Need Some Girls

[channing]

im wondering where u guys get your girls. i can't seem to find any nice ones around here. id really like some crowntails. also ive never had any females before any big no nos to watch out for. they would have to share a tank with a boy but they'll be separated although they would be able to c each other. bad idea? the only stores that have them around here r petco, walmart,and petsmart im kinda hestate to buy from them. any suggestions would be very helpful. also im interested in breeding them someday (not for a least for a year or two) any good books or websites i should look at.

thanks a bunch

 

[Dibari]

For girls, you can find them at Petsmart, Petco, Walmart, etc. They're listed as 2 bucks, usually. Be careful to look for an ovipositer, so you don't buy a plakat male by mistake.
The number one rule about keeping females together is ATLEAST have 4.
Any more than four is always better, to level out aggression.
I suggest a 10 gallon, if you plan on having up to 5. Any more than that, I'd say get a 20 or 30 gallon. As always, bigger is better.
Breeding is another thing entirely, and explaining it in a nutshell would be impossible. You should start another thread for that, probably.
But yes, just make sure you have atleast 4, and ready yourself for some bullying, as they have to establish heirarchy. Some people have noticed their females NEVER stop bullying, so be prepared for that as well.

If you're keeping them in a divided tank, with another boy, I'm curious about the size of the tank..
If you've got a 20 or 30 gallon divided so that the boy gets room, but the girls get the most of the room, then it would be okay.
Dividing say.. A 10 gallon between a boy and four girls would be bad bad bad.

And, the only place other than established pet stores would be local fish stores, and they're going to be the same quality, ish, of the petstore bettas.
If you want BREEDER girls, you'll need to order off of
Aquabid.com

Which is pretty expensive. I suggest starting out with some pet store fish, before you move on up to expensive breeder females.

 

[channing]

thanks

yes the tank in question is a ten gallon. the boy is in a betta condo. i have 4 boys that i rotate between my 1 gallons and the condo and the ten right now so that everybody gets a chance to stretch their legs . i have a small black moor do u think the females would bother him. the boys have no prob with him. also do i have to buy 4 all at once? i hope not i like to shop.
what are the chances do you know of getting a non veiltail female one of those stores?

 

[01edmn]

a black moor is a gold fish and shoudnt be kept with tropicals 4 bettas its better to keep them in 1 set place and a 1gal is still a bit on the small side they to know place as their teratories and build bubblenests

 

[Dibari]

a black moor is a gold fish and shoudnt be kept with tropicals also its better to keep them in 1 set place and a 1gal is still a bit on the small side they to know place as their teratories and build bubblenests

Goldfish are cold water fish and semi aggressive themselves. They should not be kept with bettas at all. And I hope you're not keeping a black moor in a 1 gallon for any measure of time, at all. Ever.

Also, I'm not sure I understand.. You're putting the boys in a 10 gallon together, or divided?
And once you set up a sorority with 4 female bettas, what would you do with them when you rotate? Put all four in seperate bowls?
Once you set 4 girls up in a sorority, you need to leave them be in that 10 gallon, for good.. Don't move them.

Also, yes, you do need to buy all four at once, or rather, put them into the 10 gallon all at once.
Or put one into the 10 gallon and then add 3 later.
You can't have any less than 4 or they will brutalize each other.

 

[Dibari]

Also, your black moor needs ATLEAST 20 gallons to itself, and should be kept as a cold water fish.. Because it is. And it needs to be ALONE in that 20 gallon tank or it will foul up the water, and have stunted growth issues, etc etc.

I noticed you mentioned breeding - I don't suggest breeding petstore bettas because there are so many of them they won't readily be purchased by pet stores.
I suggest buying breeder bettas if you want to breed them. That ensures them some nice homes, and you can sell them for a pretty penny.
With veils/crowns/combs, they're not as high in demand.. So unless you plan on keeping all of the fry after breeding (Which could reach into the hundreds unless you regulate the amount of eggs she drops by pulling her after so many drops) you'll have to find homes for them.. It's the only responsible thing to do.
You'll also need a place for the fry to grow out (usually a 10+ gallon) after you remove the male and female. And then you'll need jars for all the fry after they reach a few weeks and start battling amongst each other..
All in all, I'd wait a while on breeding untill you know more about Bettas.
Ask away if you have any more questions, though.

