Betta tank for son

Wait - you’re getting a female betta to put in with the male betta? Am I reading that right? Or are you saying you’re doing a female betta with the tetras? A male and a female together would be a bad idea

 

why would the male and female be a bad idea?
Thanks.

it can be difficult to be married sometimes

I brought the tetras back

 

Putting a male and female Betta together is likely to end in at least one being killed due to a seriously bad attitude problem and anger management issues.....

 

A betta should be the onlt thing in there. Well shrimp and snails could go in there.

 

why would the male and female be a bad idea?
Thanks.

it can be difficult to be married sometimes

A male and female together will still fight - it’s basically the same as putting two males together. One will likely kill or severely injure the other

 

Well, I will have to watch them fight. I don’t want to have any more disagreements with my wife. She wouldn’t believe me that the betta would kill other fish.

 

Oh dear....

As your son is autistic I understand your wife's desire to have something showy that your son can get to know and be attracted to....the male Betta has the variety in colours and the flowing fins and is eyecatching, which is ideal for your son to watch

I really really would plead with your wife not to mix a male & female Betta in the same aquarium....it really is asking for trouble and its why the Betta is known as the Siamese Fighting Fish....cos they literally fight to the death and I would absolutely hate for your lad to become attached to his fish only for one or both to be killed in a fight as that will distress your lad no end

Please reconsider having both....or if you can without causing the aquarium to be a size issue have a divider in place to keep them apart

I cannot say this strong enough....for the sake of your lad and the fish themselves, please do not put both in the same aquarium....it will end in tears

 

Ask your wife how many of the community tanks of fish for sale at the store had Bettas mixed in with other species.

Then ask which species of fish at the store were all in individual jars with only 1 fish per jar.

The ask her what fish is also known as the "Japanese Fighting Fish".

Hopefully I light will turn on and the "oh, now I understand" moment will occur.

If that doesn't happen, then any future dead tank mates may lead to it.

Good luck !

 

Well, I will have to watch them fight. I don’t want to have any more disagreements with my wife. She wouldn’t believe me that the betta would kill other fish.

Tell her to do some simple research? male and female bettas can't be housed together unless its for breeding by experts! Even after breeding , they have to be separated again. Another name for bettas are "Siamese Fighting Fish" because they fight to death! That situation is worse than having the 3 tetras ....

Bc letting your son watch 2 beautiful fish kill each other is a good idea....

 

I think I lost some “fish lore creds” because of this fiasco...lol

 

Thinking about having a sorority

 

Thinking about having a sorority

A sorority would probably be a great thing for your son! Lots of flashy fish, and lots of activity (especially depending on ditherfish).
However, as we’ve already discussed, bettas are highly aggressive critters - if you are truly interested in starting a sorority tank, I recommend spending a while doing some research, or I can provide you with the steps And information I find lead to a successful setup. It’s a long processes with many preventative steps, however, sororities are a very delicate balancing act, and sometimes difficult to set up and prone to (sometimes deadly) failures. Even if you return your male betta, you will need to buy a much larger tank for this, at least a 20 long

 

The female is in my ten and the male is stilll in the 5.5 in my son’s room. I provided pics above

 

The female is in my ten and the male is stilll in the 5.5 in my son’s room. I provided pics above

Ah okay, I don’t see a post mentioning that or pictures, unfortunately... I’d still have to highly recommend more than a ten for a sorority. I started mine in a ten as an experiment, to see if it’d work. A 20L is much preferable

 

Odd. I thought I posted pictures I will later on. It is a 10 Gallon not a 10L. It is a 5.5 Gallon

 

This is the female. I would like info on Betta Sororities

 

Here is the boy. Unfortunately, my wife just went and bought two neons. She claims that they survived with a previous betta she had. I really cannot argue

 

As Dewclaw83 said above, for a comfortable sorority you'll need to double the aquarium size at the very least cos although female Betta's are usually calmer than the males, they can still kick off with each other or their tankmates.....you'll also need sightline blocking with plants and ornaments etc to allow the individual fish time and space to hide and be alone from their tank mates and each other

