Fighting Females

[mfcclc]

I have had my 6 female bettas since christmas and until a few days ago everything was going fine. They started of living in my community tank and got along with everything, including my male betta scarface who recently died. At the weekend i moved them into my new tank and they seemed really happy. Two days later i noticed the two of the bigger ones were starting to chase each other and flaring. After watching them for a while they then started tearing shreds out of each others tails. In a rushed panic i set up our empty goldfish tank and put one of them in there hoping this would solve the problem temporarily. The rest of the females were fine for about 5 minutes but then the one who was fighting started on the rest of the girls. She has now been put into my husbands community tank where she has calmed right down and is happily swimming about. The 4 remaining females are now absolutely fine in the new tank and are getting along really well. The only thing i can think of that would cause them to behave like that is that the lfs sold me male plakats as females.

This is the one who was being the nastiest which is now in the goldfish tank

This is the one that it was fighting with

And these are the other four

Please excuse the poor quality of the pics, they were taken on my very basic camera phone. Any ideas on why they are acting like this or whether two of them could be males would be most appreciated. Thanks

 

[wilsonnw8]

Well reading this I was thinking its because they got moved into a new tank and they were readjusting pecking order but you may be right about the PK's , the last 4 look female so thats good but you need 5 females plus really.
Things to look for in a male PK

Long Ventricals
A beard when flaring (girls flare too so thats not a way to tell)
Is there a white dot or tube behind the ventricals?
Female PK's can be quite bullish so they still may not be male
Clearer photos and I/we could tell you for certain

Hope this helps

 

[jess6905]

The first one is practically screaming male to me, not sure on the second though. I agree with the last 4 looking female. Is it possible to get a slightly better shot of the first 2?

 

[mfcclc]

Ok i've managed to get a slightly better pic of the first one

Ill keep trying with the second. You can see how bad his/her fins are in this pic. Still flares though and seems really happy in the little tank by itself

 

[newfishy]

the first two both look like short finned males to me. males and females can never ever ever be kept in the same tank, even in a large comminty tank. you said your females were in a tank with your old male, they most likely stressed and beat him to death.

it is very common to find short finned males in with a group of females. when young the males look very much like females and the lfs tend to sell them as such. when you find a male that looked female and then matured you must relocated them right away, or there will be lots of stress, fighting and death in your tank.

 

[wackystarfish]

I second the Plakat males.

 

[mfcclc]

Scarface was old when i bought him, i added the females about 2 months after i got him and they never bothered with him at all. He died due to an injury where he cut his side on a rock. He did start to recover but then developed an ulcer which sadly finished him off. I do know you aren't supposed to keep males and females together hence why i seperated the two possible males as soon as trouble kicked off. I'm just annoyed with my lfs for doing this and just wonder how many others have had this happen but left it too late and lost fish over this sort of mistake.

Anyway both 'males' are happy in their new homes and my girls are back to normal!

Now i've just got to make my girls numbers back up before they start bullying each other.

 

[Netty]

It actually happens alot more than people realise. We had many males come in with groups of females and even when we pointed out males to the staff at the lfs they didn't bother to move them. Pk males don't sell as well, so I guess they think the only way to move them is to sell them as females.

Unfortunately that kind of attitude doesn't help the fish keeper when all hell breaks loose in the tank

 

[wackystarfish]

Yup, i had the exact same problem.

 

[newfishy]

I get the idiots at lfs that insist that a male HAS to have long fins to be male. never mind there could be a tank with 3 or 4 males jawlocked and ripping each other apart, they still insist they are female.

 

[bronzecat]

Hi

Agree with all thats been said One thing however, an Ovi spot, the little white bit between the ventrils, is not a sign that the fish is definately female. juvenile males show this spot too, so dont make the mistake of seeing an ovi spot and presuming its female

 

[mfcclc]

Thank you for all your help. Have rehomed one of the males due to lack of tank space at the time. The other is quite happy in his new tank all by himself, he even built a bubble nest. The girls are doing fine now, have also added a new girl thanks to shell.

 

[Honeythorn]

I've just had this exact same problem. I have to get the table reinforced to take a bigger (5 gal) tank now ( the 3 gallon I have there for moss is far too small ) . My father is not amused!

Glad you got it sorted though.