Betta crazy, bought 3 girl bettas

Well I found new home for my unhappy krib, and found myself with with a 10 gallon tank with only 2 platys in it. Before I knew it I found myself sorting through cups of betta girls. Ended up coming home with 3 tiny girls. The cups said they were 1.5 inches but they look even smaller than that. I'm going to have to come up for some sort of strategy at feeding time. Find some way to separate them and the platys.

 

Pictures please! he he

 

They'll grow to 2" or even 2.5". If they're in the same tank, you'll want to use tank dividers to separate them.

 

Pictures of the girls

Here are pictures of the new girls, haven't named these divas yet. I've read from quite a few different sources that multiple females can coexist as long as you don't have only 2. If there are only 2 one always harasses the other, but when there is more the pecking order is rather stable. Obviously with bettas they have such individual personalities this might not work but they are getting along well right now. If there begins to be a problem I will adjust. I even managed to feed them and the platys at the same time. I gave the platys their food on one side of the tank and then dropped the pellets in front of each of the girls separately. I have quite a few live plants in this tank, so hopefully that will give them all places to go. Also they are so young now they will just grow up used to being together, or so I hope.

I'm not sure how much to feed them when they are this tiny, I tried to compare them to a ruler and I would say one is 1.5 inch and the other 2 are about 1.25 inch. Tonight I fed them 2 pellets each of HikarI Bio-Gold baby pellets that I cut in half. I also have freeze-dried bloodworms that can be broken into little pieces and shrimp flakes that F&S site recommends for a once a week diet diversity. Flash likes all of it, and loves peas, can you give them too many peas? He has been getting one almost every day.

 

Honestly, 99 times out of 100 a sorority tank ends with dead and/or seriously injured Bettas. The rare times that it works, it's a delicate balance and even one of them getting sick will turn the tank into a war zone. It's not part of their instincts and some females won't even tolerate otos or corys.

We tried it ourselves back when we started out and the petco "fish guy" told us they'd be fine. We put tons of plants and caves in. The first day seemed ok, the second day a small fight between 2 of the 4 betta girls turned into an ever-worsening war until I had to put them all back into cups.

They're real beauties and good luck with them. Just watch for anything that's aggression. You'd be surprised how fast things can go bad. Watch the platys too, we had a betta in a tank with 3 platys (our 1st tank) and he took 2 fins off 1 and 1 fin off another before we knew what happened.

Unless we're treating for constipation, we'd say once a week for peas. Too much and you can cause diarrea, which can be pretty bad for bettas.

 

They are such cute little girls!

 

Honestly, 99 times out of 100 a sorority tank ends with dead and/or seriously injured Bettas. The rare times that it works, it's a delicate balance and even one of them getting sick will turn the tank into a war zone. It's not part of their instincts and some females won't even tolerate otos or corys.

We tried it ourselves back when we started out and the petco "fish guy" told us they'd be fine. We put tons of plants and caves in. The first day seemed ok, the second day a small fight between 2 of the 4 betta girls turned into an ever-worsening war until I had to put them all back into cups.

They're real beauties and good luck with them. Just watch for anything that's aggression. You'd be surprised how fast things can go bad. Watch the platys too, we had a betta in a tank with 3 platys (our 1st tank) and he took 2 fins off 1 and 1 fin off another before we knew what happened.

Unless we're treating for constipation, we'd say once a week for peas. Too much and you can cause diarrea, which can be pretty bad for bettas.

Illness is what brought on the aggression in my tank.Things were going great for 2 months. I had 4 tiny females now I have one. If you plan on doing a sorority...try a 20 gallon with lots and lots of plants. And I'd get 2 or 3 more females. But one female will always be the dominant one and will stress the others to death. The 10 gallon was too small for my 4 even when it was down to 3. I'd get a tank and divided it too. Sororities don't work in small tank.

