Female Betta Help Please

[nataliabeds]

Only 3 females rarely get along well and IMO I would never put less then 4/5 females in one tank. I would buy one more female or better get bigger tank and put at least 6 females as they wont be so aggressive then. Usually with 3 females two gang up and kill third one. It dosen`t mean it never works, but it`s rare. I wish you luck whatever you decide to do

I ended up taking the vicious girl out last night. The two females that are in there are getting along great. Swimming together and not attacking each other. Im going to look for another girlie today and then try to put back in the agressive one. If she still aggressive then she will be having a tank of her own... I hope thats not the case because I wanted to do a split tank with two boys, not a boy and a girl!

If anyone has similar experiences to share, I would like to hear! Also, suggestions are welcomed!

Some girls are aggressive by nature, but sometimes if you take them out and put them back later they calm down. I had problems with my VT girls before. I had 11 girls in a 30g tank 4 of them VT and they have been so aggressive towards other girls that I had to take them out, but it didn't work. Whatever I have done they just wouldn't change, so I had to put them in a tank of they own. Now I have 12 HM/SD girls in that 30g tank as yesterday one of my girls turned out to be a boy

 

[Mariah]

Only 3 females rarely get along well and IMO I would never put less then 4/5 females in one tank. I would buy one more female or better get bigger tank and put at least 6 females as they wont be so aggressive then. Usually with 3 females two gang up and kill third one. It dosen`t mean it never works, but it`s rare. I wish you luck whatever you decide to do

I ended up taking the vicious girl out last night. The two females that are in there are getting along great. Swimming together and not attacking each other. Im going to look for another girlie today and then try to put back in the agressive one. If she still aggressive then she will be having a tank of her own... I hope thats not the case because I wanted to do a split tank with two boys, not a boy and a girl!

If anyone has similar experiences to share, I would like to hear! Also, suggestions are welcomed!

Some girls are aggressive by nature, but sometimes if you take them out and put them back later they calm down. I had problems with my VT girls before. I had 11 girls in a 30g tank 4 of them VT and they have been so aggressive towards other girls that I had to take them out, but it didn't work. Whatever I have done they just wouldn't change, so I had to put them in a tank of they own. Now I have 12 HM/SD girls in that 30g tank as yesterday one of my girls turned out to be a boy

First off, thanks for the responce. Secondly, I went out and got two more girlies (there was a shipment at the lfs). Now there are four girls in my tank together and they are getting along. Yes, theres been some flaring of fins, and abit of nipping (Im assuming this is to figure out whos boss???) but no chasing like my aggressive girl was doing. They are all swimming around.

Now I am scared to put the aggressive one back in.. Should I try or just keep her by herself???

 

[nataliabeds]

Glad to hear you sorted it out Chasing, flaring and even a bit of nipping for a first few days is normal until they establish who is leading girl IMO I would try and put your aggressive girl in, but keep eye on her and take her out if she is nipping badly again. Oh are you sure she is a girl `cause she could be a juvi male. I had my boy for few weeks with girls until I found out he was a boy It`s hard to tell them apart when they are very young. Hope everything goes well for you

 

[Mariah]

Glad to hear you sorted it out Chasing, flaring and even a bit of nipping for a first few days is normal until they establish who is leading girl IMO I would try and put your aggressive girl in, but keep eye on her and take her out if she is nipping badly again. Oh are you sure she is a girl `cause she could be a juvi male. I had my boy for few weeks with girls until I found out he was a boy It`s hard to tell them apart when they are very young. Hope everything goes well for you

I think she is a she! Hopefully! Anyways, I didnt want to take the chance and put her back in so shes in a divided 2.5gallon with a male VT. Shes very busy swimming up and down. I think she may just have an agressive streak to her.

I ended up going to the store today and saw a very sad looking young girl. She was the smallest of the bunch and was stuck to the filter.... I couldnt leave her there so I ended up bringing her home too... I may try to put her in with the other four girls - which I may add are still getting along Im going to see how she does overnight. I want her to relax and eat something, gain her strength and be less stressed.

My poor VT boy! Hes stuck in between the four girl tank and his neighbour is another girl! Is that ok for him?? I am planning on housing him with another boy (split tank) once I figure out the agressive girl situation.

My other question is, how do I get the four girls to all eat? There are two that are always swimming to the top for food, the other two hold back. One hasent eaten at all today. Suggestions?

 

[nataliabeds]

Sometimes they don't eat for first few days until they settle, so keep eye on them for another couple of days and if they still didn't started eating then they might be poorly. Don't worry just yet, they can go for week without food.

 

[Mariah]

Sometimes they don't eat for first few days until they settle, so keep eye on them for another couple of days and if they still didn't started eating then they might be poorly. Don't worry just yet, they can go for week without food.

Ok so I think I may be going crazy... I just got one more female... So now my total is 7 females and 1 male. There are 5 females swimming (so far) happily together. The 5th one that I just added is hiding but shes on the bigger size so hopefully there wont be any problems. My agressive one, I never put back in and the sick one is by herself. Her fins are clamped. What can I do for her? Shes eating so thats a plus!

 

[Netty]

I would check that your waters stats are ok. Keep up with regular water changes and increase the aereation in the tank for her. Keep a close eye on her for any other signs of illness.

 

[Mariah]

I would check that your waters stats are ok. Keep up with regular water changes and increase the aereation in the tank for her. Keep a close eye on her for any other signs of illness.

Shes only in a 1/2 gallon which is unfiltered... Therefore its not cycled... Is that a bad thing? She is the tinest betta girl I have ever seen... If I didnt get her she would of died stuck to the filter at the pet store...

