in.

until the male builds a buble nest ... or until the shop opens....
putting the male in it would be better for the other fish ... but i would give him time to build a nest...if the female was in it...

The bubblenest isn't the problem... Putting a male and female together will lead either to the death of one or both, or breeding (possibly followed by the first option). Breeding is something you really don't want to happen. Just seperate them and either take one back, or get them their own tanks.

i put some water from the tank in a plastic box...(open top) and placed it above the tank lid so the light unit should keep the temp up... currently the temp is 24f - 75 cel. in the box...will keep an eye on it ....whats the min temp. for a betta..

i am trying to keep the male,so i left him in the tank ... i really would like to have a male as opposed to a female

dont know if he will get on with the clowns.......

 

[Joby]

Bettas are tropical fish and therefore prefer 77-79 range I find.

Keep monitoring the temp through the day in case it goes up. Plus, will you leave it on all night or the temp could drop cold at night

 

[liz2]

you need something on top of the plastic box it will also keep heat in.