 

[sandie66]

If you go to Aquabid, you can usually find someone who is selling a lot of females, like 5 or 10 for one price.

 

[channing]

no the girls will stay together, and i'm not dumb enough to put the boys together. it's one at a time. plus i have numrous tanks for all needs. has any one ever bought anything from bluebetteusa.com or bettatalk.com? they have some i like. also what about those new wall hanging tanks the gallon ones. whats the opionin on those. they look kinda cool even if you just put a plant in them.

 

[Dibari]

no the girls will stay together, and i'm not dumb enough to put the boys together. it's one at a time. plus i have numrous tanks for all needs. has any one ever bought anything from bluebetteusa.com or bettatalk.com? they have some i like. also what about those new wall hanging tanks the gallon ones. whats the opionin on those. they look kinda cool even if you just put a plant in them.

They're too small. A gallon is the bare minimun for bettas, and the betta has no where to hide, the plant is a spiky plastic one that rips their fins, etc etc.
Faith from BettaTalk charges immense amounts for her bettas that are low quality and from what I've heard, not what she advertises them to be.
Bluebettausa.com is supposed to be good, but I have no experience with them..

 

[channing]

thanks i forgot they came with a plant. i kinda wondered about faith seemed a lot for some of those fish. bluebettausa has some really nice ones. any other good sites any body knows about.

 

[Dibari]

thanks i forgot they came with a plant. i kinda wondered about faith seemed a lot for some of those fish. bluebettausa has some really nice ones. any other good sites any body knows about.

www.Aquabid.com

 

[channing]

www.Aquabid.com
[/quote]


i have to look at that one thanks. any good books?

 

[jess6905]

Goldfish are cold water fish and semi aggressive themselves.

since when are goldfish semi agressive??? to my understanding the gold would be more likly to be killed by another type of fish than the gold killing the other fish. iv kept them fo several years and have never had any sort of agression...... then again i dont mix cold water and tropicals like iv seen some people try to do.........
channing are you looking for just plain pet quality females or breeding quality?? if you are only looking for pet quality then go to the pet stores lke petsmart or petco, but if you are looking for breedng quality then go on aquabid you will definetly find lots of nice girls on there. after you find the ones you like then it becomes an issue of how much are you willing/able to spend on them...

 

[Dibari]

Goldfish are cold water fish and semi aggressive themselves.

since when are goldfish semi agressive??? to my understanding the gold would be more likly to be killed by another type of fish than the gold killing the other fish. iv kept them fo several years and have never had any sort of agression...... then again i dont mix cold water and tropicals like iv seen some people try to do.........
channing are you looking for just plain pet quality females or breeding quality?? if you are only looking for pet quality then go to the pet stores lke petsmart or petco, but if you are looking for breedng quality then go on aquabid you will definetly find lots of nice girls on there. after you find the ones you like then it becomes an issue of how much are you willing/able to spend on them...

Yep, they're semi aggressive. If you mix fancies and regulars, you'll get competition and nipping.. But in a situation like this, the goldfish will be so screwed from warm water (or the betta from cold) the tables could turn either way. The goldie could be so screwed up the betta would just eat and rip at his fins, or the betta would be so lethargic from the cold water he'd be a treat for the goldie.

 

[jess6905]

Yep, they're semi aggressive. If you mix fancies and regulars, you'll get competition and nipping.. But in a situation like this, the goldfish will be so screwed from warm water (or the betta from cold) the tables could turn either way. The goldie could be so screwed up the betta would just eat and rip at his fins, or the betta would be so lethargic from the cold water he'd be a treat for the goldie.

iv kept a mix of fancies and regulars the entire time iv kept goldfish with absolutly no problems ever. i already know about the whole tempurature dfference between tropicals and cold water fish like golds, and how it can effect the fish.