 

[Netty]

Ok then......while she's in there I would do 100% water change daily. If you've got an airstone you could pop that in but adjust it so that it very gently bubbles.

Check on her poo.....if it's stringy then she probably has an internal bacteria and you'll need to treat with Interpets Anti Internal Bacteria Meds. Look out for any fungus as alot of peoples fish seems to be suffering from that at the moment. And keep us up to date on how she's doing. Good luck with her.

She may also just be stressed from where she was and then the move to somewhere new

 

[Mariah]

Ok then......while she's in there I would do 100% water change daily. If you've got an airstone you could pop that in but adjust it so that it very gently bubbles.

Check on her poo.....if it's stringy then she probably has an internal bacteria and you'll need to treat with Interpets Anti Internal Bacteria Meds. Look out for any fungus as alot of peoples fish seems to be suffering from that at the moment. And keep us up to date on how she's doing. Good luck with her.

She may also just be stressed from where she was and then the move to somewhere new

Its not looking good. Shes laying at the bottom.. not moving to much, dosent want to eat anymore, stress lines...She has no fungas, just her fins are very clamped, they stick out like swords... Well if shes on her way out, at least I tried to help her... Ill keep you posted..

Edited to ask- how much flaring should be going with with the new bigger girl? She seems to think shes boss and is going around flaring at everyone.... Is this normal?? And, can the agressive behaviours be passed on to the other fish who are not agressive?

 

[Mariah]

I know theres someone online who can anwser my question in the post above!! Edited to ask, one of my smaller girls, who was not agressive has turned out to be the leading girl. How weird is that? Shes the second smallest of the bunch. Why woudl this be?

 

[kjs103]

Are your girls still in the 3 gallon? I really recommend that you not buy any more female bettas if you're going to stick with that tank. "Saving" them from a cup just to be put into a stressful situation like that is just as bad. Upping the number of females was a good idea but from here on out, rather than buying more fish you should put aside some money for at least a 10gallon. Even if your females seem to be getting along for the first few days, you are extremely likely to have quite a few murders on your hands in no time. You obviously have good intentions and your heart goes out to the females at the store, so taking these extra precautions is likely to help make the transition smooth. Even your divided 2.5 is just too small--I'm assuming that there's no heater in there because I don't know of a heater small enough to fit in half of a 2.5.

Your sick girl obviously took a huge hit and she could very well die. You should NOT use Melafix as recommended because it has been shown that this is VERY harmful to bettas. It can do irreparable harm. If you want to use something to help the fins heal, you should use Bettafix which is specifically designed at a much lower concentration to be safe for bettas.

Make sure her temperature in that 1.5 is warm (79-80 degrees F), and it is very important to keep up on those water changes for her to have a chance of getting healthy again. If possible, move her to a larger tank so that you can put in a bubbler to help her breathe. Don't use a bubbler with that 1.5 because the current will just stress her out even more.

Don't mean to come off harsh, but I do know this very much from experience. I really really REALLY recommend you invest in some larger tanks. Good luck to you.

P.S. It's not that uncommon for the smaller girls to become the alpha female. I tend to think they're more aggressive because they know they are smaller and have to be more protective of themselves.

 

[Mariah]

Are your girls still in the 3 gallon? I really recommend that you not buy any more female bettas if you're going to stick with that tank. "Saving" them from a cup just to be put into a stressful situation like that is just as bad. Upping the number of females was a good idea but from here on out, rather than buying more fish you should put aside some money for at least a 10gallon. Even if your females seem to be getting along for the first few days, you are extremely likely to have quite a few murders on your hands in no time. You obviously have good intentions and your heart goes out to the females at the store, so taking these extra precautions is likely to help make the transition smooth. Even your divided 2.5 is just too small--I'm assuming that there's no heater in there because I don't know of a heater small enough to fit in half of a 2.5.

Your sick girl obviously took a huge hit and she could very well die. You should NOT use Melafix as recommended because it has been shown that this is VERY harmful to bettas. It can do irreparable harm. If you want to use something to help the fins heal, you should use Bettafix which is specifically designed at a much lower concentration to be safe for bettas.

Make sure her temperature in that 1.5 is warm (79-80 degrees F), and it is very important to keep up on those water changes for her to have a chance of getting healthy again. If possible, move her to a larger tank so that you can put in a bubbler to help her breathe. Don't use a bubbler with that 1.5 because the current will just stress her out even more.

Don't mean to come off harsh, but I do know this very much from experience. I really really REALLY recommend you invest in some larger tanks. Good luck to you.

P.S. It's not that uncommon for the smaller girls to become the alpha female. I tend to think they're more aggressive because they know they are smaller and have to be more protective of themselves.

Hi, to start off thanks for the honest reply. Now to anwser your questions... I have 5 girls in my 3 gallon. They are getting along. There are tons of hiding spaces, they are all eating (one of them likes to eat off the bottom), I think shes the lowest girl. I was thinking of taking one girl out, but I havent decided who just yet. There is a heater and filter in that tank.

My other two girls - the sick one has a 1/2 gallon to herself. I have done daily water changes on her as its unfiltered. I have bettafix - How much do I use? My last girl, the agressive one, is in a 2.5 gallon tank divided with a male so therefore they each have 1.25 gallons to themselves. Yes its filtered and yes there is a heater small enough to go in that tank.

Thanks for letting me know about the leading girl being one of the smallest. I found that very odd but I guess it makes sense.

 

[Mariah]

Update - My little sick girl, whos name was Emma, has crossed over to the rainbow bridge. I did my best to help her. At lease she died with dignity. RIP little Emma...

 

[Netty]

So sorry to hear that little Emma. Sometimes it just seems despite all our attempts to help them, they pass on anyway. But you did your best and at least she was well looked after for a short time