Two Pregnant Bettas

So I just started a female sorority tank that is 10 gallons with 3 females in it. I got these two bettas from petco and brought them home and when I put the third one in the tank she was a bit aggressive but it seemed under control. Then a few days later I notice that she looks a little big so I took only her to my local fish store to ask and they said she is definitely pregnant and said since there is no male she will just reabsorb her eggs. So i went home and then I noticed that my blue betta looks a little big too. Today i noticed my pregnant fish was chasing my two other fish a lot so i put her in a breeding tank that is clicked on the side of the tank. My blue fish has been chilling at the top most of the day. I really wanted to know what to do since i looked up what to do and didn’t really find anything that related to my situation. I was also wondering how long it would take her to reabsorb her eggs?

 

I think you should separate your females. Sororities are extremely difficult, especially with so few females in such a small tank. It’s normal for them to fight while establishing a pecking order, but your fish seem to be stressed out, and 3 isn’t a very healthy sorority number.

Sororities in general are debatable because you need to rehome so many betta females before getting a compatible bunch. In a 10 gallon with just 3 the already low odds of success are much reduced. Most successful female sororities are tanks of at least 20-30 gallons with at least 5 females, even then many are rehomed before you stumble on a compatible bunch. The best odds are with spawn sisters, but even then there’s no guarantee, and it’s clear these females are not spawn sisters. The other issue is stress. Even in successful cases, it’s not unheard of for the females to frequently fall ill or live shorter lifespans due to the stress of being in a sorority.

Of course, it’s not impossible to do a successful sorority, many have and those that are successful have happy female bettas that enjoy their lives and show unique behavior. Unfortunately though, the odds are stacked very high against you.

What are your parameters? It’s important in high stress there is nothing stressing them further. As for being eggbound, it usually happens when they’re exposed to a male. It’s possible one of your females is males or that your females encountered a male at the store. They should reabsorb the eggs on there own once conditions are optimal. You can feed them daphnia and raise temp to 80F to encourage them to reabsorb the eggs

 

I think you should separate your females. Sororities are extremely difficult, especially with so few females in such a small tank. It’s normal for them to fight while establishing a pecking order, but your fish seem to be stressed out, and 3 isn’t a very healthy sorority number.

Sororities in general are debatable because you need to rehome so many betta females before getting a compatible bunch. In a 10 gallon with just 3 the already low odds of success are much reduced. Most successful female sororities are tanks of at least 20-30 gallons with at least 5 females, even then many are rehomed before you stumble on a compatible bunch. The best odds are with spawn sisters, but even then there’s no guarantee, and it’s clear these females are not spawn sisters. The other issue is stress. Even in successful cases, it’s not unheard of for the females to frequently fall ill or live shorter lifespans due to the stress of being in a sorority.

Of course, it’s not impossible to do a successful sorority, many have and those that are successful have happy female bettas that enjoy their lives and show unique behavior. Unfortunately though, the odds are stacked very high against you.

What are your parameters? It’s important in high stress there is nothing stressing them further. As for being eggbound, it usually happens when they’re exposed to a male. It’s possible one of your females is males or that your females encountered a male at the store. They should reabsorb the eggs on there own once conditions are optimal. You can feed them daphnia and raise temp to 80F to encourage them to reabsorb the eggs

I took out the most aggressive one and she’s in a breeding tank that’s suctioned to the side of the tank. I tried to separate the other two females before and one of them started eating their own tail so i decided to put just the two of them back together in the tank. I do plan on putting one more in the tank but i’m waiting. What are the conditions? Is feeding daphnia ok to feed if one of them isn’t pregnant?

 

I took out the most aggressive one and she’s in a breeding tank that’s suctioned to the side of the tank. I tried to separate the other two females before and one of them started eating their own tail so i decided to put just the two of them back together in the tank. I do plan on putting one more in the tank but i’m waiting. What are the conditions? Is feeding daphnia ok to feed if one of them isn’t pregnant?

Yes it’s fine, daphnia is good for their health actually.

Your fish won’t have fry or anything, they’re just egg-bound.

Tail biting is a sign of stress. What are your water parameters? Are the tanks cycled?

 

Yes it’s fine, daphnia is good for their health actually.

Your fish won’t have fry or anything, they’re just egg-bound.

Tail biting is a sign of stress. What are your water parameters? Are the tanks cycled?

Okay thank you! The temp is 79F ammonia and nitrite are both 0. GH and KH are both 3 and the pH is 7.2.