As for Neons with the male Betta, your wife really needs to do proper research and not take the word of the LFS or past experience cos every male Betta is different in attitude and some will start off calm but can turn in an instant and I said before, your son will be severely distressed if that male Betta turns on his tank mates cos when a Betta fights its very nasty to watch

For your son's sake, you need to put your foot down with the wife and force her to see sense cos neither of you want to distress your child and a fight in an aquarium is not something any child would want to experience, let alone a child with special needs like yours

 

She agreed that I could put the neons in another tank if need be.

 

I hope that you are fully cycling these aquariums before putting fish into them and doing water testing and maintenance each week

Argiung with the wife over what fish goes where is stressing your lad out as he won't want to see mum & dad fighting......keep things calm for the lad, get the wife to do proper research about the needs of Betta fish, both male and female cos at the end of the day your son's wellbeing is your priority but so is the health of those fish

Don't argue and fight with each other, do your homework & research, don't take shortcuts and your lad will grow up to enjoy the fishkeeping pastime....at 11 years old he is alert to everything going on around him, often moreso with his autism, so try and keep everything calm and learn together how to take proper care of the fish and then all of you will enjoy the hobby much more

 

Are you married? Lol

yes, my tanks are cycled

we aren’t fighting. Just disagreeing

Bettas are awesome!!

 

Are you married? Lol

yes, my tanks are cycled

we aren’t fighting. Just disagreeing

No...divorced 26 years ago lol

Well try not get too heated with the wife infront of the lad cos he won't understand that you are just disagreeing with each other

If you go for the 20 gallon for a sorority, the neons can probably go in there with the female Betta's if they are calm enough, but again you will have to watch for aggression and act on it quickly if need be

 

If she can't agree on the right humane housing for those poor fish, then please take them back and get the kid a dog. Trust me, a dog is will be far cheaper & easier to care for. Please reconsider

 

Compromise with the wife and get a second tank if she wants different fish

Everyone wins.

Unless shes like my husband who says no more tanks

 

I’m not sure you have read, it isn’t ten liters.
Is 10 gallons a good size for a sorority?
I do have a twenty that would be a good home.

are you married??

we aren’t fighting, just disagreeing.

No, as I said before, I tried a sorority in a 10 gallon, and I very much recommend that you need at least a 20 gallon tank - and the long is preferable over tall. I think you may have confused me saying “20L” as “20 L” or 20 liters. 20L refers to 20 Long

 

Oh! Cool! I have two 20L!!

 

EmiliyaCossack has a soroity

 

No worries guys...we fixed the issues.

 

A sorority would probably be a great thing for your son! Lots of flashy fish, and lots of activity (especially depending on ditherfish).
However, as we’ve already discussed, bettas are highly aggressive critters - if you are truly interested in starting a sorority tank, I recommend spending a while doing some research, or I can provide you with the steps And information I find lead to a successful setup. It’s a long processes with many preventative steps, however, sororities are a very delicate balancing act, and sometimes difficult to set up and prone to (sometimes deadly) failures. Even if you return your male betta, you will need to buy a much larger tank for this, at least a 20 long

I did a lot of research into this...Could you please provide me with more information? I'm planning on starting this today

 

The good news is, they make those jelly feeling glo plants. Ya know, the ones that wiggle like a jelly fish under currents. Really squishy. Those would be ideal.
glo fish make me cringe,its so cruel. But it is what it is, and they now exist... so at least he’s getting a good home.
and I support your decision on no hang on filter, those drag bettas down with their big glorious fins.

It is actually a 5 gallon tank. I’m using a smaller heater now. But, still the ten gallon filter. Ugh

I use a 10 gallon heater on my 3 gallon nano and my 5 gallon nano, it keeps temp steady. They’re usually programmed to hold a steady temp of around 72 and will shut off themselves. It works fine for me.
(photo of my3g with 10 gallon heater)