Question

[x Fish x]

Is it possible to keep a pair of Plakat males in a tank with three females, and not have them murder each other or the girls?

Because I think I managed to do that for a few days. I got a nice flare out of Nightingale and lo and behold, there is no oviposter. NONE. Which means I had two short-finned boys in a tank together.

And neither of them is dead. Nightingale has a few tears that are healing on his tail, but that's it. I know I haven't got it wrong, oviposter invariably equals female, and neither Athens or Nightingale have an oviposter, but the same build (thick neck, wide jawline) and finnage (short tail spreading 150-180 degrees, sharp point on anal fin that meets up with the longest tail-ray, lunky dorsal fin, longish ventrals)

._O Did I achieve the impossible for four days?

 

[ral]

I don't think is is feasible to keep more than one betta in any tank. No they really don't kill each other, but they will tear up each others fins.

Maybe in a really big 50G+ tank where they could have their separate territories.

 

[smithrc]

I think we've just come unstuck...

We bought what we thought was a female betta... and got another today (from the same brood at the lfs) only to have WWIII break out in the tank while we wern't watching...

We think they are actually young male plakat's

any ideas?? Link...

 

[ral]

Even female's might fight in the same tank, but that could be a male.

 

[x Fish x]

Actually, I don't think I really asked a question. I just found it very strange that I apparently kept a pair of Plakat males in with a trio of females, and the Plakats didn't kill each other. Aren't Plakats the equivalent of pit bulls? Fighters to the last, purely by blood.

And SmithRC, I think Ral's right. Sometimes females are more snippity than males. The boys seem to enjoy biting one another, but all I've seen the girls do is chase and tail-whap. You probably have got a pair of aggressive girlies, unless you've seen Plakats at your store before. Check the picture thread, it really helped me.

 

[ral]

Fighting fish wont really kill each other. They will nip and tear until one backs off.

They can be made more agressive by conditioning them to be more agressive and placing them in a small tank where these is no room for one to back off.

Saw two delta's which had been in a scuffle. They were in small jars side by side and one got into the other jar. They were probably together for about 4+ hours. One fish lost 80-90% of it finnage but no serious wounds.

 

[cation]

...oviposter invariably equals female....

Not exactly, especially in young fish. My male from my first spawn (there was only one) had an ovipositor that developed the same time as his sisters. However, even though I can still see a bit of it, he is all male. He's fathered two spawns, so I know this without doubt. I also have another male who has a small white spot that looks like an ovipositor, also all male.

It's confusing, but that's why I love the little suckers - there's always something new to know!

 

[cation]

Fighting fish wont really kill each other. They will nip and tear until one backs off.

Also, not really true. Given the wrong fish and the right circumstances, they most certainly will kill each other. Although sparring is definitely possible without having any lasting injury to either fish, your notion that when two males are together you can just wait and one will back off is flawed. One might back off, but the other may well decide not to and kill him.

 

[cation]

I don't think is is feasible to keep more than one betta in any tank.

MALE bettas, that is. Females can often be successfully kept together - in fact, you'll be hard pressed to find breeders that don't have community female tanks, I'd guess....

 

[x Fish x]

Well, that explains it! While Athens was running the tank, Nightingale was squished inside of his safe hidey-hole cave! I also never knew the oviposter thing, but it's not that the males have an oviposter, it's that they're lacking them that makes me think they're boys. They're all older Bettas- my LPS, the Bettas are 3/4 of an inch long, but the store I got them from they're all at least an inch and a half. I don't think they'd be developing still then, eh?

 

[cation]

Yup, they're all grown up. If there is no ovipositor, it's a male, you're right about that. Hopefully you will find safe homes for your boys. Good luck.

 

[ral]

If I was not sure whether they were males of females, I would jar them separately.

 

[x Fish x]

I haven't got any jars, but I have got my males safely seperated. Nightingale is in the Barracks until I get another tank, he might move to a vase if the Barracks slides away again. Athens has the old Explorer, and Drac is in his own Explorer II. I spoil my boys.

 

[ral]

More water, up to 10G's is always better I think

 

[yeeviabetta]

You can put the betta in your cooking pan and as long as you didn't boil it from mistaken. LOL