 

What pretty little ladies.....The white one is especially nice! I'd name her "Pearl"

 

These girls sure seem to have a preoccupation with pecking around the substrate like they were catfish. The second day they were aggressive with each other, and the white one who is a little larger than the rest is now dominate. The dark one has gotten the worst of it and has a little frazzled tail, but they have been much less aggressive today. They seem a lot less aggressive than the 2 male platys I used to have. They have already figured out that when I shut down the filter (to make it easier to deliver their food individually) that it is time to eat. I would think that this would make them more aggressive but it seems to be quite the opposite, they obviously put eating before bickering. Not sure what color the dark one is, she has a metallic look that doesn't show well in the picture. I don't see green real well, slightly color blind, so she could be green for I would know.

 

I have 6 girls together and they show no aggression.. different aged/sized bettas even. 2 younger babies and 4 adult girls. they like to watch the lizard and its food (flightless fruit flies) in the tank next to them more than they do anything else.. or pick on the snails, another hobby of theirs. they calm down in about a week of having them together. pecking orders are done by all fish and be sure to watch to ensure u didnt get a really aggressive female

 

If there is fin damage, you might want to take precautionary steps to prevent fin rot. Vita-chem, Fish Protector and Garlic Guard are good to add to the water for that. We also recommend to do daily water changes if a betta has fin damage. The extra clean water helps.

 

Are you advising to add all 3? Or should I just find one of them? I will do some extra water changes too, I have good water parameters according to the test kit, No NH4, NO2-, and less than 5ppm NO3- but I have some problem with microscopic algae. The water at first looks crystal clear but if you look through it to something white there is a green tint and green stuff collects in the filter.

 

I add all 3 when treating torn/damaged fins. Even though the tank is cycled, the daily water changes help and really would always be good for any fish. But with torn/damaged fins, there is an opportunity for bacteria so the water changes help fight that, as do those 3 additives.

 

Halley's tail has already healed from the bickering these girls did the first 48 hours. I guess they heal pretty quick when they are young and growing. Since then I have been watching carefully for any aggression, and not only has there been none, the opposite seems to be the case. They act like schooling fish some of the time all swimming in the same place, and sometimes they are all doing different things, but nothing hostile. They actually seem to like each other.

Funny thing happened just before I started writing this. Halley was zipping from one side of the tank to the other and ran smack into the side of Angelina who was hovering in the middle of the tank. They both looked stunned for a moment and then they both slowly swam away. It was just like two people bumping heads and getting dazzed. I couldn't help but laugh, hope I didn't hurt their feelings.

 

Beautiful Girls Good Luck!

 

Even if you are not noticing aggression, there is the issue of making sure each of them is actually getting to eat. You may not be noticing it but they may be chasing the weakest one away from the food and keepint the one from getting adequate food. It may get some but not enough to be able to live and stay healthy. This is how the problems started at my tank. Soon I had one who would not go near the food as she was so afraid of the others she was too frightened to eat. This is something that happens gradually and it is not noticed unless you really pay attention to what is happening at meal times. So be sure you watch to make sure that they are all eating and getting their share of the food and the stronger ones are not chasing the weaker one away from the food. If this is happening even a little you have a problem. I do not want to discourage you but this is a serious thing you are doing and you need to be aware of the problems others have had so you can perhaps avoid them.

I do wish you luck and hope that you can succeed where we did not so keep us informed.

Rose

 

From the very beginning I have fed them individually. I stop the filter so there is no current, then I drop the food in front of each one making sure they all get the same amount. I then start the filter and feed the platys their flakes a few at a time and since they are much better and running down moving food then the bettas only get a little bit of the flakes.

They just moved into a new tank today, this one is an 18 gallon 20x10x20 inches. They also have some new tankmates, a school of pygmy corys who are only about 1/2 inch long right now. I also added a couple pieces of driftwood covered with moss and a number of plants. It was a messy chore moving all the substrate and everything. I am still waiting for the Eclipse hood to come in the mail to finish the new set-up and I'm sure I'll be struggling with the water parameters for awhile. Once I know I have a stable nitrogen cycle I am going to add a couple otos. The girls seem happy in this new tank, they not only get to zip from side to side, now they can zip up and down.