 

Are you sure you are not just overfeeding them? Bettas do not become "pregnant." They will become egg bound but it does not usually enlarge their stomachs.

 

Yes it’s fine, daphnia is good for their health actually.

Your fish won’t have fry or anything, they’re just egg-bound.

Tail biting is a sign of stress. What are your water parameters? Are the tanks cycled?

Okay thank you! The temp is 79F ammonia and nitrite are both 0. GH and KH are both 3 and the pH is 7.2.

Are you sure you are not just overfeeding them? Bettas do not become "pregnant." They will become egg bound but it does not usually enlarge their stomachs.

I just got both of them and i’ve only fed them twice since i’ve got them.

Yes it’s fine, daphnia is good for their health actually.

Your fish won’t have fry or anything, they’re just egg-bound.

Tail biting is a sign of stress. What are your water parameters? Are the tanks cycled?

Where do I get daphnia because I looked it up at the pet store and different stuff came up?

 

Okay thank you! The temp is 79F ammonia and nitrite are both 0. GH and KH are both 3 and the pH is 7.2.

I just got both of them and i’ve only fed them twice since i’ve got them.

Maybe they were overfed in the store?

 

Maybe they were overfed in the store?

Maybe but i really think they are egg bound/pregnant because when i look up pregnant betta she does look like that.

 

Maybe but i really think they are egg bound/pregnant because when i look up pregnant betta she does look like that.

The ovaries are directly behind the stomach so sometimes it’s harder to tell. If you shine a flashlight on the fish, you might see what looks like a yellow elongated triangle, that’s the ovaries with eggs in it. It’s easier to see the eggs in light colored females.

Sometimes swelling can be due to internal bacterial or parasitic infections. Watch for white stringy poo, inflamed anus, protruding worms, or pineconing.

Another thing you can try is an Epsom salt bath. Make sure the Epsom salt doesn’t have any scents or oils in it. Use a ratio of 1 tablespoon per gallon, keep the fish in there for only 10-20 minutes. If the fish starts acting extremely agitated get her out. Epsom salt baths help with swelling, you can do them once or twice a week.

If you can’t get daphnia see if they have it frozen. You can also try feeding a peeled pea and use garlicgaurd

 

Is your tank cycled?

 

The ovaries are directly behind the stomach so sometimes it’s harder to tell. If you shine a flashlight on the fish, you might see what looks like a yellow elongated triangle, that’s the ovaries with eggs in it. It’s easier to see the eggs in light colored females.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I have heard from multiple betta breeders that male bettas can sometimes have ovaries too.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I have heard from multiple betta breeders that male bettas can sometimes have ovaries too.

Interesting.. I’ve never heard of this before, but I’ve never heard it being incorrect either? Based on biology though, ovaries would be a female organ, and betta fish are not asexual so they wouldn’t have both

 

Wh

I think you should separate your females. Sororities are extremely difficult, especially with so few females in such a small tank. It’s normal for them to fight while establishing a pecking order, but your fish seem to be stressed out, and 3 isn’t a very healthy sorority number.

Sororities in general are debatable because you need to rehome so many betta females before getting a compatible bunch. In a 10 gallon with just 3 the already low odds of success are much reduced. Most successful female sororities are tanks of at least 20-30 gallons with at least 5 females, even then many are rehomed before you stumble on a compatible bunch. The best odds are with spawn sisters, but even then there’s no guarantee, and it’s clear these females are not spawn sisters. The other issue is stress. Even in successful cases, it’s not unheard of for the females to frequently fall ill or live shorter lifespans due to the stress of being in a sorority.

Of course, it’s not impossible to do a successful sorority, many have and those that are successful have happy female bettas that enjoy their lives and show unique behavior. Unfortunately though, the odds are stacked very high against you.

What are your parameters? It’s important in high stress there is nothing stressing them further. As for being eggbound, it usually happens when they’re exposed to a male. It’s possible one of your females is males or that your females encountered a male at the store. They should reabsorb the eggs on there own once conditions are optimal. You can feed them daphnia and raise temp to 80F to encourage them to reabsorb the eggs

What is daphnia?

 

Wh

What is daphnia?

Daphnia are small crustaceans. You can usually buy them freeze dried or frozen. Live is always best, you can always order them from microbiology science catalogs, just have a tank to raise/breed them in. Frozen or freeze dried works fine tho, just soak it first as freeze dried foods can expand and you don’t want them to expand in the fish’s stomach as this will worsen bloating/swelling.

It’s pretty much a live food that’s used to enrich diet, promote good health, but also act as a great laxative.