Female Bettas

[seizethecupcake]

I know several of you here keep "sororities" of females together. I've never kept a female betta before and was wondering if it would be possible to keep two ladies together? I've got limited space, only a 5 gallon, so that may be too small anyway. It was just a thought.

 

[Randomitity]

I would say keep more then 2 unless you have a lot of hiding spaces because they can have a bit of an attitude and they will fight over who is dominate for a little while if they are the same size

 

[Caprichoso]

It's always a gamble with Bettas. I personally wouldn't have 2 in a 5 gallon. In a bigger tank, yes.

 

[seizethecupcake]

Ah, alright. I'm better off just sticking with a male, then. Thanks

 

[seizethecupcake]

They had a stunning sapphire-blue female VT at the LFS and I nearly went for her, but changed my mind at the last moment because she had these strange white bars on her sides. I didn't know whether this indicated a health problem or not.

 

[Randomitity]

Stress bars tend to be black going horizontally

 

[seizethecupcake]

My new boy definitely has stress bars

 

[Baccus]

I hope it's not Luck showing stress bars. If so do you have a live barer trap? the sort that is plastic has holes in the bottom and floats at the surface. Maybe put him in one of those with a bit of weed and see if he loses the stress bars. That way if the other fish are stressing him he is sheltered from them and can get more accustomed to them through the plastic. It could always be something else that is causing him stress but isolating him while still in the same tank might reduce one of any number of factors.
If it's not Luck showing the stress, I hope Luck is still going strong in his tank with his fishy neighbors.

 

[seizethecupcake]

I hope it's not Luck showing stress bars. If so do you have a live barer trap? the sort that is plastic has holes in the bottom and floats at the surface. Maybe put him in one of those with a bit of weed and see if he loses the stress bars. That way if the other fish are stressing him he is sheltered from them and can get more accustomed to them through the plastic. It could always be something else that is causing him stress but isolating him while still in the same tank might reduce one of any number of factors.
If it's not Luck showing the stress, I hope Luck is still going strong in his tank with his fishy neighbors.

No, Luck is brilliant. He's social, active and seems very happy. He's even claimed one of the ornaments in my tank as his little hidey-hole, but will come right out if I go near the tank. It's my new boy Charlie that is showing the stress bars, though they're less pronounced now than they were when I bought him earlier today. I think he's just settling in.

 

[Baccus]

Glad to hear Luck has settled in so well . Hopefully Charlie will also settle quickly and get used to his new surrounds.