male betta aggressive towards females & only 1 tank

[struggling]

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[QiQi]

How big is the tank? Is it tall or long? Did you cycle it? I assume none of the fish have been quarantined, did you notice any signs of illness like white spots or white growths on any of the fish, or springy poo, bloating? Do you know the parameters of the water you use and test the water in the tank? Do you do water changes and how much, how often, do you vacuum the substrate? Temperature of the tank?

I don't think there is a way to stop him from being aggressive, and if there is a way it would only be short termed.

You could try and explain to your dad that he will eventually kill the females and maybe the tetras too and he needs to be separated.

The tetras dying could be a result of many different reasons. For example, if the tank is overstocked, if it is uncycled, it could be neon tetra disease, or maybe an illness or parasites that some past it to them, or they already had it, maybe the bettas are picking on them.

Live plants will help only a very tiny bit in your case.

The only thing I could suggest is to get a divider and aquarium sealant, so you can keep him separated. You will still need an extra heater and filter of his side too. About the rest of the issues, more info and pictures might help.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

the male could go back in the bowl temporarily if the tank is big enough divide it

 

[OliveFish05]

Hi! Don’t worry, you are doing your best!!! If you have any kind of a bowl you can take Mr. Pink out of the tank and put him in there temporarily. Ms. Blue can live with the other 4 females. What is the tank size? You could list the females on Craigslist, and keep Mr. Pink with the neon tetras in the tank, if you really can’t get a second tank or a bigger tank.

I am so sorry about your cat. I have my own cat, who my mom tried to rehome, and I know how much they can mean to you. If having the bettas helps you get through your grief, then knowing they are happy will likely help even more. Right now, you can take little steps to getting your situation heading in the right direction.

Step 1. Move Mr. Pink to ANY kind of bowl.
Step 2. I would do daily water changes on the tank and the bowl, as if it was an emergency situation you didn’t have time to cycle it (which is alright. This is better than them being in a squished bowl together)

Youre doing great! You were handed a near impossible situation, but you’re prepared to move through it, for the sake of the fish.

 

[struggling]

Hi! Don’t worry, you are doing your best!!! If you have any kind of a bowl you can take Mr. Pink out of the tank and put him in there temporarily. Ms. Blue can live with the other 4 females. What is the tank size? You could list the females on Craigslist, and keep Mr. Pink with the neon tetras in the tank, if you really can’t get a second tank or a bigger tank.

I am so sorry about your cat. I have my own cat, who my mom tried to rehome, and I know how much they can mean to you. If having the bettas helps you get through your grief, then knowing they are happy will likely help even more. Right now, you can take little steps to getting your situation heading in the right direction.

Step 1. Move Mr. Pink to ANY kind of bowl.
Step 2. I would do daily water changes on the tank and the bowl, as if it was an emergency situation you didn’t have time to cycle it (which is alright. This is better than them being in a squished bowl together)

Youre doing great! You were handed a near impossible situation, but you’re prepared to move through it, for the sake of the fish.

Thank you so much. That is what I was going to do, put him in the bowl until I can figure out a more permanent fix. We have a bigger one than the one he came in so I'll use that one. The tank is 10 gallons. Where I live there isn't a Craigslist. And you're right about cycling the tank, I was anxious to get them out of the bowl, and my dad was saying it was fine if we didn't wait, but I should have insisted. Thank you for being so nice

 

[struggling]

the male could go back in the bowl temporarily if the tank is big enough divide it

Thank you! I'll put him in the bowl until I can work out a permanent solution.

 

[struggling]

How big is the tank? Is it tall or long? Did you cycle it? I assume none of the fish have been quarantined, did you notice any signs of illness like white spots or white growths on any of the fish, or springy poo, bloating? Do you know the parameters of the water you use and test the water in the tank? Do you do water changes and how much, how often, do you vacuum the substrate? Temperature of the tank?

I don't think there is a way to stop him from being aggressive, and if there is a way it would only be short termed.

You could try and explain to your dad that he will eventually kill the females and maybe the tetras too and he needs to be separated.

The tetras dying could be a result of many different reasons. For example, if the tank is overstocked, if it is uncycled, it could be neon tetra disease, or maybe an illness or parasites that some past it to them, or they already had it, maybe the bettas are picking on them.

Live plants will help only a very tiny bit in your case.

The only thing I could suggest is to get a divider and aquarium sealant, so you can keep him separated. You will still need an extra heater and filter of his side too. About the rest of the issues, more info and pictures might help.

It's more tall than long, which I know isn't ideal, but my dad refused to get a tank that wasn't from this specific place, and under a certain price, and plastic rather than glass, and this was the best they had. It's 10 gallons.

I didn't notice any signs of illness. Water changes are 10% every week (although after another response from someone else I'll do it daily until I can be sure they're all healthy), the temperature is too low, because my dad won't let me put a heater in because he thinks it's going to kill them all.

I was planning to change a lot of things on the weekend already, which included getting a heater. We got them last Friday and set up the tank last Saturday, and it's my last week at school, so the week has been pretty hectic, and I was planning on fixing things on the weekend because I'll be able to do it properly then. And over the weekend it would probably be easier to convince my parents to let me get what I need, including the live plants, a soil substrate, a heater, etc.

