My betta fish community tank

[nashnut]

I tend to get a lot of nipped fins with the males and females together in one tank. I do not have a problem with fin rot nor has there been any deaths. I did notice that one male is after a certain female to spawn. He has not gone after any of the other females in the tank... just this one. He also runs off any other males in the area who are attempting to get near the female. The female remains near him at all times. Obviously forming a pair. There are two dominant males in the tank. Both about the same size while the other males are smaller. I also think the females are more aggressive in this situation.

I've found that once the males are removed and have their own territory, they then become very aggressive and nasty. Kept in a community setting, they do have set to's but usually both fish dash off.

 

[xxSarahxx]

Nashnut...how big is YOUR betta community tank!?!!! How many fish do u have in there??

 

[Synirr]

I can't say that the pictures are in any way surprising... that's exactly what I was expecting to see -- completely shredded fish.

This, to me, is just another example of human stupidity (and I hate to put it so bluntly, but it is true). I would like to say it's due to ignorance, but I have a feeling that you knew beforehand that these fish were aggressive and not meant to be kept together, and yet you completely ignored facts. That is stupidity, plain and simple.

You want to believe that these fish are social creatures like you and I and that they suffer from being kept alone without the company of their own species, but the exact opposite is true. My male bettas absolutely loathe one-another, and even in female communities I can only describe their interactions as "tolerance" at best. Some members mentioned earlier that it seemed like you knew what you were doing, but it is readily apparent that you didn't simply because you tried this and kept the experiment going even though it would be quite obvious to anyone that the fish are suffering from it.

The only reason I can see that they haven't killed one-another yet is the same as why aggressive cichlids don't kill one-another off in pet shops. There are simply too many fish in the tank for each to have its own territory to fight over, so they are forced to live in a way that is completely unnatural for them. Even before seeing the pictures I was sure the fish were unhappy with the arrangement because it is completely against their nature, but now I must say I am just blown away by your lack of respect for the lives of these animals.

Let this be a lesson well-learned. PETS ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS. They are not meant to live as we do and it is doing them a disservice to humanize them in such a fashion. The absolute best thing you can do for your pets is to let them be animals. Give them what they want and need, not what you want.

 

[nashnut]

Small (20) and I would say there are 7 males and 5 females. These fish have grown up together from day one which might make a difference. The tank is also very heavily planted and I do mean heavily.

The one thing that strikes me as odd is the fact that the females in this tank are not nipped or have very very little fin damage. The females in my female only tank have fins nipped up the .... They are constantly fighting with each other while these are not. They seem to coexist very nicely.

Some of the females have since been moved to the all girl tank.

 

[xxSarahxx]

Thank you synirr!

 

[lljdma06]

MrShum,
If you plan on trying this, please try a different style of decor Gah, at least get them things to hide in and whatnot. For now I wish you would just seperate them

[snapback]871706[/snapback]​

I think the red and white gravel is groovy . He's got an Austin Power's quality to the decor, though I'm in agreement, there should be lots of caves, plants, and rocks for them to at least be able to get away from each other for a little while. Nobody wants company 24/7. It would drive me bonkers if I was stuck in a situation like that!

 

[xxSarahxx]

Nashnut....at least you seem to have little bit mroe respect. a very heavily planted tank with fish that have been together all their lives.....etc
However, I still would not do this....I'm sorry but! At least your fish look healthy enough. much better than Mr. shums anyway

 

[CatLover]

Holy hell.... you should be reported! Those conditions are absolutely grotesque and unacceptable.....

Those poor fish..

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

NashNut, You betta community diffently is an improvement and looks amazing although im still very much against the idea. Some very colourful bettas there who look alot more healthy although id love to see some more pics.

 

[Ben]

I must agree, Nashnuts community is much better.


Shums....stick to 2 gal bowls

DD

 

[nashnut]

It's really nothing new. I kept two males together in a 20L way back in the '50's.
Never really had a problem. They each had their own territories.

I did a lot of different and weird things back then. I think that's what impressed Dr Axelrod when he wrote and asked for a meeting.

I'm not for these things but it's a necessity right now until I move out some of the fish and reorganize. I am amazed, however, at the difference between the all female community and the mixed community. My females are really nipped to pieces in the female community and untouched in the other.

 

[MissD]

What bothers me is the fact that it's fish like the ones in the pictures that I pick up off of shelves in stores to bring home to grow their fins back when they've developed secondary infections, etc. Stores aren't allowed to do this, so why is it okay to do it at home?

I do feel credit should be given for trying something new, but c'mon...you only have to look at the fish in the pictures to come up with a list of potential problems. It just seems completely unnecessarily and totally inhumane...just my opinion

 

[OrkyBetta]

Anyone else notice how bloated mr. shum's fish are? They're full of fin no doubt.

Mr Shum... you should know better with all of your 'extensive' research that there is a difference between healthy fish and ones that look like yours do. You should be incredibly ashamed with yourself at the very least, if not humiliated and disgusted with your actions. If you had any consideration for another living thing besides yourself, you would seperate them. And the fact that they "grow so much bigger in a community tank" is probably due to the fact that they are flled to the brin with eachother's body parts. Please, for the love of god do something about that tank. Those pictures make me want to vomit.

 

[tttnjfttt]

I've got an idea. Lets set up a peaceful Tiger community, and let Mr. Shums live with them. He might get a few scratches, but hey, its peaceful if we say so, right? He might die, but hey, its only one death, whihc isn't too bad for this expiramental peaceful tiger community.

This is as close to a comparison I can think of with what is happening wiht the bettas. It is horiffic to see. I feel bad enough that ONE of my guys got over his divider, and their fins are totally shreaded. I can't immagine a tank full of bettas with shreaded fins like that.

 

[OrkyBetta]

It reminds me a lot of a cannibal community. Don't you think that they are kept in cups at the store for a reason? People like you blow my freaking mind. That isn't even a 'well researched habitiat." It is some colored gravel thrown into the bottom of a tiny tank, stuffed to the brim with sick and injured fish. I don't know what kind of sadistic material you researched, but you really need to check your sources. If I were you I would get out of fishkeeping now. The fish will thank you for it and you will make people a lot less angry at you. Everyone wins.