miawyatt

I just got 2 female bettas yesterday and put them in a 2.5 gallon, filtered tank. They are close to same size, one white and one blue. The blue betta seems to be the more dominant, active one and she chases the white one around the tank periodically. They both have been happily exploring their new environment, but I'm getting worried that the white one is going to be too stressed out from being chased. She already seems to hide (and remain still) more than her companion, and I haven't even tried to feed them in their tank yet. I gave them each a pellet yesterday in their store cups before I introduced them to their new home. I will try to feed them some daphnia today, but I'm not sure how I can make sure they both get an equal amount...especially if the white one hides at the bottom or behind the filter. I have a divider that I could use if they need to be separated...so far I haven't noticed any actual nipping going on. Is this normal play chasing? I'd like to give them a chance to work it out, but don't want to see the white one get hurt in the process. Please advise. Thanks, Mia

fish_r_friend

Female Betta's should be keep in groups of 3 or more in a tank that would support them. a 2.5 really and truly is way to small for 2 Betta's and to keep them together i would think a 10 gallon would have to be used to allow them to have their own turf

MaryPa

When you have a group of females together the least fish will be bullied until it dies. This will continue til there`s only 1 fish left. I personally recommend nothing less than 5 gal for 1 betta.

Butterfly

Your getting excellent advise. The only thing I can add is live plants They give the fish some place to hide when being chased or stressed. I do think your girls need a ten gallon tank then you could add some corys or Otos for teh bottom.
Carol

fish_r_friend

how could i forget plants

poefox

yes it probably looked like it would be big enough but what you aren't told by most petstores is that size of tank also depends on size of personality. For instance I've got a betta in a 10gallon tank and he's happy as a clam. Some schooling fish on the other hand who are smaller than him would be lonely all by themselves in such a tank and not feel safe.

Female bettas as said are almost like schooling fish, 3 is a good number and they need space to get along. If you can't get a 10g tank for whatever reason maybe get another 2.5 or a 5 g and separate them.

chickadee

Betta females need to be in groups and there will be a dominant female that will take over. It shouldn't come to a fight situation though. It sounds like you have a bully on your hands. The only thing you can do to make sure they are both eating and getting a reasonable amount is to hand feed them. If the little one will not come out to eat then you need to take one or the other back or get seperate tanks for the two. You will probably never be able to put any other fish win with the bully. The other little female will probably be okay with some other peaceable little fish like Otos or Cories any other fish that do not chase or challenge her.

If these two are left together it is not impossible that the little one will die simply of fear from the other one. And I agree that 2.5 galllons is simply too small for 2 bettas and for any aggressive fish, the smaller the tank the more aggressive the fish will get.

Rose

miawyatt

Hi. I recently got 2 female bettas and put them together in a 2.5 gallon filtered tank. Right from the start, I noticed that the blue one was more outgoing and was almost always chasing the white one, who tends to hide at the bottom of the tank more. My main concern was how to feed them so that the white one would get her proper share and the blue one wouldn't get too much. That seemed to work out, but now I've noticed that the white one has some lower fin damage. I assume it may be from nipping, even though I haven't actually seen the blue one bite her. Sometimes they even swim side by side amicably or the white one goes up to the other. I'm not sure if I should "panic" and separate them at this point. I only have the one tank, and a separate small holding tank. They both seem to enjoy their new environment...I'm just worried about the chasing. How will I know if the fin situation warrants drastic measures? Please advise. I'm hoping that they'll get used to each other...I've always heard that female bettas got along...but, of course, nothing is guaranteed...thanks. Mia

chickadee

Having just this week started a tank with 4 little ladies in it, I feel maybe I can shed some light on the situation. Yes, it is very probable that the blue gave the white a nip. You will need to watch to make sure the injury does not develop into a full fledged case of finrot.

The female bettas can be housed together and in fact it is recommended to keep them in groups of 3 or more. BUT there is always going to be a dominant female and that means that they have to decide who is going to be the boss. The way the Bettas choose to do that is to chase, nip and harass each other until the "pecking order" is established. Sometimes there can be injuries and sometimes you will have to make sure everyone is getting to eat. In my case, I have one little girl who is being bullied and not allowed to eat unless I stay right there and watch them. It will end, but with Bettas it means keeping a close eye on the health and well being of each of the little charges. If there are injuries, I would add Melafix to the water according to the directions to prevent any infection. It won't hurt the other fish as it is just a herbal remedy. It also helps to regenerate tissue that has been injured.

Hope this helps.

Rose

miawyatt

Thanks Rose. I was hoping that they would work it out on their own, but I'm just very cautious now about injuries that I may have to treat. Since I just lost a male to unknown causes, I'm a little scared when it comes to making treatment decisions. I'm big into prevention at this point. I suppose I could give it a little longer, but my instinct is to separate them. I don't really want to get a third fish since the tank is only 2.5 gallons. I have Bettafix on hand. Could I just add that to the whole tank? M

miawyatt

Thanks again. I believe that I will go ahead and separate them. I don't want anyone to feel crowded or threatened.

chickadee

If you have 2 females in a 2.5 gallon and one of them is aggressive, I have a quesiton. Are they full grown fish or fry? If they are full grown fish the situation may be causing the aggression or at least part of it. The smaller amount of space an aggressive fish has the more aggressive it becomes. A 2.5 gallon is not big enough for 2 full grown bettas. The only reason I can put my little ladies into a 5.5 is that they are little more than big fry at this point and they will have to have a bigger tank or be seperated to another tank as they grow. Seperate them and treat the injured one with the Bettafix. It is just an expensive type of Melafix supposedly made especially for Bettas. It is meant to be used in the whole tank and will not hurt your other fish or plants.

Rose

chickadee

As you can see, I merged the two topics about the two Betta females in the same tank. So if the things seem a litte out of line it is my fault. We were getting crossed posts. Maybe this will help clear things up a bit more.

Rose