ryannn

I have a 55 gallon tank and I might get betas.How many can I have in 1 tank?

chickadee

One betta per tank. That is why most people only go with smaller tanks for bettas. They will kill each other if you put more than one in. They are not called "Siamese Fighting Fish" for nothing. They are also not known to make good community tank fish with other fish so I would not plan on that either.

http://www.fishlore.com/Forum/betta-...d-first.0.html


Welcome to Fishlore.com. We have a whole board devoted to the Betta if you want to learn more about them. Try under Freshwater Fish Species Specific > Bettas. There are many topics and they tell a lot about what fish are compatible with Bettas and how to set-up a tank with a Betta.

Rose

Isabella

Rose, I am wondering how Bettas survive on their own in nature. Since they'll fight to death, they cannot live in groups. But doesn't living individually increase the risk of being eaten by another fish? I am curious how they survive, and if a male and a female will live together after breeding. Or do they stay together only during the breeding time?

chickadee

If the female is not removed almost immediately after the spawning which may take several hours and is quite draining for both fish, the male will turn on her and most of the time one or both fish are at least seriously injured and sometimes the female pays with her life. She should not even be returned to the main tank but to a hospital tank for several days to recover. He also needs to go to a hospital tank when he has finished tending the eggs and newly hatched fry as he will be exhausted and needs special care for a few days.

It is very true that not being used to other fish puts them at risk as there are other fish who are hazardous to them that because they are not what the Betta sees as "natural" enemies he will not attack or challenge if he is attacked or fins are nipped. He will allow small fish to nibble on fins and sometimes cause what could develop into a fatal case of finrot simply because he does not realize it may cause him harm. As far as eaten, I do not know that he would go that far, but he may be attacked by "natural" enemies due to tank owners unwittingly or even stubbornly putting incompatible fish in with him and him being either the aggressor or the victim. These types of situations usually end up with one fish or both being killed.

This is another reason why the divided tanks bother me so much. Bettas can determine that it is their best interest to rid themselves of what is on the other side of the divider and they will find a way if at all possible to get there.

Rose

Isabella

Thank you Rose for this information Maybe I didn't understand properly what you just said, but I meant: How do Bettas survive in nature, in the wild, on their own? I've read that smaller fish increase their chances of survival if they live in groups (they are not eaten by larger fish because when they're in group they look - from further away - as if they were one large fish; therefore the predator will leave them alone thinking it's one big fish). And since Bettas cannot live even in pairs, as they'll fight to death, how do they manage to survive in the wild? Sorry if I misunderstood your post, and sorry to bother you with so many questions!

chickadee

The species of betta that actually lives in the wild is not anywhere close to the one we see in our tanks here in the States or in most countries that can have them. The Fancy Bettas are not hardy enough to survive at all in the wild. The bettas that are in the wild have very short fins and a different shaped mouth and I think they are probably not as touchy about being around others as the ones are here. They are trained to fight. There is actually a species called the "Peaceful Betta" also which is okay to keep together with more than one male. It is not a beautiful betta, being a dark olive green/copper iridescent scaled fish with very short fins and a slim body. But if one wants a tank full of bettas, it is the only alternative. I have heard that they are beginning to be sold in some places in the States.

Rose

Isabella

It sounds like a very beautiful Betta to me! I'd like very much a few such Bettas in one tank

JMatt1983

i have seen some nice looking female bettas which i believe can be kept together, they had white bodies with purple fins that were much smaller than the males, but if you wanted to keep multiple male bettas, and only bettas, you couple always get a couple of tank dividers

atmmachine816

Ya I think another person has a tank full of those types of bettas, if it's ok I could post a link to the persons tank but it's on another forum so I don't think that's good, if your interested Isabella or chickadee or anybody else I'll find the link and PM you it, just PM me if your interested.

Some bettas are bred just to fight, the ones that don't show any promise are immediatley killed and the ones that do are immediately trained for the one fight it will most likely be invovled in then is discarded as it's usless after it's injured. It's like they used to have dog fights, rather horrible. It's more or less in Asia and Japan I think this goes on.

Austin

Peter243243

Dividers aren't good if the Bettas can see through them.
The Betta will jump to the other side.

atmmachine816

Ya dividers are fine if there is no way to see through them and they go up to the lid so the betta can't jump over it and it goes to the bottom so the betta also can't dig under it.