 

Your little girls are beautiful. They sound like the size that are available to me...so tiny and sweet.

I had threelittle girls together about 6 mnths ago. It worked for a couple of weeks, and then I realized that some of the funny behaviours were acts of bullying and aggression. They were so small I couldn't believe at first that they would already be doing that.There were some torn fins. I had to split them all up, and ended up losing them. (I had doubts of their health to begin with - got them from a terrible tank at Walmart).

Good Luck with your girls, watch them carefully. I hope they do well. Keep us posted as to their progress.

Val

 

If they're getting some flakes, definitely feed them each 3 pellet sized pieces of a thawed & peeled frozen pea once or twice a week.. probably twice. This should help counter any constipation effect from the dry flakes.

 

Also I want to go on record as someone who has had a tall tank or two or three with betta that with the females it is probably okay, but with males they definitely need to have long rather than tall. The extra finnage that they carry around makes it difficult enough for them to navigate in the water without them having to worry about having to do the up and down swimming to reach the surface to breathe. Now I am aware that all the betta you are putting in this tank are females and they have shorter fins so you will probably be okay. This is for the others who may be reading about your tank and thinking that they maybe will do this same thing. It is not the best idea for a male to have the tall instead of the long tanks. I found this out sadly by doing it and paying with several betta having to suffer for it. The Eclipse 12 tank may not have the light output but all my guys get along in it just fine and I have them all planted with real plants although low light ones. The plants get enough light and the betta do not hide. If you get too much light your betta will actively hide and never come out into the light. I do not know what the problem is if it is eyesight or what but they do not seek out bright light and so do not be surprised if you find your little fellow spending time at the back of the tank where the light is dimmer. I did not have nearly as much luck with the bettas in the 25 gallon with the 2 lights as with them in the Eclipse 12 gallons with the 13 watt set up. So I guess you decide which you have your tank set up for, the plants or the fish. The thing is sometimes what one likes the other is not happy with and you cannot make a betta happy with something just because you would like it. They do tend to decide what they want and they seldom change their minds. If you plant it heavily enough he may play in the plants and caves if he can be shaded but be sure to provide him with a lot of places to be out of the light if he does not like it or you will never see him in the tank at the front.

Even your ladies may not care for the light in this tank so you may want to be prepared for that eventuality. The rest of this post is devoted mostly to owners of male betta.

Rose

 

I'm glad to hear they have a bigger tank. Good luck with it.

 

I agree that it might be hard on a male betta to have too far to go to the surface, the females don't seem to be bothered by it. This is still a rather small tank so it isn't a terrible distance being less than twice the height of a 10 gallon tank. I think I found a pretty good compromise on the light, it is about 1.7 watts per gallon which is good for low-moderate light plants but not something that requires CO2 and such complications. I do think I need to add an air pump and bubbles to get a little more oxygen in the water. I think I am going to feed the platies less flakes and let them eat more sinking shrimp pellets. That way the betta get less flakes and the corys should get some leftovers.

Flash's tank may be too bright, when I switched the incadescent for fluorescent it became much brighter. I know when I first turn the light on, he seems a little disorientated and isn't immediately ready to look for food.

 

One of the 2 platys in this tank died last night from unknown cause. The stress of the move may have been too much. I tested the water last night and there was a sever pH change from before I switched tanks. It was 7.8 and is now 7.0. All other tests came out zero. Since I haven't switched hoods yet, the only thing that has changed (besides the tank itself, which should be inert) is the addition of more plants and driftwood. Can the driftwood have such an effect on pH? It has obviously been in a tank at my LFS long enough to have well established java moss growing on it.

I'm going to go to my LFS and ask about it. He isn't your normal stupid fish store guy. He actually raises most of his supply of fish and all of his plants himself. He doesn't breed bettas though I have never gotten bad advice from him.

