Male and Female bettas question

[RED1958]

Hello, I just have a question about my bettas, I have one male and one female both living in a 20 gal hexagon, so far they get along fine but I have just recently put them in together. They swim around each other and once in awhile when it looks like they will hit head on they both turn and go the other way. I have plants but they are all short, I am planning to go get some tall ones tomorrow. I keep reading and watching videos and everyone says to keep them together they need a 20 long not a tall. So my question is, should I buy a 20 long and move them over there or is the hexagon okay for them. I am not trying to breed them or anything and I was planning to get some other fish so they can have others to look at. Any help and advice will be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Colin_T]

Fish swim mostly from left to right and vice versa. A bigger surface area (length x width) is much more important than height so a 20 long would be better than a 20 high.

If you have a male and female fish in the same tank and they are well fed and cared for, they will usually breed. When this happens the male Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) will take over most if not all of the aquarium and consider it his territory and kill anyone else in it, including the female after they have bred. If you want the fish for looking at and not breeding, just have the male in a tank on his own. If you want other types of fish, get another aquarium for those fish so they aren't living with a serial killer.

The best plant for Betta splendens is water sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta). It is a floating plant that has branches and the Bettas can rest on the branches just under the surface. This is their preferred habitat (just under the surface. If you get too much water sprite growing, you can plant some of it in the gravel where it turns into a lovely light green shrub type plant.

 

[RED1958]

Fish swim mostly from left to right and vice versa. A bigger surface area (length x width) is much more important than height so a 20 long would be better than a 20 high.

If you have a male and female fish in the same tank and they are well fed and cared for, they will usually breed. When this happens the male Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) will take over most if not all of the aquarium and consider it his territory and kill anyone else in it, including the female after they have bred. If you want the fish for looking at and not breeding, just have the male in a tank on his own. If you want other types of fish, get another aquarium for those fish so they aren't living with a serial killer.

The best plant for Betta splendens is water sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta). It is a floating plant that has branches and the Bettas can rest on the branches just under the surface. This is their preferred habitat (just under the surface. If you get too much water sprite growing, you can plant some of it in the gravel where it turns into a lovely light green shrub type plant.

Thank you, I have a 5 gal I can set up for the male, Can I put other fish with the female? I am thinking guppies and tetras. Water sprite sounds cool, I will get some for them. I also have a 6 gal tank but the flow is too strong for the bettas, that is kinda how they ended up in the same tank in the first place. The female is an elephant ear and the male is a paradise mustard gas? anyway not sure letting them breed is a good ideal, ha, Thank you again for the advice.

 

[Colin_T]

You can usually keep female bettas with other fish but try to avoid keeping them with similar coloured fish, brightly coloured fish, or fish that live in the upper half of the tank (this is where bettas live, in the top half). You should also try to keep fish that require the same water chemistry (pH and hardness). Guppies prefer harder water to Bettas and neon tetras so you need to find out what these are.

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height) of the 20 gallon hex?

The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website (Water Analysis Report) or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.

Angelfish, discus, most tetras, most barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

 

[RED1958]

You can usually keep female bettas with other fish but try to avoid keeping them with similar coloured fish, brightly coloured fish, or fish that live in the upper half of the tank (this is where bettas live, in the top half). You should also try to keep fish that require the same water chemistry (pH and hardness). Guppies prefer harder water to Bettas and neon tetras so you need to find out what these are.

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height) of the 20 gallon hex?

The GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website (Water Analysis Report) or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.

Angelfish, discus, most tetras, most barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.

Thank you so much, you have been very helpful, I will take the water test in before I buy any more fish. I am going to put Mean Mister Mustard ( The label said he was a mustard betta)in his own tank today. Wish Petsmart knew as much about fish as you do, ha.