Betta Breeding & Living Together

Hey, I'm 16 years old and I've got multiple bettas! I have 1 male betta living with 5 female bettas. I know you might be thinking: This guy is crazy! However, my bettas are living peacefully together since 1 month now and they don't bother each other. They live in a 54L (~15 gallons) and I wanted to ask if my bettas can actually mate if they are already living together?
I want the babies so bad! Not to sell them but to take my hobby to the next level, I love aquariums, I've got another community tank since 3 years. Furthermore, I have another tank for the fries if they hatch. So can the bettas mate if they live together or not?
Thanks!

 

Personally I would never house them together. From what I've read, when the male and female mate, they can get very violent with each other.

 

Yes I know, but after the embrace/breeding I would take the females out, and let the male stay there till the fries are ready to swim in the other tank

 

Even if you didn't have the male in there, 15 gallons would be too small for 5 female Betta's. Can they breed in there, I suppose its possible. But would they? I think the chances of you coming home to a massacre are far more likely. The fact that they have lived in there for a month just means you got lucky. You have a ticking time bomb in that tank. I'm sorry to say that. But your fish will pay the price

 

But not every betta is brutal, I know a friend who has 1 male 6 females and guppies in the same tank since almost 1 year

 

I have to agree with the above. I wouldn't risk having hem together as they are now. It's far too risky.

 

Should I worry now, or just wait a few months to see how it goes

 

Yes I know, but after the embrace/breeding I would take the females out, and let the male stay there till the fries are ready to swim in the other tank

I recommend you research a lot on properly breeding Betta's before continuing. Maybe someone can chyme in with some helpful articles on this topic so you have something to go on.

 

Bettas can be quite violent after mating and from what I've heard are difficult to mate. 15 gallons also seems quite small to house 6 bettas together. They can become aggressive towards each other, even after living together for a while.

 

It's not that you can't breed them if you want to. Just read a lot and see how the experienced do it with out any of the fish getting hurt. You'll get much more reward out of it too. I'd at least take the male out now. Then when others help you get a breeding plan down you can try again

 

Thanks, I've researched a lot and I didn't find anyone who can answer to my question, so I don't know how to do! I've read 2 books about Bettas and both say that 1 male can live with 5 females, but none speaks about 'natural' breeding...

And sorry for my English but I live in Luxembourg and I've been learning since only 2 years now..

 

Your English is fine! I live in California where there are people from all over the world.
So with Betta's in the wild, they don't live together. They live on their own. If a male and female come to meet and decide to breed they go their separate ways after. This is why people say not to have them live together in a tank because if one decides they don't like the other then they have no way to get out. I think usually, for breeding, they are housed males individually and females either individually or in a female only sorority. Then if breeding is desired, the chosen male and female are placed in a special tank just for the breeding. And they are both removed after the mating is done so they don't hurt each other.

 

So do you think I should separate them now or just wait a little bit longer?

And do you think that the male is still sexually attracted by the females? Because at the beginning he flared at them and now he ignores them..

 

Here's a link on a step by step guide:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/step-by-step-guide-to-breeding-bettas.37434/
this link is 7 years old so I don't know if there is a better way

 

Thanks! Very helpful!

 

So do you think I should separate them now or just wait a little bit longer?

And do you think that the male is still sexually attracted by the females? Because at the beginning he flared at them and now he ignores them..

I would at least remove the male for now.
Also I would think about getting a 20 gallon long or 29 gallon for the females.

As for him being attracted to the females I don't know. Maybe because they have spent some time together, you'll have good luck when you attempt the breeding later?
I have never tried to breed bettas. But in my little betta experience I know they can and will kill tank mates if they want to. I have never put two bettas in the same tank before. A friend of mine has a successful betta sorority of 5-6 females in a 29 gallon tank. So basically I know it can be done, I just haven't myself.

Please understand, I don't claim to be an expert and I don't want to tell you how to do it. I simply see that your current set up is a dangerous situation for the fish. I hope that some other people see this thread and have more input for you on how to best accomplish your goals of breeding.

 

Just search on google "how to breed bettas" and there are a whole bunch of sites on it! YouTube is also a good source. Also as mentioned above its not a good idea. I would get a 10 gallon and then put your male and female in there. Its too risky for the male to breed with a female inside the tank. Also if the male is still a juvenile and haven't mature then it won't breed yet. The problem with bettas is their personality. They can be peaceful at first but then when they mature they can become aggressive. Many people have kept bettas in a community tank only to find out in a couple months after their betta lived peacefully with the other fish the betta all of a sudden starts to chase the other fish and nip them.

 

I ve been breeding and keeping betas for years and its true every betta has its own personality, Can you keep male and female bettas together like you are doing at the moment? yes you can its all about spreading the bullying, if you have less than 6 bettas they will be harrassed by the dominant fish. Sometimes in fish shops you get a male plakat (short finned male) in the female tank and they don't kill each other.

What triggers betta breeding is the temperature. A male betta at 25°c won't be interested in breeding as much so his aggression is low. raise the temperature and your male will attack every female and the females will turn on each other and start fighting.

In the wild fish have lots of space and males have small territories that they guard. when being chased the female betta just swims away. Male bettas in the wild don't hang around in plain sight because they are at risk of being eaten so they are hiding and if bettas don´t see each other there isn´t a fight if they do see each other the least dominant male will swim away.

 

Thanks!!! Omg I'm so calmed down right now, actually my tank is at exactly 25° C and 1/3 of it is planted with Anarchis and Anubias, furthermore, there are plenty of hiding places in decorations, so I don't think that it could be a problem (for now)


I just wanted to ask: I added 2 Kuhlis and 1 Sucker Fish, but I actually wanted to add 2 more fish that actually swim around and are friendly with the bettas, what should I buy?

 

a pair of german blue ram cichlids are easy going, just don't get the long finned variety or your bettas might pick on them.