We didn't cycle it because, as I said on a different response, I was anxious to get them out of the bowl, and my dad was saying it was fine if we didn't wait. But I should have insisted. After the response from OliveFish05, I'm going to do daily water changes.

I've read that 5 gallons is enough for a sorority, but obviously my research was inconclusive, so would that be enough if I divided the tank?

Thank you for responding so quickly and for providing the solution of getting a divider, because it honestly hadn't occurred to me before, and it sounds like an ideal solution. My dad probably won't object because it's a lot less than a whole new tank. Thank you so much!

 

[QiQi]

10 gallons for 5 bettas and tetras. That's quite overstocked right now. Is there any way you can return the 4 female bettas? Also I would start doing 60-70% water change every 2 days minimum, since there are a lot of fish for the size of the tank and see how the tetras start doing. You could divide it so the male has 2.5gal and the rest will keep the 7.5gal. It is not ideal but it is better than nothing. Make sure to clean your filter in old tank water, so you don't kill any beneficial bacteria and when you top up, the fresh water must have similar temperature with the water in your tank. Another question, are your parents planning on rehoming the fish when you move out?

 

[OliveFish05]

So glad you are figuring it out!!! I would honestly let the female bettas keep the 10 gallon tank and keep the male in a bowl, and just do daily water changes. If you divide the tank, the females may begin showing aggression to eachother. The more space THEY have, the better, because there are so many of them. Your biggest concern with the male being in a bowl would just be keeping up on water quality

 

[EllRog]

10 gallon is too small for the females. Best bet is to rehome all of the fish apart from the male and cycle the tank with him in it. Reduce feeding to a small amount every couple of days and change the water by 75% daily until the tank has cycled

 

[struggling]

10 gallons for 5 bettas and tetras. That's quite overstocked right now. Is there any way you can return the 4 female bettas? Also I would start doing 60-70% water change every 2 days minimum, since there are a lot of fish for the size of the tank and see how the tetras start doing. You could divide it so the male has 2.5gal and the rest will keep the 7.5gal. It is not ideal but it is better than nothing. Make sure to clean your filter in old tank water, so you don't kill any beneficial bacteria and when you top up, the fresh water must have similar temperature with the water in your tank. Another question, are your parents planning on rehoming the fish when you move out?

I've seen so many different people saying so many different things about how many bettas you can have in different size tanks. I don't know how to tell the good information from the bad information. Like I said, this is my first time fishkeeping so I'm just trying to figure things out. Do you have any advice on how to tell what information is accurate? Of course I'm avoiding pet store websites already.

I wouldn't be able to return the fish.

Thank you for all of the advice! I honestly should have asked some more experienced people directly before I did anything.

Yes, we're planning on rehoming them. But once we've got everything settled so I can just write a guide with all of the information (this is what I had to do for my cat when I went into quarantine, and it worked well because we already had all of the things he needed).

I don't want to give them to someone else now because (1) most of the people I know are also leaving so there'd be no point in giving them to them now, I just need to wait to see who is actually staying because in this country everyone says they're leaving and no one leaves, (2) like I said, no one leaves, so I might still be here another year or two until I'm able to leave on my own, and (3) I don't know anyone that would want to take the fish without the whole tank being set up already. Worst case scenario, I'll have to give them to my uncle who has the same ideas about fishcare as my dad.

 

[EllRog]

Take them to a pet shop or they will all die

 

[QiQi]

It is what it is now, just keep up with big water changes and try to divide the tank and separate him, or move him to a bowl as others suggested. In the meantime you could post an ad to rehome some of them and see how it goes, there is nothing to lose if you try

 

[struggling]

So glad you are figuring it out!!! I would honestly let the female bettas keep the 10 gallon tank and keep the male in a bowl, and just do daily water changes. If you divide the tank, the females may begin showing aggression to eachother. The more space THEY have, the better, because there are so many of them. Your biggest concern with the male being in a bowl would just be keeping up on water quality

Thank you!!

I've read different things from different people - is it okay to keep him in a bowl? I would want to give him the angora thing that I mentioned in the original post but I don't think it'd fit in even the biggest bowl we have.

I thought that females couldn't be alone, which was why I wanted to get the others. Would it have been better to just have separated the two original fish? Would she have been happy on her own?

I can't give them to anyone else for the reasons I mentioned above. One of the tanks I saw is like, really cheap but big enough for the male, should I just try and get that one? I don't know where I'd put it though.

 

[struggling]

It is what it is now, just keep up with big water changes and try to divide the tank and separate him, or move him to a bowl as others suggested. In the meantime you could post an ad to rehome some of them and see how it goes, there is nothing to lose if you try

Thank you so much for all of your help, I think I'll try to divide the tank first, as that seems like the best case scenario for all of the fish. And if like OliveFish05 said, the females start being overly aggressive towards each other, I'll try putting him in the bowl and removing the divider. Because right now the females seem pretty passive with each other. I think I know a place I could try to find someone to rehome them to, but there are so many animals in this country that need new homes so those places are super oversaturated, and people tend to focus on the cats and dogs because they definitely have it worst here.