Knowledge Free Lfs

[sparky_555]

Well i went to my lfs today to get gravel, plants etc. for my 2.5 gallon. While i was there i thought i'd have a quick look to see which betta's they had in. I couldnt see any in any of the tanks, but then i saw a little board describing the betta , saying how much it costs etc. And in the description part it says, males do best in a tank with 2 - 3 females. I thought they must have made a mistake so i asked a member of staff, and she was certain that this was correct I tryed to explain to her but she was having none of it. In the end i just said goodbye and walked out.
What gets me is, couldnt the shops just do a little bit of research before opening, it would make it so much easier

 

[jarmado]

i got 1 male and 5 females in one tank.

 

[Wisperian]

You're kidding me right iJay?

 

[insanityseeker]

what? what bit of that was a mistake on your lfs's part? i thought they can go together, its just the males that cant be kept together....

 

[jarmado]

You're kidding me right iJay?

nope...
i have a 180L tank though.

 

[sparky_555]

i was under the impression that males and females and be in the same tank together, apart from when breeding?

 

[BWBettas]

Yeah, but even then. You have to keep a VERY careful eye over the fish

Bret

 

[jarmado]

i was under the impression that males and females and be in the same tank together, apart from when breeding?

some people preach that.

You're kidding me right iJay?

nope...
i have a 180L tank though.

 

[starrynightxxi]

they CAN go in the same tank, but as a general rule, we try to discourage newcomers to fish (and especially to bettas) from doing it, largely because they won't do it right. The shop should not be encouraging folks to do this as they are probably not prepared to tell them the proper way to care for them, however the information itself is not wrong, just misleading.

 

[sparky_555]

they CAN go in the same tank, but as a general rule, we try to discourage newcomers to fish (and especially to bettas) from doing it, largely because they won't do it right. The shop should not be encouraging folks to do this as they are probably not prepared to tell them the proper way to care for them, however the information itself is not wrong, just misleading.

So whats the right way to do it?

 

[starrynightxxi]

you need a large tank, larger than a ten gallon, i think 20+ would be the minimum, and it needs to be heavily planted so that the line of vision for the fish is constantly being broken, which affords fish being picked on a chance at escape from the aggressor(s). There also should be as many little hidey holes as you can provide. It's probably also advisable to destroy any bubble nests that get made to avoid breeding. You'll want at least four females to spread out the aggression amongst them, not unlike in a sorority tank.

finally you have to be prepared for the skirmishes that are likely to ensue (but if the tank is planted well enough these should not last long), resulting in torn fins and the possibility of disease (finrot, and stress related diseases such as ich and velvet), you also ned to be prepared at any moment to remove a fish to alternative housing if it proves too aggressive, keeping in mind that the females can be just as if not more given to fighting as the males.

of course, that's just what i've gained from reading what others have had experience with and someone who has done it successfully should be able to give you more information.