Hi All
I keep reading from other members - "dont mix the Betta sexes, there will be a bloodbath", and to be honest I cant figure out if a) most people have not tried it but are afraid of to because of alot of people on sites saying the quote above, or B) I have been really lucky and have had several placid males (1 at a time) who never harmed the 8 -10 females with him at all times.
In my experience, adding females to a males tank (60 L) has him excited and flaring for a few hours before settling down again. I have never added a male to a group of females, only the other way around. Some of the females have all fought amongst themselves for dominant female but that gets sorted quickly too. The mixed sex community has always worked for me. I have encountered the rare female who is crazy, attacking ALL fish ALL the time. They go back to the petshop. My males have always assumed a quiet dominance, stopping the females fighting too much, spreading the food around the tank for them if they get nippy getting to the feeding ring etc. The males I have kept this way have bred successfully with a female from the community, when both put into a separate breeding tank, and have all been great Dads, never eating a single fry despite hunger and exhaustion. So.. maybe I have been blessed but I would suggest trying it to anyone, not just one female though I would put in 3 at least, at the same time, to take any initial pressure from the male off individual females.
LEE