My Female Bettas Set Up...

[jkrekord]

hi
i recently set up a tank which is mainly for female bettas (been planning for a long time)
and well its amazing, its fasinatin to watch the hierachy in action changing and stuff. im loving the tank i have 6 female bettas; Sandy, Lisa, Marge, Maggie, Leela, Sazuka theyre beutiful. i also have a krib (despite my concerns he has been 100% fine) and 2 bumphead gobies aswell as 2 amano shrimp
now my 1 question my tank is 96 litres...how many female bettas considering what i have already would i be able to add into the current set up?
thanks, James

 

[jollysue]

Hmm...translate to usg. Would that be about 12 usg? If that is so maybe 1 more Betta, but how big will the krib get and the gobies. I think you are stocked a little high. The girls will probably be ok but the krib is perhaps a dirty fish? Some fish are very dirty and need extra filtration and the girls won't be fond of that. If it is 12 us gallons, less than 48 qts, I think you should take the other fish out. May not be a good mix to begin with. I'm kind of thinking out loud

Still I have concerns about the mix in this tank. I would do lots of research before putting together a tank like this.

 

[jkrekord]

96 litres is around 23 uk gallons, i do water changes once per week and generaly keep on top of my maintenance the krib is fully grown an is around 3-4 inches female bettas are about 2.5 inches bumphead gobies around 2 inches so off them calculations i have plenty of space

p.s all measurements are of when the fish is fully grown not its current size, except for the krib which is ully grown alread, and kribs are'nt realy that messy

edit - i forgot to mention i spent 4 months researchin for this tank as some members of this forum may know, sorry if i come off a littles aggresive with this response i am just points across and correcting you

 

[Betta5]

23 uk gallons is 27 and a half us not 12.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

23 uk gallons is 27 and a half us not 12.

yeah i was gonna say it's much more than 12g

 

[jkrekord]

so now could somebody give me a sensible answer as to my tanks stocking how many more female bettas could i keep please

 

[jollysue]

jkrekord: Not a problem. I didn't think you were being aggressive until the last sentence.

I only answered because no one had, and the post was slipping into oblivion. So I bumped it with a reply.

At least five females. Can't answer the stocking density for the other fish. Females need places to hide out at both the top and bottom of the tank. They can be nippy just as the males can. Their temperments are very individual and not toally predictable. If you add more females, remove the ones you have, rearrange the tank, so that old territorries no longer exist. Then add the new and old together. Bettas can be fine in heavier stocking densities than most fish as they are labyrinth fish. We usually would recommend 5-6 females of the 3" variety in ten usg. Of course the footprint of the tank is more important than the volume.

My concern was the gph filtration needed for the other fish if they are messy. Betta are not overly fond of high currents. Depending on the krib, one probably is fine, but as you know, they are not always predictable either. I know less than nothing about gobies.

There is a frequently asked questions thread posted above. Tank mates, density and female stocking are addressed.

 

[jkrekord]

right the filtration isnt an issue as it is a basic juwel filter and doesnt seem to bother the girlys my krib is realy predictable haha i just sits in his littles cave all day. the gobies just keep themselves to themselves i already have 6 female bettas what im asking is how man more can i have

 

[jollysue]

I had 20+ or so in a 25 tall usg. I don't know if that is advisable. I had to close the tank down and lost the girls and most of my other Bettas due to an out of control fin rot, when I moved and couldn't keep up with everything. The girls did fine though for many, many months. As I said bio load is going to depend on your other fish not the Bettas. Community density w/the girls is going to depend on the girls personality, habitat decor, footprint, etc. Sometimes you can get a girl that is just a bully, and has to be removed. You might read through some of the pinned articles. One specifically has to do with sororities. Maybe someone else with experience with large sororities will drop in. Often spawn sisters are kept together for long periods before the are sold, I believe. I think lisie is dong some with that right now. Drop by her AquaBid thread below.

 

[Haeun]

We usually would recommend 5-6 females of the 3" variety in ten usg.

Wait?! Then why were people bagging on me for trying to keep 3 females who are only 1.5" wide in a 8 usg tank?! Definitely not cool. I was worrying about having to buy new tanks.

 

[jollysue]

You are advised to keep at least 5 females to spread agression in a minumum of 10 usg.

If people were banging you, I'm sorry. That's not cool. Better to just explain. They are your fish.

You might get away with four docile females in 8 usg if it has a big footprint--even five w/a very big footprint, but lot of water changes, watch closely, and be prepared to move the fish if someone is getting banged on. It is fin rot waiting to happen or even a badly hurt female.

 

[Haeun]

Yes, I am keeping a VERY close eye. The tank is 8 gallon because I divided my 10 gallon so that I can put a male in the 2 gallon section too. If it doesn't work, I can remove the divider, put the male in his own separate 2 gallons and try giving the girls the whole 10 gallons. The issue of the latter solution is, again, money, which is not in infinite supply for this particular college student.

 

[jkrekord]

would a total of 15 females be acceptable for me?

 

[jollysue]

j: That should not be a problem as long as it isn't a problem with your other fish, and the girls aren't able to bully the any of the others. If they can bully then you will see less of the other cave dwellers. Just remember to take care in adding them as stragglers can be ostrisized and bullied as intruders.

As I said, Haeun, four is an iffy stocking. Just watch if a girl gets picked on too much. You could also move the divider a little and add a girl--following the cautions reguarding adding a girl to a pre-existing community.

Make sure the girls have very specific territories available to them. The entrances should probably not face each other.

As the girls get used to their new surroundings and they are mature, that is when the problems start. While they are settling in it is pecking order and the best digs to the dominant. Later it is ladies squabbling for something to do sometimes, I think.

 

[Haeun]

o_o Um, I only have three, not four? Should I maybe just get two more females and give them the whole 10 gallons instead? It's plausible, just not wallet-happy.