Is This Right

[stumpy57]

ok just to be fare i will ask in hear i have one male and too females in the same tank and have just been told this in a no no is this right the reson i ask is i have had them in the tank for a wile now and seen to be doing fine

 

[bronzecat]

Hi
Glad you came on to ask
Really you shouldn't keep males and female together. They may have been fine up till now but there's a high possibility that one day either the male will be destroyed or the females will be attacked. Even 2 females is not a good idea, much better to have at least 4 so any aggression is spread out.
I would consider removing the male into a seperate tank, no less than 2 gallons is good

Dont leave it to luck

 

[stumpy57]

ok more fish it is thanks for that i love byeing fish

 

[bronzecat]

ok more fish it is thanks for that i love byeing fish

But make sure you get the male out first If your tank is long enough, you could divide off a section at one end for the male??

When you go a get more females be careful, there are a lot of male Plakats lurking amongst females at fish shops Even if the fish is displaying a white ovi spot just behind the ventrils, it could still be a male?? Its not easy to tell, but look at the anal fin (the one that runs along the bottom), if its beginning to get longer at the tail end and go into a sharp point it could be a male. Also, the ventrils (the 2 thin ones that hang down under their heads), may appear longer in the males.

As i said, its not easy to tell sometimes. We've ended up with 3 males out of a group of 8.

If and when you get more females, it might be worth while bagging the 2 you have, rearrange some of your decor, and then release them after your new ones. This can help break down any territories the original 2 may have had

 

[Miss Wiggle]

When you go a get more females be careful, there are a lot of male Plakats lurking amongst females at fish shops

lol, wish it was like there round here!!!

don't know one single shop where you can buy anything other than a VT, never get anything else accidentally mixed in

 

[Athena]

Yes, Bronzecat is right - I learned the hard way after being ill-advised by the sales assistant at the aquarium centre.

I had a beautiful male and female together in a community tank - and after a couple of weeks the female ravaged him (not in a nice way LOL) she attacked him and in the short amount of time it took me to quickly set up a quarantine tank for him, he had lost almost all of his finnage. In fact, he had less than the female!!

He is now in a 6 UK gallon tank on his own - and is thriving. Fins have grown back (almost) although he's lost colour at the edges where they are white instead of the deep blue they should be.

So, I'd say the sooner you can put your male into a separate tank, the better, or put the two females in another tank with another one or two females (not two on their own as, again, they could fight).

 

[bronzecat]

When you go a get more females be careful, there are a lot of male Plakats lurking amongst females at fish shops

lol, wish it was like there round here!!!

don't know one single shop where you can buy anything other than a VT, never get anything else accidentally mixed in

Your the lucky one There's 3 lfs round here that sell bettas. One is not too bad for having male pk's, but the others are notorious for it. Every time we go in, I call over the staff and point out the males

Anyway, if its PK males your after, we've got 2 for sale A blue Hm and a Copper one (thought i may as well get a plug in LOL)

 

[Miss Wiggle]

lol nah we've nowhere for them to go, they sure are pretty though!!

just made me laugh, previously we've trawled round just about every fish shop in yorkshire looking for betta's and not spotted anything other than a VT.

 

[bronzecat]

Yeh, there seems to be a lack of sd/hm females at the mo And when they come up on ebay they go for a bomb
If only my copper fry would grow quicker