I'm also going to look for an air pump and airstone of some sort. It seems to me there has to be less oxygen in a tank that is deeper but has the same surface area as my older tank.

 

I tested the water last night and there was a sever pH change from before I switched tanks. It was 7.8 and is now 7.0. All other tests came out zero. Since I haven't switched hoods yet, the only thing that has changed (besides the tank itself, which should be inert) is the addition of more plants and driftwood. Can the driftwood have such an effect on pH? It has obviously been in a tank at my LFS long enough to have well established java moss growing on it.

Yes, driftwood will lower your pH. How long was it in your tank?
What is the pH of your tap water?

 

Yes as has been said Driftwood is famous for changing pH and is sometimes used for just that purpose. Your fish should be able to acclimate to it but I would watch for signs of stress for a bit in case you start to develop problems with some of the stress diseases like finrot.

Rose

 

Talked to the local fish store owner, place called All About Fish. He said the lower pH probably was a combination of the driftwood and moving my substrate from one tank to the other stirring up a lot of old stuff and would probably return to something closer to my water supply as time and water changes go by. When I talked about buying air pump and stone he said it was totally unnecessary in my tank accept for aesthetics. As far as tanks of female betta he said there is rarely a problem when there are many of them, but that 3 perhaps was too few and suggest adding 1 or 2 more. He didn't have females, so I might go rescue another from Petco, although I'm reluctant to change a situation that is working just fine right now.

 

after stirring up the tank, and the time its been running, I'm worried there's no nitrates? did ya shake and bang up that #2 bottle good?? sorry for the loss of your fish

 

I check 2 tanks at the same time and the other had the expected level of nitrates. The lack of nitrates is the result of a 100% water change, it did not occur to me to save some of the water from the old tank. Perhaps if I had transferred some of the old water, I would not have had the dramatic pH change. After stirring up the the substrate I was more concerned about a jump in ammonia, but I haven't seen that either. I suppose the filter and everything in the tank was so well cycled that the nitrogen cycle wasn't interrupted. Next week I'm getting the new Eclipse hood, and will have the break in the new filter, hopefully there is enough bacteria in the rest of the tank to minimize any further effects on the water quality.

And as far as that hood goes, turns out the supplier I was lead to believe had the Eclipse 1 with 2 bulbs doesn't have it, so I ordered the regular Eclipse 1 with 1 bulb and the compact fluorescent retrofit from DFS. I'm ending up with a lot of light bulbs I have no use for. The regular bulb that comes with the hood, and the bulb that comes with the retrofit, which is 10,000k/acetic (a saltwater bulb). So I had to order the proper compact fluorescent bulb a dual daylight 6700k/10,000k bulb. I still end up with a reasonable compromise between the need of the plants and the fish. I end up with 32 watts for an 18 gallon tank. After the mention of bright light and bettas I was wondering if that was effecting Flash in his 5 gallon after I replaced the incandescent with fluorescent. After the change he ended up with 20 watts in his 5 gallon tank. But it does not appear to matter to him, he is sluggish in the morning whether the lights are on or not, and acts normally the rest of the time. He must have been watching me, I am sluggish in the mornings too. He is also paler in the morning too, but I have read that is not uncommon with all sorts of different fish.

 

Update... Over the weekend, I gave my last platy to my friend who has already gotten a tank full of fish from me. After the passing of her "sister" she seemed very stressed being by herself with the bettas, this also solved my betta eating flake food problem. The 3 girls are now 4, I added a Walmart refugee who is kinda plain, so I named her Jane. She is tan with stripes and comparatively short fins. This addition went remarkably smoothly, and I have seen no aggression. I also added 2 otos. I thought the otos would be no problem until I tossed in a algae wafer for them. Seems everyone except the otos have eaten off this wafer. Particularly Angelina, but all the bettas and some of the cories all had a share. Now I am worried about Angelina, she looks like she might burst. I may have to try to grow straight algae in a jar to feed the otos. Any ideas would be appreciated, I am still trying to brainstorm this one.